Gavin Plumley

Gavin Plumley is a cultural historian. He writes, broadcasts and lectures widely about the music and culture of Central Europe. Gavin studied at Keble College, Oxford and began his career at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, before working in the theatre industry. In 2011, he decided to pursue a freelance career.

Gavin has written for many of the world’s leading opera houses, concert halls and music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, where he was a commissioning editor for nine years. He has also contributed articles to The Guardian, The Times, The Independent on Sunday, High Life, Opera Now, Opera, BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone.

Gavin appears frequently on BBC Radio 3, both as a guest, on Music Matters, Opera on 3, Proms Extra and the Vienna New Year’s Day Concert, and as a presenter, including broadcasts from the Bayreuth and Verbier Festivals. He has also appeared on Soul Music, Today, PM, Saturday Review and Start the Week on BBC Radio 4 and has reviewed the papers for Monocle 24, as well as featuring on their Meet the Writers programme.

Gavin is particularly well known for his work on Vienna during the final decades of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He appeared in Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas worldwide and on Sky Arts. Gavin has spoken about the period at the National Gallery as part of its Facing the Modern exhibition in 2013, at Tate Liverpool’s 2008 Klimt retrospective and at the Neue Galerie in New York. He also lectures regularly for The Arts Society.

His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is now out in paperback. Gavin is currently working on his second book. 

(Updated 15/05/2024)