In Conversation

A conductor who has established an outstanding reputation for a charismatic stage presence and powerful interpretations of an extensive repertoire, Dr Nicholas Milton has conducted orchestras across Europe and Australia. He has over 60 albums to his name as both a conductor and as a violinist, and has been nominated for a Grammy.

As chief conductor of the Göttinger Symphony Orchestra, he spends much of the year in Germany, but he still calls Australia home. And one home that is particularly dear to his heart is his role as chief conductor of the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra.

Nicholas shares some musical highlights that we have in store for the rest of the year with the Willoughby Symphony, and takes us on a journey through his impressive career, from his time as a young successful violinist to becoming a sought after conductor.

A much loved baritone from New Zealand, Teddy Tahu Rhodes has captured the hearts of audiences here in Australia and in many parts of the world. An ARIA, Helpmann, and Limelight award-winner, he has given renowned performances in classics such as Don Giovanniand Carmen, and premiere performances in new works including The End of the Affair and Dead Man Walking. He’s performed for Opera Australia, the Metropolitan Opera, the Welsh National Opera and the Bavarian State Opera to name just a few, and regularly sings in concert. Limelight magazine said of his voice “there is a velvet richness, a great resonance, and a touching sense of fragility."

Teddy takes us through his evolution as a singer, from boy soprano to opera star, and getting through his uncertainty and unwillingness in grasping his first big break.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes performs Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs under the artistic direction of Brett Weymark at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on 18 May. He then performs in La Rondine for the Victorian Opera from 8-10 August, and then returns to the role of Scarpia for performances of Tosca with the Wellington Opera, from the 11-15 September.

In Conversation is on location this week at Melbourne's Hamer Hall to speak with an artist who truly deserves the title of Broadway Royalty. Audra McDonald has won six Tony awards – more performance wins than any other actor, and the only person to win for leading and featured roles in both straight theatre and musicals. Her wins include turns in Carousel, Ragtime, A Raisin in the Sun, and perhaps most notably, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. She’s featured in many well-loved television shows, such as The Good Fight, and The Gilded Age, as well as feature films including the live action version of Beauty and the Beast.

As a classical soprano, she's performed with the Houston Grand Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, has sung with many symphony orchestras including the Berlin and New York Philharmonics, and she’s won two Grammy awards.

In this conversation, Audra takes us through her career from her childhood roles at a dinner theatre in Fresno, California, through her time at Juilliard to her subsequent success and how that's shaped her career choices and advocacy for civil rights.

Audra McDonald performs in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on Saturday May 11, QPAC in Brisbane on May 15, and Hamer Hall in Melbourne on May 17, having already presented concerts in Perth and Adelaide at the time this program was published.

One of this country’s pre-eminent directors, Neil Armfield has a list of credits which is vast, spanning original works and revived classics, directing shows across the world, including on the West End and on Broadway. He’s also of course no stranger to opera, having directed several productions for Opera Australia, as well as for some of the world’s other great opera houses including Covent Garden and the English National Opera. A founder and former artistic director of Belvoir Street, he has been a key figure in the shape of Australian theatre for nearly five decades. 

His current project is directing a revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, a production which ran in Melbourne last year when Limelight magazine called it “outstanding" and The Guardian said Tony award winner “Anthony LaPaglia leads an electric, devastating tragedy”. 

Neil speaks about why this piece of mid-20th Century American theatre is so iconic and relevant in today's world. We hear about his life in the theatre, which began with directing his school play in his final year of high school, to working with some of the greats in both Australia and internationally in the subsequent decades.

Death of a Salesman plays at Sydney's Theatre Royal from 17 May.

Watershed, which Neil directed as part of the Adelaide Festival in 2022, will be presented by Opera Australia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House from 14-16 June.

Hamlet, which Neil directed for Glyndebourne in 2017 and has since been performed by many opera houses around the world including The Met in New York, will be presented by Opera Australia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House from 20 July - 5 August.

A distinguished conductor with a large repertoire of recordings, Osmo Vänskä has been chief conductor of orchestras in many parts of the world, including the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in his native Finland, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. His repertoire may be vast, but it’s the music of his native Finland, and in particular the music of Sibelius, for which the New York Times noted that Osmo is “one of the most important contemporary interpreters”.

Osmo discusses the music of Sibelius and its importance to Finland, as well as sharing inspirational stories from his life as a conductor.

Osmo Vänskä conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for selections of Sibelius’s original and profound music 24-27 April, and conducts the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for Sibelius and Beethoven on 3-4 May.

Mandela Mathia is actor who has had an extraordinary journey from his origins in war-torn South Sudan, leading him to the stage of the Belvoir Street Theatre. It’s that remarkable story of joy and loss, perseverance and hope, that is now the subject of his one man show, Lose to Win, which plays at the Belvoir Theatre from 25 April to 19 May.

Mandela takes us through his life of uncertainty, loss, famine and war, to settling in Australia as a refugee and his vocation as an actor that helps share that story more broadly.

A flautist who has been described by one critic as “playing her way into the hearts of music lovers”, Bridget Bolliger has performed regularly in Australia, Switzerland and Brazil. In Europe, she’s played with several orchestras including as principal flute of the St Gallen Symphony Orchestra as well as with the Zurich Opera Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Zürich Chamber Orchestra. In Brazil, she was principal flute of the Sinfonica de Sao Paulo, and in her country of birth she’s played with the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras amongst many others. She’s well and truly settled back in Australia, and in 2008 founded the Sydney Chamber Music Festival.

Last year she released her latest album, Pearls, a collaboration with her brother Philip.

Bridget takes us on a journey through her remarkable life and career, through the many challenges, inspirations and lighter moments she has experienced, and thoughtfully introduces some of the music that has carrier her along the way.

One of Australia's most notable and well-loved composers, Elena Kats-Chernin has written for ensembles large and small – from operas and piano concertos to the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Her work is a mainstay of performers at home and internationally, and the number of recordings of her works are countless. Not resting on her laurels, she’s created a new arrangement of her Ornamental Air for Basset Clarinet, which is to be performed by David Rowden and the Omega Ensemble as part of their upcoming tour Re: Classica. She is also an artistic patron of 2MBS Fine Music Sydney.

In her always engaging and infectiously positive manner, Elena takes us on a deep dive into her background and how she brings her compositions to life.

Her Clarinet Concerto Ornamental Air (new version) will be performed by David Rowden and the Omega Ensemble in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Penrith between the 12th and 20th of April.

A singer with a distinguished career which spans four continents, Helpmann-nominated Simon Lobelson has established himself as a one of the most versatile baritones of his generation. He's performed over 90 operatic roles spanning the baroque to the contemporary, with companies including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the English National Opera, as well as our own Opera Australia and Pinchgut Opera. In concert, he’s performed with the Sydney Symphony, the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and many ensembles overseas.

In this conversation, Simon explores his musical inspirations and shares some personal reflections on life and the evolution of his illustrious career.

Simon Lobelson performs with Music @ VJs on 7 April.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour returns with the smash-hit musical West Side Story. It's one of the most famous and loved pieces of musical theatre ever written, and this production promises dynamic dance numbers and stunning voices on an over-water stage, with the unique backdrop of the Sydney skyline and harbour.

Playing Riff in this production is Patrick Whitbread. He has been touring Australia and New Zealand for almost a decade, appearing in some much-loved shows, including Mary Poppins, The Book of Morman, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Matilda the Musical and Cats. In this conversation, Patrick gives a preview of the joys and challenges of this scale of musical. He shares tales of his life in musical theatre which he became involved in from a very young age.

West Side Story plays on Sydney Harbour at Mrs Macquaries Point until 21 April.

One of today’s most notable and exciting keyboard artists, Kristian Bezuidenhout is equally at home on either the fortepiano, harpsichord, or modern piano, but it's in period keyboards that he has specialised. Now based in London, he’s led many ensembles, including the English Consort, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Les Art Florissant, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra to name only a few, and has recorded nearly 30 albums. He’s a great friend of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and he’s back in Australia to guest direct the orchestra.

