Hannah French is a broadcaster and musicologist.
She presents BBC Radio 3's Record Review Extra, The Early Music Show, Breakfast, and live Concerts including regular lunchtime recitals from Wigmore Hall and LSO St Luke's.
She also appears as a commentator and presenter of the BBC Proms on BBC2 and BBC4. Her recent book, Sir Henry Wood Champion of J.S. Bach (Boydell Press, 2019) has been described as ‘utterly absorbing’, and ‘a fascinating contribution to the emerging history of the early music revival.’
In addition to presenting concerts either live or live-streamed, she has given pre-concert events for a variety of festivals and concert venues including The Oxford Lieder Festival, Bach Unwrapped at Kings Place, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto, and the Folkestone Literary Festival. She has written for BBC Music Magazine and served on the jury for its Annual Awards, and more recently been on jury panels for REMA and the Royal Philharmonic Society.
Hannah graduated from Birmingham University before studying baroque flute at the Royal Academy of Music and completing her PhD at the University of Leeds. For 12 years she was a Lecturer and Tutor at the Royal Academy of Music, during which time she also served as External Examiner and Advisor at the University of Chichester; and whilst living for a spell in Canada, taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.
Hannah was a founder trustee of Continuo Foundation – a grant awarding body for period instrument ensembles recovering from the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic - and she now serves on the Advisory Board for Haringey Young Musicians in London.
Photo Credit Sane Sevin