For decades, critics have been slamming the classical music world for its elitism. Meanwhile, fans insist that classical music is for everyone. What’s all the fuss about?

In this episode, we ask: why is classical music’s elitist reputation so contentious? 

We explore how in the 1950s and 1960s - when Bernstein was at the height of his celebrity - the USA’s rapidly expanding middle class embraced classical music as a cultural equivalent of the white picket fence. We discuss musicians from Bernstein to Nigel Kennedy who have flouted the rules. And we reflect on how, in pushing the boundaries, they helped some fans to feel a sense of belonging, while others found themselves feeling excluded.

From Bernstein's archive, we meet a father who wants his children to learn “proper conduct,” a woman enraged by Bernstein’s “lunatic” conducting, and a couple of writers who are grateful for his performances of “longhair music.”

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Producers: Rowan Bishop and Kate Guthrie

Hosts: Flora Willson and Kate Guthrie

With thanks to: Cheryl Melody Baskin, Michael Ellison, Cassandra Fenton, Mark Keedwell, Melanie Shaffer, Karen Skinazi, Chuck Talley and Justin Williams.

Funded by: the Arts and Humanities Research Council.