In this conversation, Kristian takes us on a deep dive into the fortepiano and why he has become so enamoured with this era of keyboard. We hear about the subtleties required for this instrument and the variations it acquired over time.

Kristian Bezuidenhout directs the Australian Chamber Orchestra for Beethoven's Emperor around Australia until 24 March.

The imaginative and versatile Finnish virtuoso pianist Paavali Jumppanen has established himself as a dynamic musician of seemingly unlimited capability who has cut a wide swathe as an orchestral and recital soloist and artistic director of both the classic and contemporary. He’s performed in the US, Europe, Japan, China, Japan and Australia, and it is in Australia that he has made a second home, as since 2021 he has been the artistic director of the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. 

Paavali gives us a great insight into ANAM and their philosophy and methods, and we hear about his own musical journey including recording the entirety of Beethoven's piano sonatas.

Paavali Jumpannen directs the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Marvellous Mozart from 7-9 March at various locations. Musicians of ANAM will be performing Arnold Schönberg's Gurrelieder with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Simone Young on 15-16 March at the Sydney Opera House.

One of the leading violinists of his generation, Renaud Capuçon is known and loved for his poise, depth of tone, and virtuosity. He has worked with luminaries including Charles Dutoit, Claudio Abbado and Daniel Barenboim, and with all the major orchestras, whether it’s the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and many, many more. He has recorded over 20 albums, and one reviewer labelled him “an uninhibited musician at the peak of his art”. He’s in Sydney giving the Australian premiere of the violin concerto composed for him by Camille Pépin, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by its chief conductor Simone Young.

Renaud speaks about key moments in his career, providing insights into the life a of a top tier musician such as himself. We also hear about his role as artistic director of the Menuhin Music Academy plus the story of his remarkable instrument, played for many years by Isaac Stern.

Renaud Capuçon performs Pépin's Violin Concerto La Sommeil a pris ton empreinte(Sleep retains your imprint) with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under chief conductor Simone Young from 28 February to 2 March, a concert which also includes a performance of Mahler's Symphony no 5.

“The Unconventional Pop Star” and “The Angel of Australia” are two phrases that have been used to describe soprano sensation Mirusia. She was the youngest ever winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award and has toured extensively with show-stopping violinist André Rieu. Together, they released the album Waltzing Matilda, which went platinum and to number 1 on the ARIA charts.

Mirusia releases Classique, her first purely classical album of arias, on February 23. In this program, Mirusia previews the album and shares a few tracks. She also talks about the journey to her remarkable career, plus we hear the inside story of working with André Rieu.

Kate Raison is an actor who is a familiar face for Australian theatre goers and television viewers. From a single guest role as an un-named nurse in an episodes of Sons and Daughters, she was a regular on dramas such as A Country Practice, Home and Away, and E-Street. Her theatre work has seen her perform in plays as disparate as Dark Voyager, Mary Stuart and The Torch Song Trilogy, and more recently she was fêted for her roles in Two and Killing Katie: Confessions of a Book Club. She’s currently rehearsing for The Great Divide, the latest work from living legend David Williamson for the Ensemble Theatre, which plays from 8 March to 27 April.

Kate talks about the joys of working on a new Williamson play, reminisces about those early TV roles that made her so familiar to audiences, and the joys and challenges of working in live theatre.

A violinist in great demand internationally, UK-born Andrew Haveron is currently the concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, having previously served in that role with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. As first violinist with the internationally acclaimed Brodsky Quartet he recorded more than 15 albums and collaborated with a diverse cross section of artists. Despite keeping busy with the Sydney Symphony he is still able to perform in chamber recitals, including with Katheryn Selby and the Omega Ensemble, and in February he returns to the Great Synagogue in Sydney for Vienna's Golden Age, opening a new year of concerts for Live at Yours.

Andrew talks about his school life at the Purcell School for Young Musicians in London, and his time with the Brodsky Quartet. He explains his move to the role of Concertmaster, providing an inside view of the nuances and responsibilities of one of the most important roles in a symphony orchestra.

The King's Singers represent the gold standard in a cappella singing, and have performed on the world’s stages from London to New York, and from Sydney to Singapore. They are renowned for unrivalled technique, impeccable vocal blend, as well as a healthy dose of delightful British wit. Bass singer Jonathan Howard is the ensemble's current longest serving member, now in his second decade with the group. In this conversation, Johnny takes us on a deep dive into what makes this remarkable ensemble tick and shares the joys that vocal music has brought him throughout his life.

The King's Singers are touring Australia from 18-23 March with concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.

A musician who has received international recognition for his comprehensive body of work, Benjamin Skepper combines classical aesthetics with contemporary art, science, technology and the avant-garde. His art studio, Contrapuntal, creates multi-artform installations, performances and events. For this year’s Sydney Festival, he’s co-curated a festival within the festival – Temperament, which delves into the music of JS Bach from every possible angle. It features performances by a range of our top ensembles, and Benjamin himself is performing his show Praeludium y Fuga.

In this in-depth interview, Benjamin talks about his work with the Sydney Festival, the origins of his innovative multi-artform performances and compositions, plus his incredible journey through life which includes his first international performance tour at the age of 10, his human rights work in Cambodia, and his experience of the transformative power of music.

Benjamin Skepper performs Praeludium y Fugaat The Neilson on 27 and 28 January.

Stanley Dodds is a violinist and conductor whose career spans three decades. He has been a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic since 1994, and principal conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra since 2014. He’s conducted around the world, from our own Melbourne, Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, to the Hamburg, Vancouver and Beijing Symphony Orchestras, amongst many others. He also has a passion for music education, which makes him the ideal choice for his latest appointment as the new chief conductor of the Sydney Youth Orchestra.

Stan talks eloquently about his inspirational musical journey as both a violinist and conductor. He introduces a number of works which will feature in SYO programs throughout 2024, providing great insights into the nature and importance of the music, and the excitement he wants to inspire in our next generation of musicians.

Cathy Milliken's Catalogue of the Sky performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simone Young kindly provided by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Gabriela Ortiz's Téenek, Invenciones de Territorioperformed by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel kindly provided by Deutschlandradio.

In Conversation begins a new year with an event synonymous with Sydney in January – the Sydney Festival. Simon Moore is joined by Festival Director Olivia Ansell, who whets our appetite on some of the 130 events across the 24 days of the 2024 Sydney Festival.

Now in the role for three years, she brings over 20 years experience as an artist, key creative, promoter and producer, working across tourism, media and entertainment. Her previous credits include working as Head of Contemporary Performance at the Sydney Opera House and being voted one of Vivid’s top creative catalysts. 

Olivia also shares stories from her journey in the creative arts, which began in a childhood home full of musicians and performers of all kinds.

The Sydney Festival runs until 28 January.

In the final program for 2023, Simon Moore is joined by an Australian arts leader who has made a name for herself internationally. Fiona Allan has been in senior roles, including artistic director, of theatres, venues and events from the Sydney Film Festival and the Australian National Academy of Music, to the Arts Council in England and the Millennium Centre in Wales. Until a few years ago she was in charge of the UK’s busiest single theatre, the Birmingham Hippodrome, and it was from there that she returned to her home town of Sydney to become the current CEO of Opera Australia.

Fiona reveals elements of how Opera Australia will continue to evolve and develop into the future, including working with new artistic director Jo Davies, and shares stories from her long career in arts management in both Australia and the UK.

Soprano Julie Lea Goodwin performs across opera, musical theatre, and classical cross-over. She has played Musetta in La Bohème and Maria in West Side Story for Opera Australia. She performed opposite Anthony Warlow in Phantom of the Opera, and has sung as a soloist with many of Australia’s Symphony Orchestras. With Christmas in the air, she’ll be joining the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for Carols at the House for three concerts from 15th to the 17th of December in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Julie Lea knew she wanted to be a performer from a very early age, and tells stories of singing to the horses on the family’s property out of Brisbane and enjoying the old Hollywood musicals on video. She charts her carer from her remarkable early break as Christine in Phantom of the Opera, through making her debut with Opera Australia and singing with orchestras and ensembles around the country.

