Clemency Burton-Hill is making a one-off return to broadcasting following her serious brain injury.
The presenter will celebrate female composers, to mark International Women’s Day, while hosting a special episode of BBC Radio 3’s podcast Classical Fix.
The podcast is part of a 24-hour celebration on Monday on the station, during which only music by female composers will be played.
Burton-Hill was at work, aged 39, in New York last year when suddenly her speech started slurring and she collapsed.
R3 Through the Night: six hours of @EBU_HQ concerts & recordings every night. Catriona Young starts tonight with Bach, Schubert & Schumann from Riga 🇱🇻
Listen at 1am or here @BBCSounds any time for 30 days afterwards. https://t.co/JjvHpJ6rqd pic.twitter.com/qKfmyRXesh
— BBC Radio 3 (@BBCRadio3) February 27, 2021
The mother-of-two came out of a 17-day coma unable to make a sound and has since been learning to speak again.
She said: “Last year, just before the global pandemic hit, I suffered a major brain injury.
“I was very lucky to survive, and one of the things that makes me determined to keep going is, of course, music, but also broadcasting.
“I’m not able – yet – to work, but my speech is getting better and I’m getting stronger.”
Woman’s Hour presenter Emma Barnett will be her guest on the podcast, in which Burton-Hill creates an all-women playlist featuring music by Anna Meredith, Maria Szymanowska and Florence Price.
Radio 3 has commissioned two new works for International Women’s Day, on Monday, including a piece which explores the emotional impact of the pandemic on women.
– Clemency Burton-Hill’s episode of Classical Fix, a BBC Radio 3 podcast, will be on BBC Sounds from Monday.