a mic on the podium

Dalia Stasevska is a young Finnish conductor who is a rising star of the conducting world who came to the world's attention in 2020. We, of course, discussed her conducting the Last Night of the Proms, we also discussed why conducting the music of Magnus Lindberg is so hard and I found out what Leif Segerstam wanted her to do on her own in a forest!!

If you would like to support the podcast, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/amiconthepodium, and for the price of a glass of wine once a month, you can access two new series of interviews, articles, and much more.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to make a one-off donation, go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/a-mic-on-the-podium and any donation you make will be greatly appreciated!

I have known Ben Gernon since he was a teenager and have always loved chatting to him about music and conducting. I discovered what lessons with Sir Colin Davis were like, which orchestra saw him through his "nappy years and on to being a toddler", and which famous conductor once gave him invaluable advice whilst he was eating a doner kebab!

Ludovic Morlot and I had such a lovely time chatting and what a charming gentleman he is. I discover what rather unconventional methods he was taught in his very first conducting lessons, how the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland had an effect on his career, and which two conductors he likens to Federer and Nadal!

Alternatively, if you would prefer to make a one-off donation, go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/a-mic-on-the-podium and any donation you make will be greatly appreciated!

Nicholas Collon is a very popular conductor across the UK, Europe, and beyond. He is also very enjoyable to chat with. I found out why he took up the viola, why the Aurora Orchestra first decided to play from memory and he has a very surprising and rather apt choice of final drink! 

Karl-Heinz Steffens played the clarinet in two of the greatest orchestras in the world before becoming a highly successful conductor. I found out what advice Daniel Barenboim gave him, why playing for Claudio Abbado was so special and I hear possibly my favourite answer so far to the question "what item could could you not leave home without when travelling abroad?"!

A very honest and candid chat with a lovely person - Sian Edwards and I discussed so many topics from her successful conducting and teaching career. I discovered how Neeme Järvi shaped her early career, why she still has a piece of broken chair in her study and I got to hear an amazing story about Carlos Kleiber that I had never heard before!

The Venezuelan conductor, Domingo Hindoyan, is rising quickly to the top of the conducting profession. I found out what is was that made him fall in love with Liverpool, what he has had with him ever since he left Venezuela at the age of 19 and how his parent's background helped him become Assistant to Daniel Barenboim. A very pleasant chat to a fellow violinist!

I had such a lovely time chatting to the British conductor and fellow cricket fan, Rumon Gamba. He told me where his name comes from, he was very candid about his experiences as a Music Director and I found out what a "screaming party" is!

Sakari Oramo has been a friend since he became the Music Director of the CBSO in 1998. We reminisced about his 10 years in Birmingham and found out what "Bluffer's Guide" he wished had been written to prepare him for his time in the UK and I found out who called him "a terrible goose"! Two friends catching up and chatting about the past, the present and the future....

Young American conductor, Roderick Cox, is definitely making a name for himself in the conducting world. We talk about his charitable foundation and its origins, we get really technical over one passage of The Rite of Spring and I found out how American Football had an influence on his conducting career path!