An actor for over 25 years, Jamie Oxenbould has performed at the full spectrum of Sydney theatres, whether it’s the Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Griffin or the Ensemble. He’s worked in film and television, and his voice is familiar to us on animations and TV ads. He’s back at the Ensemble Theatre to star in Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, a new play that he’s co-written with the Ensemble’s artistic director Mark Kilmurry.

Jamie talks about the inspiration for and the creation of this new play, and we get some insights into the secrets and mysteries of creating a successful comedy. We hear about the art of voice acting and Jamie also introduces a diverse selection of music which has inspired him over the years.

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall plays at the Ensemble from December 1 through to January 14.

This week, In Conversation celebrates the 60th anniversary of a television phenomenon which has captivated audiences of all ages. Doctor Who is loved by millions around the world. Aside from its official television incarnation, it’s seen two feature films, three stage plays, five spin-off series, hundreds of original audio dramas and novels, and countless unofficial fan made magazines, novels, videos plays, and more than a few podcasts.

Katy Manning played the role of Jo Grant in three seasons opposite Jon Pertwee’s Doctor in the early 70s. Australian theatre audiences will be familiar with her time based in Sydney, when she appeared in such plays as Run for your Wife and Educating Rita, as well as her remarkable performance in Me and Jezebel.

Katy shares some wonderful stories not just from her time in Doctor Who, but also her long and varied career in theatre and television. We hear about some of the many people she’s met along the way, including Judy Garland, Barry Crocker and her life-long friend Liza Minelli, as well as the origins of her one woman play Not a Well Woman.

This is an extended version of the original broadcast edition.

Katya Apekisheva has earnt her place as one of Europe’s most renowned pianists. Grammophone Magazine described her as a “profoundly gifted artist”. She’s performed across the world in auspicious venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, and appears on multiple albums. This week, her latest album with fellow pianist Charles Owen is released on the Orchid Classics label, featuring the music of Poulenc, Debussy and Milhaud. 

Katya talks about her upbringing and tuition at the tail end of the Soviet system, her collaborations with Charles and other musicians, plus introduces a diverse selection of works that have shaped her musical inspiration and career development.

This interview was recorded at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville earlier this year. Festival director Jack Liebeck curated a delightful schedule of concerts, talks and other events for his second year as artistic director, bringing artists together from around Australia and all over the world. The next AFCM takes place from 26 July to 4 August 2024.

Miles Mullin-Chivers began playing the cello at the age of just 4, and has been taught by some of this country’s most accomplished musicians. He’s performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, including as guest principal cellist, and with the Opera Australia Orchestra. He’s played with the Canberra International Music Festival, the Four Winds Festival, Musica Viva, Selby and Friends and Live at Yours, and has also appeared as a soloist. He will be one of many Australian musicians from around the world coming together as the Australian World Orchestra, under the baton of their founder and artistic director, Alexander Briger, to perform Mahler’s Symphony no 9, at the Arts Centre in Melbourne on 22 November and at the City Recital Hall Angel Place on 24 November.

Miles tells some light-hearted stories about his career development, from his somewhat unorthodox education to his time as a Sydney Symphony fellow, and shares his choices of music and musicians that have inspired him through that journey.

An exciting director whose career covers an impressively vast range of genres, Chen Shi-Zheng has directed for the world’s leading opera houses and festivals, including the Lincoln Center Festival, the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera. On film, he has directed Meryl Streep for his award-winning film Dark Matter, as well as Disney’sHigh School Musical China at the other end of the spectrum, and has made TV documentaries too. He’s now in Australia, rehearsing all four operas of Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle for Opera Australia, to be performed in Brisbane in December.

Shi-Zheng reveals what is in store for this new production of one of opera's greatest masterpieces and shares his own journey of discovery to a work beloved by opera devotees. We hear about his childhood in China during the Cultural Revolution when his father was sent to a re-education camp, plus his experience directing Meryl Streep and the challenges of securing a diversity of work.

A concert pianist who is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, Andrey Gugnin has been described by Gramophone magazine as having an “extraordinarily versatile and agile technique which serves an often inspired musical imagination”, and the BBC Music Magazine Awards named him the winner of the Instrumental Award for his recording of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes & Piano Sonatas 1 & 2. His name is likely familiar to Australians as the winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, and it’s for the parent company of the competition, Piano+, that he is now touring in Australia, with recitals in Sydney and Melbourne, plus as musical director of the OutWest Piano Fest.

Andrey has a great affinity with Australia and speaks gratefully about the time he has spent here, the challenges of piano competitions and how his career has continued to blossom since his 2016 win in Sydney. He also speaks honestly and with great pain about the invasion of Ukraine perpetrated by the country of his birth.

50 years ago this week, a place was formally opened that is truly beloved by Sydney-siders, Australians, and the entire world. The Sydney Opera House is an unmistakable part of the cultural fabric of this city and the nation, and plays a substantial role in Australia's identity. 

Louise Herron is the person ultimately responsible for this world heritage building. Since 2012, she has been the Sydney Opera House CEO, and has shepherded the venue through the most significant renewal of its 5 decade life. 

In this conversation, Louise takes us inside this iconic building and reveals how things have changed and continue to evolve for the world's favourite opera house. We also find out a little more about the woman who inhabits what is perhaps the finest office in the world.

Violist Tahlia Petrosian is recognised as one of the foremost creative forces who is transforming classical music in the 21st Century. Her unique approach to classical performance has garnered international attention and acclaim for her ability to redefine the boundaries of the genre. She’s performed in venues from the Sydney Opera House to Wigmore Hall. A violist with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, she’s also the brains behind the exciting concept Klassik Underground, and the Financial Review called her “The Australian violist making classical music cool again”. 

This conversation was recorded on a recent visit Tahlia made to Australia with members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. In this fascinating discussion, she talks about repackaging classical music for a contemporary audience to entice new generations into the genre without sacrificing any musical integrity. Her diverse musical selections help to tell her story with both the Gewandhaus and Klassik Underground.

A name synonymous with musical theatre in Australia, Nancye Hayes started out in My Fair Lady back in 1961, and her list of credits is a catalogue of some of the most beloved shows and performances of the past half century or more. From Sweet Charityto Chicago, from Annie to Sweeny Toddshe has it all covered.  She’s back on stage in a new production of the Stephen Sondheim classic A Little Night Music from October 13 at the theatre that bears her name, the Hayes.

In this wide ranging conversation, Nancye talks about returning to the role of Madam Armfeldt for the third time for this production, shares some of the highlights of her long and distinguished career on the stage, plus takes us back to where it all began.

An award-winning composer specialising in the rich and vibrant Latin American aesthetic, Daniel Rojas is an acclaimed pianist known for his stunning improvisations at the keyboard. Limelight Magazine has said he “is a master of his craft, both as a pianist and composer" and the Sydney Arts Guide has called his performances “energetic and emphatic” and “joyously explosive”.

He's bringing that energy once again to the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra on October 14 and 15, as he teams up with fellow pianist Yerim Lee to premiere his passionate new work Romanza y Danza de los Muertos.

Daniel talks about his influences behind this new composition, as well as his work more broadly, and takes us back to his childhood in Melbourne where his creativity with improvisation and composition developed from a very early age. He also shares his vast knowledge of the origins, characteristics and influences of Latin American music.

A true leader of the next generation of choral singers, Elizabeth Scott is a highly skilful choral conductor who has led the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ young adult choir Vox since 2008. She’s worked with the Queensland, Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and is a regular chorus master with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She also has a passion for contemporary choral composers, and it’s one such composer who is the centrepiece of the upcoming performance she will be conducting with Vox, of David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion, which has been defined as one of the most profound choral works of our time.

Elizabeth has spent her career nurturing and developing younger singers so that they have the tools to enjoy music throughout their entire life, including through the commissioning of new music.

Vox performs The Little Match Girl Passion, and other works, at the Verbruggen Hall on Saturday, October 14.

One of the most promising violinists of his generation, Théotime Langlois de Swarte is already a seasoned recitalist and chamber musician who has performed at prestigious venues all over the world. Captivating audiences since his early teens, Théotime is a regular with several baroque ensembles, including Les Arts Florissant plus his own period ensemble Le Consort. He’s in Australia now to guest direct the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for a series of concerts with the enticing title of The Lover, at the City Recital Hall and Melbourne Recital Centre until 16 September.

