In Conversation

A musician described as “the most interesting voice on the guitar for a generation”, Edinburgh-born Sean Shibe is as at home on the electric guitar as he is on the classical acoustic one. Winner of awards including the 2018 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award and the 2022 Leonard Bernstein Award, he was nominated in 2023 for a Grammy, and continues to prove himself as an original mind at the frontier of contemporary classical music.

In this conversation, Sean demystifies the electric guitar while eloquently introducing us to a deliciously diverse selection of music. He has an inspiring approach to both the acoustic and electric guitar which embraces tradition while pushing boundaries.

Sean Shibe performs with the Australian Chamber Orchestra under artistic director Richard Tognetti for Scotland Unbound around Australia until November 18, with performances at the City Recital Hall on November 9, 12 and 13, and at the Sydney Opera House on November 10.

A keyboard soloist and conductor, Francesco Corti is one of Europe’s most in demand musicians. He is a member of Les Musiciens du Louvre, Bach Collegium Japan and Le Concert des Nations, among several others. He’s led Tafelmusik, the English Concert, and the Freiburg Baroqueorcheter, is the musical director at the Drottningholm Royal Court Theatre, and appears on over 30 albums.

Francesco takes us through his passion for early music, and performing on instruments authentic to the period. He details his love of this era and shares some of his deep understanding of the fortepiano and its relevance as an instrument today. We also delve into the technique and process of his reconstruction of a JS Bach concerto. 

Francesco Corti performs with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra until 2 November.

He is a counter-tenor loved by audiences around the world. Andreas Scholl has a beautiful pure clarity of voice, gives absolutely divine performances including on his dozens of albums, and he has a wonderful gentle good humour too.

Andreas talks about the discovery of his beautiful counter tenor voice as an adolescent, which inspired him to make music his career. We hear about how his musical development was nurtured and what he has learnt on this journey. We also get to hear his baritone singing voice, which is heard more often than you might think, including on electro-pop songs!

Andreas Scholl performs with the Australian World Orchestra in Sydney on 23 and 24 October, and in Melbourne on 26 October.

Violist and music curator Katie Yap has performed with some of Australia’s finest ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Van Diemen’s Band, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She’s also played overseas, including with the Academy of Ancient Music. She’s a founding member of a prog-baroque quartet Croissants & Whisky, plus the Chrysalis Harp Trio, and crossover folk/baroque group the Wattleseed Ensemble.

Katie shares her passion for improvisation and merging the worlds of baroque, folk, and contemporary music. Since her professional start in Orchestra Victoria, she has embarked on a diverse and successful career forming music ensembles and curating festivals, including the Music She Wrote festival for 3MBS in Melbourne, celebrating female composers. In 2022 she was the recipient of the Freedman Fellowship.

This conversation was recorded at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in late July.

One of the UK’s most sought-after baritones, Roderick Williams has a vast repertoire which spans from the baroque to world premieres. He was called the greatest living baritone by Britain’s Daily Telegraph, and The New York Times labelled him a natural and expressive communicator in song. He has performed at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw and the Musikverein, and composed for and performed in the coronation of King Charles III.

Roddy is infectiously cheerful, and his musical selections highlight key points of his career. He shares stories with joy and humility, from his idyllic childhood and the discovery of his massive potential to performing at some significant events of the 21st Century.

This conversation was recorded at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in late July.

A pianist who The New Yorker described as “New York’s queen of avant-garde piano”, Lisa Moore has performed with the London Sinfonietta, Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Sydney, Canberra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras to name just a few, and has played under the baton of luminaries like Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, David Robertson and Edo de Waart. She’s appeared in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House, and been part of over 30 albums.

Lisa has made her career performing music of living composers. In this conversation she speaks with great passion about this music, sharing great insights about it plus her career journey as a modern pianist.

Since recording this interview, Lisa is happy to announce the release in early 2025 of the new album from Crux Duo, a collaboration between herself and clarinettist Lloyd Van’t Hoff. Called My Place, it’s a compilation of modern Australian and American works written and arranged especially for them, including by Elena Kats-Chernin, Erik Griswold, Nick Russoniello, Harriet Steinke, and Martin Bresnick, and will be released on the ABC Classics label. Lisa and Lloyd will perform a concert launching the album at the Goethe Institute, as part of the Goethe Lounge Series, at 6pm on Wednesday 22 January 2025.

Find Lisa's albums on the usual streaming services, and follow Lisa via her website lisamoore.org as well as on Instagram @lisapianomoore and on Facebook @lisamoorepiano

Opera singer Katherine Wiles has been a permanent member of the Opera Australia chorus since 2007, and has performed several principal roles there as well as in South Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. She’s performed at the Edinburgh Festival and on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Katherine's new book, No Autographs Please, tells the tale of the backstage antics, onstage disasters and the long road to success of an opera singer. Opera Australia CEO Fiona Allan says that her account of life as a chorus member is "full of wit and behind the scenes revelations", while Todd McKenney says that the book proves that "the real stars of any show are the chorus".

Katherine tells us about her inspiration for writing this book, and gives us a no holds barred take on what it's like taking your bow from the second row.

No Autographs Please is out now from all good book retailers.

A composer who Australian Stage has dubbed “the most interesting voice in Australian composition for many years”, Harry Sdraulig has risen to prominence through a string of collaborations with renowned artists and organisations. He’s composed for The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva, the Australia Ensemble, as well as the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmanian, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, and has also been commissioned by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Harry shares some great insights and perspectives on the life a composer, and he introduces some of the compositions which have featured at key points of his career.

Harry Sdraulig's new work, Triptych, is performed by the Omega Ensemble as part of their Concertante tour, 1-5 October in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle.

“The complete package!” is how Tim Draxl has been described for his performance as Joe Gillis in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard, currently playing at the Sydney Opera House. That part is just the latest in a long line of Tim’s roles in his 20-plus year career which has garnered him nominations for AACTAs, Logies, and a Helpmann Award. On stage he has appeared in musicals such as Jagged Little Pill, Into the Woods and Catch Me If You Can. He is a familiar face on TV, most particularly for his long running role in A Place to Call Home, and more recently the ABC series about the Australian response to the AIDS crisis, In Our Blood. His films include Swimming Upstream and Blacklight among many others. He’s also no stranger to cabaret, and has released four albums.

Tim takes us through his career from budding cabaret performer, through his time in Hollywood and to his most recent roles. He candidly shares the story of coming out publicly, his embrace of which has led him to be a part of several ground-breaking productions and being an inspiration for many LGTBQIA+ Australians, young and old.

Tim Draxl plays Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House until 1 November.

Australia’s very own “genius of jazz”, James Morrison has entertained audiences here and overseas for over 40 years.  He’s played with many jazz legends, including Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles and Don Burrows, to name just a few. He frequents the world’s greatest jazz clubs in New York, Paris and London, has performed for US Presidents and British Monarchs, and has received countless awards and nominations.

James takes us through his somewhat unorthodox entrée into music, the inspiration from playing with so many jazz legends as a younger musician and his passion for helping emerging artists now. We also hear about his love of being behind the wheel of everything from coaches to aircraft.

James Morrison performs with Romanian jazz sensation Marian Petrescu at venues around Australia during September, including at the City Recital Hall on Monday 16 September thanks to Live at Yours.