Anja Bihlmaier and I seemed to have a lot in common right from the outset and it made this an extremely enjoyable chat. Lots of warmth, honesty and humour! I heard her describe the differences between conducting opera and symphonic work in terms of skiing, I discovered that we had a similar childhood experience whilst playing Dvorak's New World Symphony, and I found out why she took some coca-cola into the opera pit once! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conduc...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 120
This was a truly fascinating chat! As one of the foremost conducting teachers of today, I hoped Mark Heron would be good to chat with and I was not disappointed - I learned a lot and I know you will as well. It was such a warm and thoughtful discussion. We discussed strategies when faced with guest conducting an orchestra for the first time, I discovered which famous ex-pupil was "pretty rubbish" at conducting two pianos and why it didn't matter, and I discovered which sport he likes which, give...
Jan 01, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 119
As two ex-violinists, Gábor and I had quite a lot in common and we seemed to hit it off immediately. He is such a warm and thoughtful person to chat with! I discovered how music helped him cope with living in a communist regime, we discussed in depth how conductors should talk to an orchestra, and he told me how a joke told to him by his violin teacher changed his life. If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/am...
Dec 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 118
This is a deeply touching and personal episode. Grant Llewellyn was so open and candid about his experiences of having suffered a stroke in 2021 and how it has impacted his life and career. I heard his honest opinions of four of the greatest conductors of the past who mentored him, we quickly got sidetracked talking about football (well, it is a World Cup year?!), and I allow him to "break the rules" in the ten questions at the end! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors...
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 117
My chat with Eva Ollikainen started with us noticing our studies have the same coloured walls and it carried on being a very relaxed and fun interview to make! We discuss fixing problems in rehearsals and whether we should, we got very geeky about metronome markings, and I discover which very famous conductor she once had to ask to be quiet in her rehearsal! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/amiconthepodiu...
Nov 20, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 116
Having heard Nicholas Buc's podcast, it was great to put a face to the voice. We also had a lot in common and it made this a really enjoyable interview! I discovered how his podcast came into being and why the chemistry between his co-presenters and himself works, we discuss the similarities between "footballs" and "eggs", and you will discover which avid listener to this podcast will be rather pleased with his answer to Question 5! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors...
Nov 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Some interviews feel good from the very start and my chat with Leslie Suganandarajah felt like that immediately - such a thoughtful and humble person to chat with! We agree that conducting opera when you cannot actually see the singers is extremely difficult, he told me which specific rehearsal always gives him "goosebumps", and I hear how, at an early age, a dentist changed his life! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www...
Oct 23, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Having worked with Stéphane Denève on a project together in the summer of 2022, I knew he would be a brilliant guest and a very interesting person to chat with. It helped that we had become friends very quickly indeed! I discovered who his "Yoda" was, he gave a really brilliant answer to Question 7 that I just did not see coming, and I heard how an experience in the "night bar" of the Ritz Hotel, Paris, changed his life! Here is a link to Stéphane's website to see the video we discuss of him ass...
Oct 09, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 113
I have probably known Jamie Phillips for more of his life than any other conductor I have interviewed! I knew, therefore, that he would be perfect to chat with and interview. We discussed when and why you should stop entering conducting competitions, I discover what the "golden rule" was when he attended CBSO rehearsals as a child, and I find out what sporting event he has been training for! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at http...
Sep 25, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 112
I had been told that I would enjoy chatting with Eduardo Strausser and that proved to be correct - he was both fascinating and fun in equal measure! Eduardo explained to me how Brazilian musical life changed after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he explained how he feels that score learning has to be like archeology, and we both discuss being caught in a tropical rainstorm! If you would like to hear the bonus mini-episode and the fascinating chat about Eduardo's tattoos, then why not subscribe at h...