Théotime shares his refreshing take on how to make classical music relevant in the modern era, the links between the classics, jazz and pop music, and gives us a taste of his remarkable career so far.

Violinist Emily Sun is in demand internationally for her compelling and captivating interpretations. She has appeared with almost all the major Australian symphony orchestras, as well as orchestras across Europe, China, and the US. She has played in world class venues from the Sydney Opera House to the Royal Albert Hall, and has performed for royalty in both the UK and Belgium. Emily is the 2023 Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

In this interview, Emily shares memories of appearing as the schoolgirl soloist in the heartfelt 2011 documentary Mrs Carey's Concert, recalls playing for the then Prince of Wales now King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, describes her relationship with her unique instrument, and speaks about the remarkable resilience and resourcefulness of her father as a musician in Mao's China.

This interview was conducted at the 2023 Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville. Emily Sun is in recital at Elder Hall on September 9 as part being Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and plays with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House on September 15 and 16. She returns to Australia to perform with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on November 17 and 18. The next Australian Festival of Chamber Music will take place from 26 July to 4 August 2024.

A legend of the musical theatre world, composer Claude-Michel Schönberg is one half of the team behind Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and many other musicals. Of the Boublil-Schönberg writing team, it’s Claude-Michel who provides the music. The pair have been collaborating since their 1973 musical La Revolution Française, but it was their concept album of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables which led to a West End production, and for their work to be performed in all corners of the world.

Claude-Michel was in Sydney thanks to Opera Australia’s production of Miss Saigon, and in this conversation we hear about the inspiration behind this musical, the course of events which led to their international success with Les Misérables, as well as hearing about his unique relationship with music which has carried him throughout his life.

Actor, singer and dancer Rohan Browne has established an esteemed career spanning 25 years, and counting. His musical theatre credits in particular are impressive, including stints in The Boy from Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Cats, West Side Story and Chicago. On screen, he’s featured in Dance Academy, Miss Fisher’s Mysteries and Secret Bridesmaids Business to name just a few. He’s currently appearing as the illuminating, witty and immensely fun Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, playing now at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.

In this conversation, Rohan tells stories from his career, from his first lightning-fast audition to playing some of his dream roles, as well as sharing some of the unique challenges that comes with playing a candelabra!

A dynamic musician who cannot be constrained by a single musical genre, Heather Shannon burst into the public consciousness as part of the internationally renowned independent rock band The Jezabels, performing in venues from the Sydney Opera House to the O2 Arena in London, as well as at the legendary Glastonbury. Since that period, she’s been composing music in the classical genre, having worked with orchestras such as ACO Collective, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Orchestra, and it’s with The Metropolitan Orchestra that she will be performing her latest work, Strange Roses for Synthesizer and Orchestra, for its world premiere on Sunday August 20 at the Marrickville Town Hall.

In this conversation, Heather talks candidly about how a cancer diagnosis was the impetus for a change in her career direction, talks in detail about the inspiration behind her latest work, as well as giving some inside stories of the creation and evolution of The Jezabels. She speaks with great insight about her diverse musical choices, and her compositional style and techniques.

This week, In Conversation is on tour at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, in Townsville. Simon Moore caught up with French Horn player Katy Woolley, who has been dubbed by one critic as possibly the finest horn player of her generation and one of the UK’s greatest exports. She’s the principal horn of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and prior to that had been the principal horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, a position she had held from just 22 years of age. With that orchestra, as well as during guest appearances with the London Mozart Players and the New York Philharmonic, she’s performed some of the key parts of the solo horn repertoire. 

In this conversation, Katy shares some honest thoughts about the ups and downs of her career, and speaks with enormous enthusiasm about her musical selections.

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music this year runs until 6 August. Festival director Jack Liebeck has curated an absolutely delightful schedule of concerts, talks and other events. It’s a great excuse for a winter break of great music in a perfect setting, next year’s festival will run from 26 July to 4 August 2024.

Widely regarded as one of the most exciting and talented baritones of his generation, Morgan Pearse made his professional debut with the English National Opera and has gone from strength to strength ever since, performing from the Concertgebouw to the Sydney Opera House, from New Zealand to Germany. Currently based in London, this interview was recorded on one of Morgan's visits home to Australia, when he performed with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

In this gentle and wide ranging conversation, Morgan speaks about the magic and power of live singing, and takes us through a diverse range of musical selections which highlight his passions and loves, and provides great insights into the life and performance practices of a singer.

An actress who has been a core part of the Australian Theatre, Film and Television industries for nearly 50 years, Belinda Giblin's credits are so numerous that it takes a while just to scroll through them all. Her stage work covers seminal pieces of theatre, from Blithe Spirit to The Removalists, and on television she’s appeared in any show of the past 50 years worth mentioning, whether it was The Sullivans, A Country Practice, Home and Away, not to mention that famous stint as the second coming of Pat the Rat in 1980s melodrama Sons and Daughters. 

Fresh from her appearance in Suddenly Last Summer at the Ensemble Theatre, Belinda is now preparing for The Weekend, a new adaptation of Charlotte Wood’s best selling novel, opening at Belvoir on August 5.

In this light-hearted conversation, Belinda reveals some aspects of this new play, speaks fondly about her time working in what many regard as the golden era of Australian television, shares some music which is particularly memorable for her, plus much more.

A world renowned Australian violinist, Aria-nominated Ray Chen has redefined what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. He has broken boundaries not just in his playing but in his embrace of modern technology, reaching out to a global audience of millions thanks to a captivating online presence. He’s spread his wings into the world of computer games, is a fashion icon thanks to a multi-year partnership with Armani, and has collaborated with Sting. He also has a serious commitment to music education which has even led him to launch a new music practicing app, called Tonic. He may fly all around the world to perform concerts but he still calls Australia home, and is currently touring the country.

In this fast moving and jovial conversation, Ray enthusiastically talks about his craft, the inspiration and methodology behind the Tonic music practice app, making his acting cameos, his energetic social media presence, and much more.

Tonic is available for iOS and Android. Ray performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony from 12-15 July, and the Play with Ray concert, where three aspiring musicians get the chance to share the concert stage with him, is on 25 July.

Tanya Bannister is a pianist lauded by critics for playing with “intelligence, poetry and proportion”. The co-founder of both the AlpenKammerMusik in Austria and the Roadmaps Festival in New York, her career has taken her to many of the world’s great concert halls, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She’s also a past winner of two different prestigious international piano competitions, including the Concert Artists Guild competition in New York, an organisation of which she is now the president. She is in Australia to be one of the jurists of the Sydney International Piano Competition, which runs from July 5-22.

In this conversation, Tanya shares her experiences from both sides of piano competitions, and talks about how winning is only the first step in selling yourself as a professional pianist.

Soprano Jessica Pratt has well and truly established herself as an international opera star. She's been hailed by The New York Times as a soprano of “gleaming sound, free and easy high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace”, and is considered one of today’s foremost interpreters of some of belcanto’s most challenging repertoire. She’s back in Australia to appear in two Opera Australia productions – in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman, as well as a one-night, one-woman concert of Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt.

In this conversation, Jessica talks about belcanto and mad scenes, her inspirations and challenges, and we get a sneak preview from her forthcoming album, Delirio.

It’s often said that the Australian Chamber Orchestra is best described as an orchestra of soloists, and violinist Liisa Pallandi is one such soloist. She is ACO through and through, having been part of their emerging artists program back in 2012, and she’s been playing with the orchestra ever since, becoming a permanent member in 2015. She’s also performed with the Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmanian Symphony orchestras, as guest principal violin with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra, and has played chamber music as far away as Denmark.

In this conversation, Liisa talks about her experience with the ACO emerging artist program, the inspiration from both her fellow ACO musicians and their guest artists, and the remarkable instrument she plays. She provides a number of insights into different styles of music and performance through her diverse musical selection.

