Andrew Constantine and I have known each other for over 30 years, and catching up with him was brilliant. It was a lovely warm chat with someone who really thinks long and hard about what we do as conductors. We talk very frankly about the cultural differences between the US and the UK, I discover which competition he thought he should have won, and he uses a wonderful metaphor to describe the difference between Valery Gergiev and Yuri Temirkanov! If you would like to discover a whole lot more a...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 148
Karen Ní Bhroin and I have one thing in common - we both have our own podcast about conducting. It means that she really does think a lot about what we do and it was just nice chatting with her throughout! I discovered that the COVID pandemic actually increased her workload in the United States, we had a very geeky discussion about metronome marks, and we also learned that if we were ever to dine out together it might cost a small fortune?! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about co...
May 19, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 147
I have fond memories of the first time I met Neil Thomson and knew this would be a good interview - a charming man who has spent a lot of time thinking about what we do as conductors. We discussed the pros and cons of conducting from memory, we also chatted about the role of a conductor at a conservatoire and the role of being an orchestra trainer, and I heard about his experiences with a legendary British conductor who was once described as "a benign despot"! If you would like to discover a who...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 146
I could have chatted with Ryan McAdams for many hours - it turned out to be one of the longest episodes yet! We had such an open and honest discussion sprinkled with a lot of humour. We had a fascinating discussion about the importance of eye contact between players and the conductor, he told me a wonderful quote from Wynton Marsalis that sums up how conductors should view their lives, and I discovered which famous conductor he thought had a "Hannibal Lecter quality"! If you would like to discov...
Mar 31, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Part 2 of my chat with Jacobus de Jager, Oliver Cope, Peggy Wu, Kentaro Machida & Riley Court-Wood is here. They are all studying conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and they were brilliant fun to interview. In Part 2, they all answered ten questions and we discussed the price of scores and competitions, I discovered what works they are desperate to conduct and never have, and I asked them what is the best piece of advice they've received and discovered that one of t...
Mar 10, 2024•59 min
In this special episode, I chat with Jacobus de Jager, Oliver Cope, Peggy Wu, Kentaro Machida & Riley Court-Wood. They are all studying conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and they were brilliant fun to interview. In Part 1, I discovered what a "typical" week is like as a conducting student at RCS, we discussed the best way to approach conducting classes with two pianos, and a chat about competitions led us to discuss two recent movie releases that feature conductors...
Mar 03, 2024•57 min
Boian Videnoff and I last met 17 years ago yet this felt like we just carried on from where we left off - a lovely chat with a very open and honest conductor. We discussed the worldview of The Arts and how over time, it has changed so dramatically, we talked about the difficulties involved with starting your own orchestra, and I discovered a potential pitfall when switching between conducting off an iPad versus an old-fashioned paper score! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about co...
Feb 04, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 144
With our similar career paths and backgrounds, Catherine Larsen-Maguire and I had much in common and hit it off immediately. She was frank and open and a joy to chat with. I heard how the passing of a close friend changed her whole attitude toward her life and career, we both agreed that conducting offstage is a frightening experience, and I discovered how a chance meeting in a Berlin pub, and one beer mat in particular, changed her career path! If you want to hear the bonus mini-episode attache...
Jan 21, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Johannes Schlaefli is one of the foremost conducting teachers today and as a consequence, has spent a lot of time thinking about what we do. A fascinating conversation with a very warm and honest gentleman. We discuss the merits of being a wind player or a string player when we first start conducting, we discovered that when we teach conducting, we both use the very same metaphor, and I get very jealous about where he lives! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and con...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 142
I really enjoyed this interview! Baldur Brönnimann and I got along instantly and we seem to have very similar views about what we do and how we do it. There was also a lot of laughter as well... We had a serious discussion about the need for orchestras in the cultural life of any country, we discussed why conducting is subjective and that we should be talking about this when we teach, and a chat about conducting with or without a baton breaks down in fits of laughter! If you would like to discov...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 140
In a world where conductors regularly jet across the globe conducting orchestras, Marios Papadopoulos is one of those rare exceptions who is far happier staying at home conducting his own orchestra he founded in Oxford. He was a joy to chat with, very honest and self-effacing! I heard about his early struggles trying to promote his concerts in Oxford, he told me how and why he chooses the musicians who play in his orchestra, and how a childhood encounter with a razor led to a very interesting an...
Nov 12, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 139
Thomas Søndergård and I had a few things in common, mainly being ex-orchestral players. I enjoyed chatting with him very much - he is definitely someone who thinks a lot about what we do as conductors! I found out how his relationships with two UK orchestras started within thirty minutes of each other, we discussed how to cope with conducting your own orchestral colleagues for the first time, and one of his choices in answering Question 6 prompted me to relive a frightening concert memory! If yo...
Oct 29, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Toby Purser and I had a wonderful chat, as I knew it would be. We had a particularly "deep dive" into teaching and every aspect of what that entails. I discovered that his love of opera started after a stint conducting in prison, I also learned how a chance meeting with an elderly gentleman changed his musical life, and Toby used an English phrase in this interview that frankly I was surprised nobody else had used in the previous 136 episodes! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Carlos Miguel Prieto and I had never met yet we seemed to hit it off immediately and we chatted for quite a long time about all manner of topics, always warm-hearted and honest, which I like! We discussed how it is important to sometimes "come up through the ranks, I discover which famous billionaire he shared a university class with, and I discover which book he took with him for 2 years on conducting trips yet never managed to finish! If you want to hear the bonus mini-episode attached to this...
