With the voting open for the 2021 Orchestra of the Year Award, music journalist and broadcaster Rob Cowan joins Gramophone's Editor in Chief, James Jolly, to talk about ensembles from Germany, the USA, Singapore and Switzerland. This is the only award chosen by our readers and an international audience of music-lovers. Visit our Awards pages for the list of the ten nominated orchestras and to vote. But before you do, listen to the ensembles on ten specially curated playlists and our dynamic playlist on Apple Music in lossless audio*.

Part 1 of these two podcasts finds Andrew Mellor in conversation with Andrew Mellor discussing ensembles from the UK, Germany, Italy and Canada.

Gramophone Podcasts are presented in association with Wigmore Hall, where having streamed more than 300 concerts over the past year, the venue's doors are once again open. See concert listings beneath the player below, and find out more at Wigmore Hall's website.

You can listen to the Podcast below. To hear other Gramophone podcasts, or to subscribe for free to new editions, search for 'Gramophone Magazine' in your Podcast application of choice, or visit Gramophone's page on Apple Music podcasts.

Wigmore Hall streamed concerts for next week

Monday, August 9, 1pm
Wigmore Soloists
Schubert: Octet
Available to watch for 30 days

Thursday, August 12, 1pm
Igor Levit pf
Beethoven Piano Sonatas – Piano Sonatas – No 1 in F minor, Op 2 No 1; No 12 in A flat, Op 26, 'Funeral March'; No 25 in G, Op 79; No 21 in C, Op 53, 'Waldstein'
Available to watch for 30 days

*Apple Music offers a three-month free trial to new subscribers and with its vast catalogue of recordings – plus the addition of lossless audio and Spatial Audio, offering an immersive audio experience from 44.1kHz/16-bit (CD quality) up to 192kHz/24-bit – it is the perfect music streaming platform for anyone who loves classical music.

You can also enjoy Gramophone's playlists exclusively on Apple Music, including The Listening Room, our frequently-updated guide to the most compelling new classical recordings.

Find out more and start your free trial here: Apple Music