The Australian Chamber Orchestra are performing concerts of the music of Mozart until 28 June at the City Recital Hall Angel Place, the Sydney Opera House as well as in the other state capitals. Liisa will also be co-directing the Sydney Youth Orchestra with her brother Jaan on 27 August to help celebrate the orchestra’s 50th birthday.

British violinist Thomas Gould is no stranger to Australia. The leader of the Britten Sinfonia, he has been described by The Guardian as an artist who “refuses to be defined by a single genre”. His repertoire certainly backs that up, having performed and recorded extensively with classical and jazz ensembles. He’s back now in Australia to perform Philip Glass’s 2nd Violin Concerto, The American Four Seasons, with the Omega Ensemble, commencing on Tuesday 20 June at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place before heading to Newcastle and Melbourne.

In this conversation, Thomas talks of his experience of performing Philip Glass, his love of the conductor-less environment, the inspiration he takes from other musicians in what he refers to as a new golden age of violin playing, plus much more. His musical selections reinforce the notion that he is not able to be defined by a single genre.

Masaaki Suzuki is internationally renowned as an expert in choral music and an accomplished organist, harpsichordist and conductor. The founder and artistic director of Bach Collegium Japan, he has recorded the entirety of Bach’s choral works, plus his concertos, orchestral suites, and solo works for harpsichord. His expertise extends well beyond Bach, having conducted repertoire as diverse as Britten, Beethoven, Mahler and Mendelssohn, but it’s Mozart that brings him to Australia as he conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, joined by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, for Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, June 7-10, at the Sydney Opera House.

In this conversation, Masaaki talks with great passion about the importance of Bach as a foundation stone to the composers who follow, shares some memorable tales from his earlier years, and introduces some of the vast number of recordings of Bach Collegium Japan.

David Greco has sung on some of the finest stages across Europe and makes regular appearances with Australia’s most renowned orchestras, including the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra as well as the Sydney Symphony. Internationally regarded for his interpretations of Schubert lieder and the solo works of JS Bach, this ARIA award-nominated artist is also the first Australian ever to have been appointed to a position with the Sistine Chapel Choir in the Vatican. In June, he joins the Australian Haydn Ensemble forDie Stille Nachtfrom 16-24 June at the City Recital Hall plus various regional venues across NSW.

In this light hearted conversation, David regales us with some wonderful tales from his career, from appearing in the Opera Australia chorus through to working with some of Europe’s finest. 

One of Australia’s best known and most performed composers, Ross Edwards has a career spanning more than 60 years, and counting. He has written for all genres, be it orchestral, chamber, choral, opera as well as for the screen. Now in his 80th year, Ross is still composing, and is helping to celebrate his 80th birthday by composing a clarinet concerto for David Rowden and the Omega Ensemble, to be premiered at the City Recital Hall on June 20.

In this wide ranging conversation, Ross shares some experiences from his long career, his inspirations, and compositional technique. He introduces a number of his own works, highlighting their origins and the musicians for whom they were written.

Umberto Clerici has gained quite the reputation as an artist of diverse and multifaceted talents. He made his solo debut as a cellist at the age of 17, and his career took him to roles as principal cello of several orchestras, including the Sydney Symphony where he made his conducting debut in 2018. He’s now Chief Conductor of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, but he still finds time to play his cello, and will be performing with SSO Concertmaster Andrew Haveron and ACO Principal Violist Stefanie Farrands for My Gypsy Soul, for two concerts at the Great Synagogue on Tuesday, May 16, thanks to Live at Yours.

In this conversation, Umberto shares some of his incredible musical knowledge and insights, from the broad sweep of how a chief conductor shapes an orchestra, to the detail of interpreting metronome markings, and we hear what a revolution in music sounds like.

Australian born composer and pianist Tom Donald is known worldwide for his mesmerizing piano improvisations and award-winning compositions for the stage and screen. The founder of the London Contemporary School of Piano, he’s presented and performed with the BBC, recorded at Abbey Road, and written for the media. He’s not afraid to bend and merge genres, with his latest album, Pax Aeterna, a musical collaboration with the Benedictine monks of Pluscarden Abbey in Scotland, which is available now to buy and stream digitally.

In this conversation, Tom tells the intriguing story of the collaboration with the monks of Pluscarden Abbey, speaks of his musical journey from Coonabarabran to London via a piano bar in Tamworth, and shares some secrets of the art of improvisation.

A much loved pianist who Australia has adopted as one of our own, Ukrainian-born Alexander Gavrylyuk began as a teenage prodigy and has been dazzling audiences around the world ever since. He’s performed at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, the Lincoln Centre, and played with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, and closer to his adopted home he’s recorded all the Prokofiev piano concertos with the Sydney Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In this conversation, Alexander shares stories of his upbringing in Ukraine when still part of the USSR, the opportunities that came from coming to Australia, as well as talking about evacuating his father from of Kharkiv in recent months and the devastating invasion which his homeland is currently facing.

Alexander will be performing at the Canberra International Music Festival on May 3, and at the Melbourne Recital Centre on May 5.

Mezzo-soprano Sian Sharp has been singing with Opera Australia for nearly 20 years. Her significant repertoire includes key roles in seminal operas including Il Trovatore, Otello, The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, and Carmen – most recently late last year performing the title role in the much admired production on Cockatoo Island. 

And she’s back singing in the open air once again, as the loyal servant and maid Suzuki for the current production of Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour. A reviewer from one of her previous portrayals of this role described her performance as “absolute perfection”, and in this conversation Sian talks about the role and her journey to the world of opera, providing us with an understanding of the differences between a mezzo-soprano and soprano voice, and what she loves about being a mezzo.

An acclaimed musician of great versatility, Roland Peelman has established a reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative musical directors. Originally from Belgium, he’s been active in Australia for over 30 years as a conductor, pianist, artistic director and mentor to composers, singers and musicians alike. He’s worked with Opera Australia, been artistic director of The Song Company, and is now artistic director of the Canberra International Music Festival, which is on from the 28th of April until the 7th of May.

In this conversation, Roland shares his ongoing vision for the festival and tells some light-hearted stories from his long career, including from his childhood in a Belgian village learning with the local piano teacher and falling in love with choral music in his boarding school choir.

A man whose name is now synonymous with Australian theatre, David Williamson shot to prominence in the early 70s with Don’s Party and The Removalists and never looked back. He is so prolific that it’s hard to imagine anyone in this country who hasn’t seen one of his works, whether it’s plays like The Club, Emerald City, or Soulmates or his screenplays which include Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously.

His 2010 play Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica is playing now at the Ensemble Theatre, with Glenn Hazeldine and Georgie Parker reprising their roles from the original production. In this conversation, David talks about this production and tells stories from his long and illustrious career, giving some great insights into his writing. He recalls what Australian theatre looked like when he was starting out and how it has developed since. 

An actor who has graced the stage both here and internationally, Philip Quast is the winner of three Olivier Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, unsurprising when you consider he is widely regarded as the definitive Javert from Les Miserables. He’s also well known for his roles in Sunday in the Park with George, South Pacific and Mary Poppins, and he’s performed innumerable Shakespeare plays plus seminal works such as Death of a Salesman.

He is bringing his one-man show, Philip Quast: The Road I Took, to the intimacy of the Ensemble theatre, for 6 shows only from the 19th to the 29th of March. In this special edition of In Conversation, Philip shares stories from his remarkable life, from his childhood on a farm near Tamworth, the somewhat unorthodox audition technique that secured him the role of Javert, and working with Stephen Sondheim. He also provides fascinating insights about teaching his craft to the next generations of performers at NIDA.

An award winning actor, director, writer and producer, Jay James-Moody has collaborated with an impressive range of Australia’s arts organisations, from Opera Australia to the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and the Sydney Theatre Company to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company, plus New Mardi Gras, to name only a few. He is the founder and artistic director of Squabbalogic, an independent theatre company presenting an eclectic range of new musicals and reinterpretations of established favourites. Their next production is a new take on the 1960s screwball comic gem, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, playing at the Seymour Centre from March 17 to 15 April.

As well as giving us a preview of Squabbalogic’s production of On a Clear Day You Can See Foreverand Squabbalogic's new Australian musical The Dismissal coming later in the year,Jay talks about his unorthodox entry into the theatre world and has some wonderful reflections on working in the industry. We also get to dip into his vast knowledge of musical theatre and he shares some rarities from his collection.