Sep 11, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 111
On July 12th, 2022, the music world lost the much-loved conductor, pianist, and composer Bramwell Tovey. I had the great pleasure to chat with him back on 15th May 2020, when the world was in lockdown and in the full grip of the Covid pandemic. Much to my regret, it was the only time we chatted and I loved every second of our time together. There have been countless heartfelt tributes to him since the sad news was announced that his cancer had returned and that he had lost his battle with it. I ...
Jul 17, 2022•1 hr 35 min
Marta Gardolińska is the first Polish conductor interviewed for the podcast and was a joy to chat with - very open and honest about her life and career and had a warm and chatty nature. I discovered what was the "best school" she encountered on her way through her studies, we get rather geeky about espresso coffee, and I discovered which work, composed in her homeland, gets her rather emotional when she has to conduct it! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conduc...
Jul 03, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Pietari Inkinen is the epitome of a busy conductor and it was fascinating chatting with him about his life, career, and much more. You couldn't wish to meet a more charming person! We discussed Wagner & Bayreuth, the Finnish attitude to young conductors, and the massive benefits of some local knowledge when you are guest conducting and want to eat well! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/amiconthepodium...
Jun 19, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 109
As a recently retired conductor, Roy Goodman and I had a lot of things to talk about and I think we covered most of them! We seemed to hit it off immediately and I loved his warmth and honesty. We talk about the beginnings of the HIP movement and how he got involved, one year in particular crops up on a regular basis, and we chatted about one rather famous recording he participated in having just finished a rugby match! The attached photo on Podbean is taken on Striding Edge, Helvellyn, which, a...
Jun 05, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Having met him once before, I knew Enrique Arturo Diemcke would be a very interesting person to interview and I was proved correct! We discussed the differences between Anglo-Saxon and Latin people and orchestras, I discovered what the most important factor is when he considers which drink to choose in Question 10, and I hear which LP he and his siblings bought when they were young and why it wasn't the sort of quartet they were expecting! The biography I mention in the outro can be found here -...
May 22, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Jonathan Bloxham and I have known each other for 6 years now and I knew he would be perfect to interview - we get along very well and I knew he would be open, honest, and interesting as he has a real passion for what he does. As an example of that, he was very open about his experiences as Assistant Conductor with the CBSO, I discovered how a nightmare set of circumstances meant that his debut at Glyndebourne was very memorable indeed, and we discuss accents, not musical accents either! The fest...
May 08, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 106
I have been so lucky to have met such lovely people during the course of making this podcast and François-Xavier Roth was no exception - we had a lovely warm and open chat! I discovered how Janos Furst's pragmatic approach to teaching conducting taught him so much, he explained his vision & ethos for his orchestra, Les Siecles, and I found out that he is a podcast fan but not necessarily this one?! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscr...
Apr 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Lina Gonzalez-Granados had been on my radar to interview for a long time and when we finally chatted, we seemed to hit it off immediately - such a lovely person to chat with and very honest about her experiences so far. I discovered where she was "a guinea pig', who is the "most badass woman" she has ever met, and she was the first conductor for a very long time to mention a specific restaurant in her answer to question 10! If you would like to access the bonus mini-episode attached to this podc...
Apr 10, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 104
James Gaffigan was another conductor who I had not met previously yet we seemed to get on with each other immediately. An episode with a lot of laughter and a lot of food for thought! I discovered who was the first person to make him cry as an adult, we debated how orchestras used to sound compared to today and why things have changed, and we laugh a lot about our experiences accompanying certain types of soloists! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, w...
Mar 27, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Ben Palmer has quite a multi-faceted career and that makes him fascinating to chat with. He is also a fan of this podcast so that made it doubly joyful! I found out how he first got to meet Sir Roger Norrington, I discover that conducting music live to film and the world of historically informed performance has more in common than you might at first think, and we agree that Sibelius' Symphony No.7 is extremely difficult to conduct! If you would like to access the bonus mini-episode attached to t...
