Welcome to Black, White and Beethoven here on the BBC World Service.

I'm Joseph Harker and for the next half hour I'm going to look at the relationship

between race and classical music in the UK today.

Let me start with a confession, something even my close friends are unaware of, but I happen to have an interest, sometimes even an enjoyment of classical music.

I'm black and was raised in a northern working-class city. I feel nervous even admitting to this

interest like a bit of a traitor to my race. But today I want to look at why I feel like

this and whether classical music should do more to make people like me

feel they can identify with it

My first encounter with a violin was as a six-year-old. My mom liked the idea of someone in her family who could play the fiddle.

I thought that it would be a really good idea if you could understand music and play it.

I did my best, but it was a slightly odd experience and I like

music anyway and it was the only problem with you was getting the practice in you see.

Although I worked at it I felt I was entering another world.

Because you know, you can't be an accomplished anything until you practice, unfortunately.

One in which I didn't feel entirely at home, a world that belonged to white people.

As I've grown into adulthood, I've realized that my own experience wasn't unique.

There simply aren't many professional black classical musicians in the UK.

We've got to get away from this whole thing about who can and who can't.

Now I'm a journalist at a parent and over the next half hour I'll be looking at the relationship

between race and classical music in Britain today.

Is it an issue we should be concerned about?

Are there elements of racism in the classical music industry?

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