As chief conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil in Montreal, violinist Alexandre Da Costa’s multi-dimensional artistic vision has brought him increasing renown. He’s made 25 albums across a number of recording labels, and he’s performed as a soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, such as London’s Royal Philharmonic which included performing as part of Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, as well as playing with the Berlin, Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, to name just a few. He’s been a regular visitor to Australia, performing with the likes of Musica Viva and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and he’s back in Sydney now to perform his acclaimed and genre-bending Stradivarius BaROCK, plus concerts in Melbourne.

Alex talks about his childhood, which involved playing professional tours internationally at just 11 years old, his passion for music education including how the study of music improves all aspects of your being, and his refreshing take on the breaking of genre boundaries.

Carmel Rodrigues has always loved performing and has been singing, acting and generally dancing up a storm since a very young age. She’s making her professional musical theatre debut as everyone’s favourite nicest kid in town, Tracy Turnblad, in Hairspray, currently playing at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre.

In this bonus edition of In Conversation, Tracy talks with excitement about landing her first professional musical roll, working with the star studded cast of this great feel-good musical, plus we hear about her time as a contestant on The Voice.

An edited version of this interview was broadcast on Fine Music Breakfast on 2 March.

Not yet 25 years old, Marie-Ange Nguci has exploded onto the international scene in just the last few years, having performed with Orchestre de Paris, Konzerthausorcheter Berlin, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to name just a few. She certainly fit the model of a child prodigy, being accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at 13, completing her Master of the Piano at 16, and releasing her first album at 20. She’s coming to Sydney to join the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to perform Saint-Saëns Second Piano Concerto from the 8th to the 11th of March at the Sydney Opera House, as well as a solo recital on Monday 6th March at the City Recital Hall Angel Place.

In this conversation, conducted remotely from her home in Paris, Marie-Ange speaks with great warmth and enthusiasm of the repertoire she has chosen for the program, we hear about growing up in her home country of Albania, and the move to Paris at just 13 years old to attend the Paris Conservatoire. Her passion for her music is unparalleled.

A leading Canadian-American cellist, gambist and researcher, Elinor Frey has made numerous recordings, many of which are world premieres and the result of long collaborations with other artists. The artistic director of Accademia de Dissonanti, an organisation for performance and research, she’s performed throughout the world, and is now in Sydney making her Australian debut with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for a series of concerts entitled Spanish Steps.

Elinor brings a wealth of knowledge and passion about Boccherini as well as lesser known composer Giuseppe Clemente Dall’Abaco, we find out about her remarkable collection of instruments, plus get a greater understanding about just how different cellos can be from one another.

One of Australia’s foremost guitarists, Slava Grigoryan is counted as among the finest musicians of his generation. He appears on a whopping 29 albums and, along with his brother and fellow guitarist Leonard, has won 4 ARIA awards and been nominated for countless more. He’s performed in venues around the world, from London’s Royal Albert Hall to Vienna’s Konzerthaus, and is not afraid to perform all genres.

He and Leonard, along with fellow guitarists Andrew Blanch and Vlad Gorbarch, are launching the Australian Guitar Quartet, performing their first concert at The Great Synagogue, on Tuesday 28 February as part of Live at Yours. Since recording this interview, Live at Yours have scheduled a second concert at The Great Synagogue on Wednesday 1 March.

In this conversation, Slava talks about the impetus behind the Australian Guitar Quartet, shares the story of his parents leaving the USSR when he was a very small child to find a new home in Australia, and has tales from his long and successful career, including working with KD Lang.

One of the most thrilling violinists on the planet, Ilya Gringolts is renowned for his extraordinary technical command and musical sensitivity. He’s equally at home with contemporary and rare works, as much as with the great orchestral masterpieces.

Rising to fame as the youngest ever winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition, he's since appeared with the world’s top orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, to name the tip of the iceberg. He’s in Australia now guest directing the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and in particular to perform one of the Romantic era’s most popular concertos, Bruch's Violin Concerto no 1 in G Minor.

Ilya's passion about new music is well articulated in this conversation, and he also shares an historic recording and talks about what we can learn from it. He speaks against the regime in his native Russia and how life has changed there over the years.

Lebanese-French pianist/composer Rami Khalifé has been hailed as one of the most exciting young composers of the 21st century. His work is as eclectic as it is bold, whether it’s improvised concerts, recording a Prokofiev concerto, or performing with his father, Marcel. His compositions include two piano concertos, a cello concerto, and a requiem, as well as writing for the screen, plus writing and performing with his classic electro group, AUFGANG.

On Monday 6 February he will be performing with his father, fellow composer, and oud player, Marcel Khalifé, for a concert entitled Legacy, in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Rami talks about his incredible musical journey, pushing and blurring musical boundaries and giving us an incredibly refreshing and inspiring insight into the joy of music making.

An award-winning director who is taking the Sydney arts scene by storm, Shaun Rennie has received three Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Director, and won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction for both his productions of Rent at the Hayes, and Baby Doll at the Ensemble.

Most recently, he directed the highly acclaimed The Lovers, a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by Bell Shakespeare, which played to sold-out houses at the Sydney Opera House’s Playhouse late last year. He’s currently the revival director for Opera Australia’s La Bohèmewhich is running until 11 March in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

In this conversation, Shaun talks about his pathway to becoming a theatre director, sharing stories from his earlier years as a performer, through the tragic loss of his brother to leukemia which inspired him to co-create the annual Light the Night fundraising concert, to his highly successful productions of Rentand The Lovers.

In the final episode for 2022, Simon Moore speaks with a man who has been declared by the National Trust to be a National Living Treasure. Roger Woodward has dazzled audiences for over 60 years here and overseas. A champion of Australian composers, he has performed at the invitation of Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit… the list goes on. Performing from New York to LA, from Beijing to Warsaw, he’s also recorded with all the major labels. Based in San Francisco, he’s back in Australia to perform with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra for their 50thAnniversary Concert, at the Concourse in Chatswood, 3pm on Sunday 11th December.

In this program, Roger tells some remarkable stories from his long career and what he considers his breakthrough concert, and we hear about his passion for contemporary works, plus the role he played in the 1980s supporting the Solidarity movement in Poland. He also speaks eloquently about the works he shares in this program, and his personal relationships with some of the composers.

British keyboardist and director Chad Kelly has a very long list of credits to his name. He has been living in Australia less than two years, but has already performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Victorian Opera, and with the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Earlier this year, he joined Opera Australia. His commitment to historically informed performance practice has led him to perform with Sir John Elliot Gardiner and Trevor Pinnock, and his enduring collaboration with violinist Rachel Podger has recently culminated in them recording an album together of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, due for release in 2023. 

He will be guest directing the Australian Haydn Ensemble for CPE Bach: Universe of Harmony, their final concert of the year, from the 11th to the 14th of December. In this conversation, Chad gives us a preview of the concert and his unique perspectives on historically informed performance practice, and he shares a diverse selection of works which have played different roles in his life.

Nicholas Hammond first appeared on Broadway at the age of just 11, and his career only opened up further from there, and never stopped. He’s worked all over the world on stage, film and television. He’s been in over 40 films, from Lord of the Flies to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, more than 250 TV shows, most notably the Amazing Spiderman, and he’s made an award winning documentary of the true story behind what is undoubtedly his most celebrated role, one which has given pleasure to millions of people for nearly 60 years – Friedrich von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music.

The spirits of Rodgers and Hammerstein have visited him once again, as he is currently appearing as the Chamberlain Sebastian in Cinderella, playing now at the Lyric Theatre.

Nicholas shares some amazing stories from all parts of his career, with particular attention paid to The Sound of Music, and his musical selections include some pieces which are very special to him.

An acclaimed actor, director and writer, Jonathan Biggins has entertained audiences for decades with his wit, cheekiness, and a very healthy dose of irreverence. He’s played Peter Sellers, appeared in The Mikado, and directed Australian productions of Avenue Qand Noises Off. But his most well-known work is in political satire, as one of the brains behind, and a performer in, The Wharf Revue, which has been going strong since 2000.

