Our President
Fiona Talkington
Fiona Talkington is best known as a presenter for BBC Radio 3 and for 20 years presenting the award-winning programme ‘Late Junction’ showcasing her passion for and knowledge of music from classical and jazz, to world music, folk, and experimental. She has presented the Proms live from the Royal Albert Hall, is a regular voice on Radio 3’s lunchtime concerts and the Afternoon show, as well as presenting features and documentaries not only on Radio 3 but on BBC World Service, Radio 4 and 6Music.
Fiona has curated numerous events and festivals including at Kings Place in London and the Royal Opera House, and she was curator for a 3-year series at the National Jazz stage in Oslo bringing together Norwegian and British musicians, writers, and artists. Her awards include the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her services to the arts. She has also been a guest curator for the Reading Fringe Festival including curating a music and literature project called ‘Conversations with Trees’.
As a writer Fiona is a regular contributor to Songlines magazine and has written for the Guardian and Independent newspapers and has contributed numerous articles and chapters on Norwegian arts and music. She is editor of the English edition of ‘The Sound of the North’ by Luca Vitali.
Fiona has an MA in Literature and the Visual Arts from the University of Reading. She enjoys working with projects which span different art forms and she is an Associate Artist for Reading’s Jelly.
She has worked on various projects for Reading Refugee Support Group including creative writing projects with people from Afghanistan and hosted RRSG’s 25th anniversary event at Reading’s Town Hall.
Fiona was born and brought up in Reading where she still lives.