Navigating barriers with Phil Selway, Hannah Peel, Valentina Magaletti, and Errollyn Wallen

Phil Selway, Hannah Peel, Valentina Magaletti, and Errollyn Wallen discuss how to progress from a blank page to a room full of musicians, navigating barriers to development, and balancing the various demands of being a musician.

Phil Selway grew up in Oxfordshire and met his Radiohead bandmates at school. They formed the band in 1985 and released their debut album Pablo Honey in 1993. They’ve released nine studio albums to date. Phil’s debut solo album, Familial, came out in 2010, and he recently released his third solo album Strange Dance.

Hannah Peel is a Mercury Prize and Emmy-nominated composer, musician, artist and broadcaster. Her music is primarily electronic and often includes classical scoring and sound design, with references to the links between science, nature and music. As well as solo releases, she has also composed soundtracks and collaborated with artists such as Paul Weller, John Foxx and Phil Selway.

Valentina Magaletti is a drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, with an inventive approach to drums and percussion. She moves effortlessly between the seemingly disparate worlds of alternative and mainstream music. She’s played with artists such as Jandek, Mica Levi, Sampha, Kamasi Washington, and Nicolas Jaar.

Errollyn Wallen is a multi award-winning Belize-born British composer and performer. Her output includes 22 operas and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber, and vocal works. She composed for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games and for the climate change conference COP26. In 2020, she was awarded a CBE for services to music.