The Wharf Review is back, playing at the Seymour Centre until the 23rd of December, for their new show Looking for Albanese. Jonathan joins Simon Moore to share some stories of the world of satirical comedy from his long career, what’s changed and what hasn’t, the perils of impersonating someone who happens to be sitting in the audience in front of you, and presents a diverse selection of music that he’s encountered in his travels.

Liesel Badorrek is a Sydney based writer, director and performer with a diverse and wide ranging repertoire. She’s a founder of Loose Canon Arts, which has created new work for young people throughout Asia and the Middle East, has directed with the Darlinghurst Theatre and CDP Productions, and keeps thing real as a member of the all-woman comedy cabaret collective Six Quick Chicks. Somehow, she also finds time to work with Opera Australia, and with OA is now directing Carmen on Cockatoo Island, on for a limited season from the 25th of November to the 18th of December.

In this conversation, Liesel lifts the lid on what we can expect from this unique event, and shares some fascinating tales and perspectives from the other parts of her career. Her music selections include some treasured favourites from her present and past.

German baroque violinist Jonas Zschenderlein certainly got off to an early start. He’s been performing with professional ensembles since he was a teenager, around the same time as he began his own ensemble, 4 Times Barque. He’s played all over Europe, Asia and the Americas, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to Carnegie Hall in New York, and he’s now performing at the City Recital Hall Angel Place, guest directing the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for Bach’s Universe, until the 11th of November. For Jonas and the ABO, it’s a case of third time lucky, as the concerts have twice had to be cancelled because of Covid.

In this conversation, Jonas shares some of his musical inspirations, some of which come from sources which might surprise. We also hear about his remarkable instrument, the importance of the music of JS Bach, and his early journey to performing the baroque violin.

Photo: Keith Saunders

One of Australia’s greatest writers, David Malouf has been publishing acclaimed novels, short stories, poetry, plays and opera librettos for over 50 years. He’s the recipient of countless awards – most notably the International Dublin Literary Award for Remembering Babylonin 1996, the Australian Prime Minister’s literary award in 2008, and in 2016 the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. In the Australia Day 1997 honours he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, for services to literature.

He's also a great lover of fine music, and in this conversation David shares some of his favourite music and what it means to him, talks about his writing and muses on the best ways to teach literature to young children.

This program was recorded at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville, where David was both an audience member and also entertaining audiences as part of the Festival’s Conversation series.

Alexander Gadjiev is an exciting young pianist who is making waves across the world. He was the winner of the 2021 Sydney International Piano Competition, second place getter in the International Chopin Competition of the same year, including being awarded the side prize for best performance of a Chopin Sonata, and was the BBC New Generation Artist since 2019. 

In this conversation, Alexander gives some amazing insights into the craft of the pianist, introducing historic performances from some of the great pianists of the 20th Century and elaborates on why he favours those older recordings.

He's touring Australia until 13 November, thanks to the Sydney International Piano Competition.

Anyone witness to the Australian theatre scene over the past five decades will know and love Geraldine Turner. Her long and distinguished career, most particularly in musical theatre, includes the original Australian productions of A Little Night Music and Chicago, and she’s also appeared in productions of Company, Oliver, Anything Goes, and The Mikado,to name just a few. She’s been in evergreen shows such as Don’s Partyand Present Laughter, and is now appearing in the play which holds the record for having the longest West End run in history. Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrapopened there in 1952, and it's still running, interrupted only by the temporary shutdown caused by the Covid pandemic. It’s playing now at the Theatre Royal Sydney for a very limited run before touring the rest of Australia.

In this conversation, Geraldine shares some highlights from her incredible career, in particular the original and highly successful Australian run of Chicago, her numerous encounters with the late Stephen Sondheim, and some frank stories from her childhood in Brisbane. Her book, Turner’s Turn, A Disarmingly Honest Memoir, was released earlier this year.

An opera singer with an impressively long and distinguished career, Cheryl Barker has sung some of the key roles in the repertoire, perhaps most famously playing Mimi in Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème, her incredible performances of Tosca, and creating the role of Sarah Miles in Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair, in Houston. She and her husband, baritone Peter Coleman-Wright will be joining the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs under artistic director Brett Weymark for Glorious Puccini in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on October 29.

In this conversation, Cheryl speaks about her love of Puccini, shares some wonderful tales from her impressive career, and fills us in about Pacific Opera, the emerging artists program for young opera singers of which she is co-artist director along with Peter Coleman-Wright.

To paraphrase The New York Times – the words “superstar” and “mandolinist” have not traditionally been seen together in the same sentence. However that has changed thanks to Avi Avital. He’s the first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy Award and is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertoire. Over 100 compositions have been written especially for him, including 15 concertos. He’s played in all corners of the world, and has released 5 albums plus an EP on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Avi talks about his remarkable journey with the mandolin, from his early lessons in southern Israel from a teacher who was self-taught on the instrument, to having the chutzpah to dig into his own savings to record his first album in Berlin. He introduces a number of works that he especially wanted to share for this conversation, including a performance from one of his mentors, which is not available in Australia.

He is currently touring Australia with Musica Viva.

Photo: Guy Hecht

A remarkable violinist who has had an extraordinary career across three continents, Charmian Gadd started in humble beginnings on a farm on the Central Coast in the 1940s. She exploded onto the music scene as a teenager, and went on to play with such luminaries as Yehudi Menuhin and Neville Marriner, living in the UK and the USA before coming back to Australia in the late 80s. Her contribution to music has not just been as a performer, having also held positions at the Canberra School of Music and the Sydney Conservatorium. She turned 80 in January this year, which ended up being an extra special birthday as she was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for services to music in this year’s Australia Day Honours.

Charmian tells some wonderful stories from her long and remarkable career, and provides some lovely choices of music including from performers who were key inspirations in her professional development.

Naseema Sparks is an experienced company director whose passion for the arts led her to take on key leadership roles at board level in organisations such as the Sydney Biennale and the Sydney Dance Company. Now chair of Sydney Living Museums and Music in the Regions, one of our newest arts organisations, she has said “the arts is my balance, it’s good for the soul”, which is a sentiment we can all agree with! In this conversation, Naseema speaks about the works of Sydney Living Museums and Music in the Regions, her passion for Australian composers, and how she became involved with the arts at board level. Her musical selections include a rarity from Sydney’s colonial past – just a small part of the ongoing projects conducted by SLM.

Lyndon Terracini has certainly left his mark on Australian opera – and he’s not done yet. He has been Artistic Director of Opera Australia since 2009, however his association with opera goes back decades, having first appeared with the company as a baritone in the 1970s. His operatic career took him to his ancestral home of Italy, though he made frequent visits back to Australia to perform here too.

Lovers of opera will be aware that he’s about to embark on his final year as Opera Australia's artistic director. The 2023 season has just launched, and Lyndon joins Simon Moore to give a preview of the season, plus share some remarkable tales of his transformative years at Opera Australia and his career as an opera singer. He also eloquently introduces his music selections, which include some seminal performances from some of history's best singers.

For Eric Whitacre, everything seems possible. The music of this Grammy-award winning composer and conductor has been performed in all corners of the world. He has united 100,000 singers in more than 145 countries for his ground breaking Virtual Choirs, his debut album as a conductor, Light and Gold, went straight to the top of the charts, and he’s even collaborated with NASA – his composition Deep Field having been inspired by the Hubble Telescope, leading him to work on a film seen at arts and science festivals across the globe.

In this conversation, Eric talks about The Sacred Veil, which he is coming to Australia to conduct with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House. We also hear insights about his composing and his unorthodox entry into the classical genre, the Virtual Choirs projects, his public speaking, plus he eloquently introduces a diverse selection of pieces which have inspired him over the years.

Photo: Marc Royce

One of Australia’s most celebrated violinists, Brendan Joyce is the artistic director of Camerata, Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. His leadership has been described by critics as both dynamic and indefatigable, which is why it’s unsurprising he often appears around Australia with such organisations as the Orchestra of the Antipodes, Van Diemen's Band, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

In this conversation, Brendan talks about helping to rebuild and reinvigorate Camerata under his leadership, with diverse and ground-breaking repertoire, including new Australian commissions. He also shares some amusing stories of his upbringing in regional Queensland and his period in the United States.

