So, Hear Me Out: Can classical music be protest music?

In this third episode of our classical music podcast series, So Hear Me Out, Gillian Moore and Linton Stephens explore some of the ways in which classical music has been used to challenge power, uplift marginalised voices, and fuel social movements.

As part of this discussion Stephens presents Julius Eastman’s Gay Guerrilla, a defiant and deeply moving work that reclaims the idea of the ‘guerrilla’ as a symbol of queer resistance. The piece is raw, repetitive, and electrifying – built to reflect both personal struggle and collective power.

Moore then guides you through Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated, a towering set of 36 variations based on a Chilean protest anthem. Together the hosts unpack how Rzewski weaves political messages into the classical form, creating a composition that bridges generations and geographies of resistance.

From radical sounds to revolutionary ideas, throughout this episode, Stephens and Moore consider how music amplifies stories too often silenced, and how these works continue to speak to today’s social and political realities. This is classical music as activism – urgent, unflinching, and unafraid to raise its voice.

Listen now for an exploration of music that dares to speak out and still echoes today.

Be sure not to miss future episodes of So Hear Me Out by subscribing now via Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcast fix.