a mic on the podium

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 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 well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 2nd June 2022 via Zoom.

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 have decided that the best way to pay tribute to him is to re-release our chat and add on the six-minute chat we had after we had finished recording the episode.

I found him to be a lovely man - ready to tell his story, not afraid to voice his opinions, and, as so many have also said, a great raconteur. Our chat has been one of my personal favourite episodes ever since I released it and honestly, I have probably listened to it again at least five times since!

Farewell Bram - I know that wherever you are, you will be making friends, making music, and making everyone laugh.

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 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 career as well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 7th June 2022 via Zoom.

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, 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 well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 26th May 2022 via Zoom.

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, as you will discover, is very apt indeed!

If you would like to hear the bonus mini-episode attached to this interview and 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 career as well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 16th May 2022 via Zoom.

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 - 'A Biography with music by Mahler' written by Jose Angel Leyva -https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enrique-Arturo-Diemecke-Biograf%C3%ADa-Spanish-ebook/dp/B08RRVW4ZY

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 career as well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 1st March 2022 via Zoom.

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 festival that Jonathan is the founder of, Northern Chords, can be found here - https://northernchords.com/

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 career as well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 20th April 2022 via Zoom.

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 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 well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 21st February 2022 via Zoom.

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 podcast, 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 well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners. If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 1st February 2022 via Zoom.

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, 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 well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself.

If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners.

If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium).

This interview was recorded on 2nd March 2022 via Zoom.