A violinist who has performed on every continent, Adelaide-born Daniel Dodds is the Artistic Director of Festival Strings Lucerne. He’ll be back in Australia  to appear as Concertmaster of the Australian World Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, for performances in Melbourne and Sydney. It is said he elicits “joie de vivre” from fellow musicians and audiences alike, which is apparent in the positivity he expresses about his playing and the repertoire he’s chosen to share with us in this conversation, which includes several private recordings of his past performances.

Australian soprano Amy Manford has already played Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Operaon the West End and in Athens, and is about to appear in the upcoming production at the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre in Melbourne.

She also co-runs MM Creative Productions, which produced Disney in Concert A Dream is a Wish, in Perth last year in which she also appeared.

An edited version of this conversation was broadcast on Fine Music Breakfast on 11 August, however as Amy was so delightful to speak with, the interview went overtime, so the complete interview appears here as an In Conversation bonus episode.

The musical theatre scene in Australia and around the world owes a great deal to Guy Simpson. He has been supervising productions of The Phantom of the Opera for over 30 years around the world, from South Africa to New Zealand, Brazil to the Philippines. He has a similarly long association with productions of Miss Saigon, and has been instrumental in countless others – from the larger scale, like Evita and West Side Story, to the intimate, such as Anna O’Byrne’s recent one woman show Becoming Eliza, who was a guest on In Conversation back in May.

Fresh from being conductor of the recent Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production of Phantom, he’s music supervisor of the upcoming production inside the Opera House, which begins on 19 August. Guy gives us a preview of the production, and tells some fascinating stories from the rest of his incredible career.

This week, In Conversation is on tour, coming to you from the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, in Townsville.

The Festival’s new Artistic Director is British/German Violinist Jack Liebeck. His music ranges from the intricacy of Mozart through to the passion of contemporary Australian works by Brett Dean. He’s on a whopping 17 albums, including playing on the film scores of Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina, has a keen interest in science to the extent that he’s collaborated with Professor Brian Cox, and he’s been described as possessing “flawless technical mastery”.

Jack shares with Simon Moore his vision of the Festival, taking to the violin as a natural which had him playing Paganini concertos within a couple of years, plus some fascinating thoughts on performance and bringing classical music to a wide audience.

Photo: Andrew Rankin

An actor whose career on the stage, film and television is approaching half a century and still going strong, Simon Burke burst onto the scene in the highly acclaimed Devil’s Playground at the age of 13. He won the AFI Award for Best Actor for that performance – still to this day the youngest person to receive that honour. His career since has included appearances on television which are embedded in the Australian psyche – from The Sullivans through to Rake and everything in between, including the remarkable Brides of Christ, and of course Play School. He has a long list of stage credits here and overseas, in both straight and musical theatre – as Marius in the original Australian run of Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera on the West End, and other musical theatre mainstays such as The Sound of Music and A Little Night Music. He’s currently in what could be regarded as the hottest show in town, appearing as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, playing now at the Capitol Theatre.

Hayden Tee is not just a triple threat, he’s more of a quadruple one – an actor, singer, make-up artist, and also now a director. He knows a thing or two about musical theatre, having played Javert in Les Misérables in multiple countries, including on the West End, Broadway and on these shores. He’s appeared in Matilda, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, and Into the Woods, to name just a few, his cabaret shows have been a hit in New York and in Australia, and he’s released three albums. Based in New York, Hayden is in Sydney to direct the musical Jekyll and Hyde, on at the Hayes Theatre from the 29th of July.

In this conversation, Hayden talks about his innovative staging of Jekyll and Hydeincluding his incredible cast, and takes us on his journey into singing and musical theatre with an infectious positivity and "can do" attitude.

One of Australia’s most beloved and renowned pianists, Simon Tedeschi has played with all the major Australian orchestras, and is a seasoned chamber musician and collaborator too. He’s recorded a vast swath of albums covering music from JS Bach and Domenico Scarlatti to Mark Isaacs and Mike Nock, with a decent chunk of George Gershwin too. He’s also a writer, with his first book, Fugitive, published in May, simultaneous with winning the Calibre Essay prize for his essay This Woman, My Grandmother.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Simon discusses his writing, including the award-winning essay about his late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, and reveals what it’s like to learn more about a loved one after their death than was ever known while they were still alive. Also, he compares his writing with his music, and how his early experiences as a proclaimed child prodigy began to shape his psyche and his career.

Simon is one of the 2MBS Fine Music Sydney artistic patrons, and is a long-time friend of the station.

Australia’s foremost Indigenous classical composer and performer, William Barton has performed internationally with the London and Berlin Philharmonia Orchestras, and in this country with all the premier orchestras. From Kalkadunga heritage, he has vastly expanded the horizons of the didgeridoo with his prodigious musicality.

Simon Moore speaks to William as part of NAIDOC Week 2022. William shares insights about the importance of the instrument and how it varies in different parts of the country. He also talks about his experiences in the classical music industry and the importance his family had on his musical development, including his uncle who introduced him to the instrument. Listen out for his special live performance in the studio!

American soprano Leah Crocetto continues to astonish audiences with her moving portrayals of opera’s greatest heroines. She has performed across America, in such seminal operas as Turandot, Otello and Norma, in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Centre to the Metropolitan Opera. She’s also sung the title role of Aida with Opera Australia, and is about to appear as Leonora in Il Trovatore.

Leah has a particular love of music and shares some works that are very special to her which provide a soundtrack to her life. She speaks about her special relationship with her family which was vital to her path in becoming an opera star, and delights with stories from her career.

Making his film debut in Wolf Creek 2, Philippe Klaus has been in such Australian dramas as Rake and Home & Away. He’s appeared on stage with the Old Fitz Theatre, and toured his one man show with the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals. His next gig, though, is a bit of a contrast – appearing in the title role in Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, the next show from Endangered Production, from June 30 to July 3 at the Paddington RSL. It’s to be performed as it was meant to be – with singers, actors, dancers and a 30 piece orchestra – promising romance, sin, salvation, and some heavenly music.

Philippe talks with Simon Moore about the upcoming production of Peer Gyntand shares great insights into acting for the different mediums of theatre, film and television, the extra skills one can acquire along the way, plus his love of jazz.

A much-loved cellist who Australia has adopted from his native Finland, Timo-Veikko Valve (known as Tipi) came to this country to become principal cellist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra 16 years ago, a position he has held ever since. He spreads his wings far beyond the ACO, making frequent guest appearances with chamber groups across the country, and of course has played across Europe, North America and Asia. He'll be featured as a soloist in the upcoming ACO tour titled simple “Bach”, and has been very busy in the recording studio too.

In this conversation, Tipi shares his thoughts on some of his favourite works, including sharing some unreleased recordings. He also talks about the complex task of making recordings of his music and the joys of the Finnish sauna experience!

Internationally renowned clarinettist David Rowden has performed throughout Europe, Asia, North America, as well as Australia. Not content with being just a soloist, he founded the Omega Ensemble, championing Australian musical talent, and has picked up plenty of APRA/AMCOS classical music nominations along the way. His playing has been described by critics as possessing “superb technique and artistry”.

In this conversation with Simon Moore, David talks about his earlier career, and also takes a deep dive into CoLAB, the program which the Omega Ensemble has created for early-career composers to obtain direct industry experience in collaboration with the musicians of Omega Ensemble, and under the mentorship of leading professional composers.

Through the Sydney Art Quartet, founder James Beck connects audiences with layered, multi-sensory experiences based on live music woven with contrasting art forms and the wider world of history, arts & sciences. In the pursuit of that goal, he’s performed over 150 original Art Quartet shows with a cross section of some of Australia’s most vibrant creative voices. Previously the Artistic Manager of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, he is well versed in bringing historic music artefacts to contemporary relevance.

In this conversation, James demonstrates his ability to make the most complex and esoteric of ideas engaging and accessible, sharing witty and erudite stories of the art of creating and sharing music.