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Kwamé Ryan was a joy to chat with - easy, open, and honest, exactly how I like an interview to go! I discovered that Bartok's Duke Bluebeard's Castle seemed to appear at major moments of his career, that conducting one work in a birthday concert changed his life, and I heard about his very interesting system for marking dynamics in his scores and how technology sometimes plays a role in score learning! Here is the link to Kwamé Ryan's podcast, '8 Minute Idea' - https://kwameryan.com/8-minute-ide...
Mar 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 101
After reaching a century of episodes, what is next? In this short bonus episode, I let you know what the future holds for the podcast. If you would like to find out more about the world of conducting and conductors, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/amiconthepodium , and, for a monthly fee starting from just £5 a month, you can access two new series of interviews, group Zoom meetings with other fans of the podcast and myself, a monthly bulletin about the podcast and my own career as w...
Feb 23, 2022•6 min
In this special feature-length episode to celebrate reaching the century of episodes, I was lucky enough to chat with one of the biggest names in conducting over the last few decades, Sir Roger Norrington. He was charming, open, honest, fascinating and a joy to spend 90 minutes in the company of. I discovered how being sent to Africa made him decide that he wanted to try to become a professional musician, he was very honest about his system for learning a score, especially his feelings and thoug...
Feb 20, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Having met Han-Na Chang in October 2021, I knew she would be perfect for the podcast and I was proved correct - what a bubbly character and a really open and honest person! I discovered how a potential "typo" helped change her life forever, we talked about how to fix ensemble problems "in the moment" and what surprising "move" often works best, and we get very geeky about Carlos Kleiber! If you would like to find out more about the world of conducting and conductors, why not subscribe at https:/...
Feb 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Asher Fisch was a joy to chat with - open, honest, and full of opinion. The sound of this podcast is a little different from the norm as we had to use his phone to record him but you hear every word, as clear as a bell and they are well worth hearing! I hear his views on how a conductor's attitude needs to change from country to country, we chat about a mutual friend with who we have shared a stage countless times, and I discover what two "bugs" he has tested positive for! If you would like to f...
Feb 06, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Alexander Shelley was a fascinating person to chat with as he really has thought long and hard about a conductor's role both on and off the podium. I discover who told him that it only takes 6 months to learn stick technique if you are taught by the right person, we discuss learning to conduct in silence versus with two pianos, and I rather surprisingly try to change his mind about the sound he hates! If you would like to hear the bonus mini-episode attached to this podcast and find out more abo...
Jan 30, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 97
As violinists who went on to become conductors, Roberto González-Monjas and myself had an awful lot in common and, it seems, we also enjoyed discussing food as well! We also discussed how scheduling can affect your health and lifestyle, I heard about the wonderful education project he co-founded in Columbia, and he told me what surprising full score he chose to spend 100 Euros on as a child! If you would like to find out more about the world of conducting and conductors, why not subscribe at htt...
Jan 23, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 96
I loved chatting with Andrew Gourlay, possibly due to discovering so many things we have in common and how many shared experiences we have? I discovered we had a shared history in our musical youth, we had both been a rehearsal conductor for one particularly busy maestro, and that we both find conducting one particular piece of Britten's music very difficult! If you would like to hear the bonus mini-episode attached to this podcast and find out more about the world of conducting and conductors, ...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Alice Farnham and I seemed to have quite a few things in common and I really enjoyed chatting with her - we had a very warm and open conversation together. She had so many fond memories of studying with the great Ilya Musin, we had a fascinating discussion about teaching young women conducting, and I discovered what her multi-instrumental "party trick" used to be! This is the link I mentioned on the podcast episode of Musin conducting Strauss' Don Juan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-NDx2cOY...
Jan 09, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Chad Goodman and I had already chatted before we did this interview and I knew he would be a perfect addition to the podcast! Open, funny, and extremely interesting. We discuss the differences between a Cover Conductor, Assistant Conductor, Resident Conductor, and Conducting Fellow, we chat about the future for young conductors and their career paths, and we get extremely nerdy about our shared passion for all things horological! If you would like to join the supporters club for this podcast and...
Jan 02, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 93
