Kate Molleson is a Scottish radio presenter and music journalist. [1] She presents on BBC Radio 3.
Molleson grew up in various areas of Scotland, as well as in Canada's far north. [2] She was interested in classical music as a child. [3] She studied musicology at King's College London and clarinet performance at McGill University in Canada. [2]
Molleson worked in several different roles for the Montreal Gazette up to 2010 at the latest, [4] [2] and was the deputy editor of Opera magazine, before returning to Scotland. [2] She then began reviewing classical music for The Guardian in 2010. [5] [2]
Molleson presented BBC Radio 3 concerts from 2015 onwards [6] and first presented Breakfast on BBC Radio 3 in May 2021. [7] Molleson has presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. [8] In 2022, Molleson remained a commentator upon classical music and an observer of the broader classical music scene. [9] In 2023, she began presenting some editions of Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3, [10] with Donald Macleod presenting the other editions of the programme. Molleson also presents Music Matters on BBC Radio 3. [11] [12] In 2025, a 40-episode series about radical or slightly radical composers from the 20th century, presented by Molleson, began to be broadcast on Radio 3. [13] Molleson has also presented Afternoon Concert and Hear and Now on BBC Radio 3. [14]
In 2022, Molleson's book Sound Within Sound [15] was published; [16] it explores the stories of composers who defied and pushed against conventions in the 20th century. [17] The book is a collection of essays. [3]
Molleson lives in Edinburgh. [18]
Molleson sits on the board of directors of the Dunedin Consort, [18] a UK-based baroque ensemble. [19]