Oct 01, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Duncan Ward and I have met on a couple of occasions very briefly so it was nice to actually sit down and have a good chat. It proved to be very light-hearted, open and extremely honest. We discussed our early forays into the world of guest conducting very frankly, I heard how a score of one of his compositions left open in a dressing room changed his life, and I heard how a language barrier once caused a very funny case of mistaken identity! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about c...
Sep 17, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Just a short little message telling you what will be happening on the podcast over the coming weeks - don't worry, it is nothing to be alarmed by! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, 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 ...
Aug 01, 2023•3 min
Clark Rundell's name has been familiar to me for years, both as a conductor and one-half of the infamous "Mark & Clark" teaching team at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He was lovely to chat with and someone I would love to spend more time with in the future. I discovered that his hometown of Bloomington, Minnesota, had an incredible music education policy, he told me many great stories about his association with the composer, Louis Andriessen, and he gave a totally origin...
Jul 30, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Anna-Maria Helsing is, like me, a conductor who started late after being a violinist. We had a lot in common and we got along with each other very easily, with a lot of laughing and warmth. I discovered why she was a "violin nerd", why she went to watch other conductors rehearse at a very specific part of their rehearsal process, and I discovered that she loves birdsong and also hates birdsong! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at h...
Jul 16, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 133
With both Christopher Warren-Green and myself coming from an orchestral playing background, you would imagine we had a whole lot in common. We did! I found him a joy to chat with and we agreed on an awful lot of topics. I found out why he doesn't miss playing the violin at all, he was very candid about "hiring and firing" in the US and how, initially at least, starting as a Music Director in the US was "a bit of a culture shock, and we get very political indeed after Jeremy Clarkson's name had c...
Jul 02, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 132
I was lucky enough to meet Atso Almila in person recently and knew he would be the perfect guest to interview - a warm and charming man who speaks frankly and honestly with a touch of humour! I heard about how he and Esa Pekka Salonen passed their final exam at the Sibelius Academy in bizarre circumstances, he was very frank about how his time conducting in Joensuu came to an end, and at one point, he scares his 15-year-old dog! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and...
Jun 18, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Dane Lam is a conductor who has thought a lot about what we do and how we do it and was a real joy to chat with. We seem to have many common views and I enjoyed his honesty and warmth. We talked candidly about his experiences conducting his orchestra in China, I found out who had told him that he was "a very lucky boy, and because he is a regular listener to the podcast, his answers to the ten questions at the end were very well thought-through indeed! If you would like to discover a whole lot m...
Jun 04, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 130
I knew from having met Kazuki Yamada before that chatting with him would be fun. As we are both members of the "CBSO family" now, it was doubly nice to spend some time with this very warm and giving person! I heard how the choir conductor at his school gave him his very first chances, I found out what item he always has in the pocket of his concert tails, and I discovered why he founded his own orchestra at university and why it was given its extremely strange name If you would like to discover ...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 129
Rebecca Miller and I seemed to instantly hit it off and we tended to agree on a lot of topics - a very enjoyable interview to make. We discussed why we both enjoy conducting youth orchestras and how important playing in orchestras is for a young person, we also chatted about the positives and negatives of preparing an orchestra for another conductor, and I heard a fabulous story about Sir Georg Solti conducting the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony! If you want to hear the bonus mini-episode...
May 07, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Jaume Santonja and I have known each other since we were both still orchestral players and I knew he would be a very good person to interview - he is always warm and friendly. I discovered why there is a link between Amsterdam & Spain in the "percussion world", I also discovered that he learned what "topping and tailing" was from a concert conducted by myself, and I hear how he coped with a pressure situation by using a quote from his compatriot, Rafa Nadal! If you would like to discover a w...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Mark Stringer himself said, at the end of our chat, "Good luck editing that down to a manageable length" - well, after over a year of waiting, I have. It is the longest episode so far BUT it is full of great anecdotes, wisdom and advice for any aspiring conductor! He talks candidly about the "Faustian bargain" he took early in his career, we have a disagreement about whether you need to play the piano to be a good conductor, and I hear why one particular oboist's scowling face was not for the re...
Apr 09, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 126
Sometimes you meet someone who you not only get on with immediately but you also seem to share the same beliefs with - Enrico Delamboye was one such person. A lovely chat with a very thoughtful conductor. We had a very honest discussion about "being yourself" regardless of the outcome, we chatted about "anti-specialism" in conducting, and I discover which 90-minute opera made him age by 90 years! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Over the course of making this podcast, I have encountered conductors who just want to tell you everything and my chat with Bernard Labadie was one such encounter. It is a deeply frank, honest, and candid interview! We discuss the perils of conducting accompanied recitatives, he was brutally honest about his career as an opera conductor, and his answer to Question 8 went down a very dark path indeed! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscrib...
Mar 12, 2023•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 124
It had been a very long time since I had spoken to a choral conductor and I think I made the perfect choice to interview. Nigel Short was a joy to chat with and what an interesting career journey he has had! We talked about the difficulties of recording sessions, I discovered how a skiing trip changed his career path completely, and we have a good chuckle over one particular word that has a very different meaning on either side of the Atlantic! If you would like to discover a whole lot more abou...
Feb 26, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Otto Tausk and I are born a few months apart but it seems that we also had a few other things in common. A lovely chat with a very warm and open person! We discussed how important it is to do your homework when assisting Valery Gergiev, I discovered which orchestra he likens to a Ferrari, and I also discovered which particular food item has been named after him in Vancouver! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.c...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Having played for Nicholas on many occasions, I knew he would be fun to chat with given his ebullient nature. I also found out how open and honest he is and also how much he has thought about his craft! With many anecdotes and stories, I heard his thoughts on many conductors, both past and present, we discussed how important it is as a conductor to "read the room", and I discover what he has in common with David Beckham! If you would like to hear the bonus mini-episode attached to this interview...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 121
