In Conversation

"Totally embraceable" and "larger than life" is how critics have described Rhonda Burchmore. An actor and singer who has entertained Australians for four decades, she has forged a career across stage and screen. Her musical theatre credits are vast, from Mame and Annie Get Your Gun to Mamma Mia and Hairspray. She’s no stranger to cabaret, has released seven albums, and has also written her autobiography.

Rhonda shares some highlights from her long career, taking us back to her earliest days when the passion for performing was clearly in her blood. She reminisces about the excitement and opportunities of live to air performances on popular TV variety shows such as The Don Lane Show and The Bert Newton Show, the trials of her stint on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and we hear some of the music which has shaped her life.

Rhonda Burchmore is currently dressing up eight times a week as a nun, for the riotous feel-good musical Sister Act playing now at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre until late October before heading to Melbourne and the other major state capitals.

An Australian pianist who has taken the world by storm, Andrea Lam has performed with orchestras across Australia, the US, Japan and China, and in venues from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Carnegie Hall. Words used to describe her playing include “sensitive”,  “riveting” and “mesmerising”, and the Wall Street Journal has pronounced her “a real talent”.

Andrea takes us through her upcoming album, Sad Piano, music by Matthew Hindson, who Andrea has been friends with most of her life. We hear about her journey with the piano, her career living and performing in New York, plus the relevance of both star jumps and spaghetti bolognese!

Visit andrealam.com for all the details of Andrea's upcoming performances.

A violinist known for phenomenal technique, persuasive interpretations, and ravishing tones, Augustin Hadelich has performed across the world. He's appeared with orchestras from the Berlin and London Philharmonics to Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and our own Sydney Symphony Orchestra. His recordings cover a wide range of the violin repertoire, and in 2016 he won a Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. He has a new album out this month – American Road Trip – and in this program Augustin takes us on that journey through some of the greats of American violin music. He shares with us stories of his life playing the violin, without a Rubik's cube in sight!

International icon Sarah Brightman began her stage career at the age of just 13, and never looked back. She’s best known for creating the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera both in the West End and on Broadway, the cast album of which is the highest selling cast album in history. She went on to a stellar recording career, having released dozens of albums. She’s now in Australia, ready for her close up, performing the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Sunset Boulevard.

Sarah revisits the early days of her career development. We hear about her breakthrough in Cats, the success of The Phantom of the Opera, plus her subsequent recording career which includes iconic performances with Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras. Sarah also tells about training to be an astronaut!

Sarah Brightman stars as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard from 28 August to 1 November at the Sydney Opera House.

French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca has been hailed by Gramophone as “a master of his instrument” and by Le Monde as belonging to “the French Cello Elite”. He has appeared at major concert venues around the world, whether it’s Paris, New York, London or Vienna. He performs across musical genres, and his recordings receive unanimous critical acclaim.

In this conversation, Christian-Pierre delves into two of his albums of recent years, Cello360 and his environmentally themed project Wonderful World, both of which have appeared in concert, plus a preview of his new album, Legacy. He also talks about the challenges and opportunities for artists of the modern era of social media and streaming services.

This edition of In Conversation was recorded at the 2024 Australian Festival of Chamber Music, in Townsville. The next festival runs from 25 July to 4 August 2025.

James O'Donnell is one of the leading organists and choral conductors of his generation. He was Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, and subsequently Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey for over 20 years, during which time he was responsible for the music at several significant events – most notably the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Katherine, and the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Since 2023 he has been Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at Yale.

In this conversation, James shares some of the history of the remarkable institutions he has served, and we delve into some of the recordings he has made with the Choirs of Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. We also hear about some of the broader responsibilities which came with his service at Westminster Abbey.

James O'Donnell performs the opening recital for the new Bicentennial pipe organ at St James King Street on Friday 26 July.

A two-time Grammy nominee, Rod Gilfry is a singer and actor who performs across opera, musicals, recitals and cabaret, all over the world. His opera repertoire in particular is vast, spanning 75 roles. He’s come to Opera Australia and the Sydney Opera House to perform one of the many roles in new operas that he has created – Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, directed by Neil Armfield. Rod has already performed this role at the Met in New York and at Glyndebourne in the UK.

Rod takes us through his long career which began in school choirs and musicals in California, and speaks passionately about some of the roles he has played. In particular, he takes us through the joys and challenges of creating some of these new roles, including his acclaimed performance in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Rod Gilfry play Claudius in Brett Dean's Hamlet from 20 July to 9 August in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, undoubtedly ranks as one of the world’s best-known choral groups. Founded in the 15th Century, the choir’s main function is to sing in the daily services in King’s College Chapel, but it has long since spread its wings far broader than that, generating worldwide fame through a wealth of recordings and an extensive international tour schedule.

Daniel Hyde has been Musical Director since 2019. His distinguished career as an organist and choral conductor includes roles at Jesus College, Cambridge, at Magdalen College, Oxford, and most recently at Saint Thomas Church in New York. Daniel talks about the long history and significance of the choir, and how he came to be inspired by this timeless musical tradition.

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge, tours Australia thanks to Musica Viva, from 21 July to 5 August.

One of the world’s leading young harpsichordists, Justin Taylor has released numerous award-winning solo recordings, and is one of the founders of the internationally renowned period ensemble, Le Consort. The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s artistic director Paul Dyer calls him "a true master of the harpsichord". He comes to the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra stage to be part of a rare performance of JS Bach’s Concerto for Four Harpsichords.

Justin speaks about the intricacies and subtleties of playing the harpsichord and other period keyboards. He elaborates on how the sound production of original keyboard instruments of different eras informs the performance of the music, giving us a greater understanding of what the composer intended.

Justin Taylor performs with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in Sydney and Melbourne from 5-14 July.

A musical theatre actor responsible for some of the most notable performances on our stages, Anthony Warlow began his career with the Australian Opera in 1980. He has since become a household name thanks to his work in The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden, Annie, My Fair Lady, Jeckyll & Hyde to name only a few, while also performing with Opera Australia for The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, The Pirates of Penzance, and more. He’s performed on Broadway and the West End, and has several albums to his name.

In this extended version of the broadcast edition, Anthony displays his deep understanding of how to create a successful performance, time and again. We hear stories about his journey to the stage, and about some of the roles that have made him one of Australia's popular and successful musical theatre performers.

Anthony Warlow plays Billy Flynn, the lawyer who lets you get away with murder, in Chicago, on now at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.