In Conversation

An exciting director whose career covers an impressively vast range of genres, Chen Shi-Zheng has directed for the world’s leading opera houses and festivals, including the Lincoln Center Festival, the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera. On film, he has directed Meryl Streep for his award-winning film Dark Matter, as well as Disney’s High School Musical China at the other end of the spectrum, and has made TV documentaries too. He’s now in Australia, rehearsing all four operas of Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle for Opera Australia, to be performed in Brisbane in December.

Shi-Zheng reveals what is in store for this new production of one of opera's greatest masterpieces and shares his own journey of discovery to a work beloved by opera devotees. We hear about his childhood in China during the Cultural Revolution when his father was sent to a re-education camp, plus his experience directing Meryl Streep and the challenges of securing a diversity of work.

A concert pianist who is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, Andrey Gugnin has been described by Gramophone magazine as having an “extraordinarily versatile and agile technique which serves an often inspired musical imagination”, and the BBC Music Magazine Awards named him the winner of the Instrumental Award for his recording of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes & Piano Sonatas 1 & 2. His name is likely familiar to Australians as the winner of the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, and it’s for the parent company of the competition, Piano+, that he is now touring in Australia, with recitals in Sydney and Melbourne, plus as musical director of the OutWest Piano Fest.

Andrey has a great affinity with Australia and speaks gratefully about the time he has spent here, the challenges of piano competitions and how his career has continued to blossom since his 2016 win in Sydney. He also speaks honestly and with great pain about the invasion of Ukraine perpetrated by the country of his birth.

50 years ago this week, a place was formally opened that is truly beloved by Sydney-siders, Australians, and the entire world. The Sydney Opera House is an unmistakable part of the cultural fabric of this city and the nation, and plays a substantial role in Australia's identity. 

Louise Herron is the person ultimately responsible for this world heritage building. Since 2012, she has been the Sydney Opera House CEO, and has shepherded the venue through the most significant renewal of its 5 decade life. 

In this conversation, Louise takes us inside this iconic building and reveals how things have changed and continue to evolve for the world's favourite opera house. We also find out a little more about the woman who inhabits what is perhaps the finest office in the world.

Violist Tahlia Petrosian is recognised as one of the foremost creative forces who is transforming classical music in the 21st Century. Her unique approach to classical performance has garnered international attention and acclaim for her ability to redefine the boundaries of the genre. She’s performed in venues from the Sydney Opera House to Wigmore Hall. A violist with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, she’s also the brains behind the exciting concept Klassik Underground, and the Financial Review called her “The Australian violist making classical music cool again”. 

This conversation was recorded on a recent visit Tahlia made to Australia with members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. In this fascinating discussion, she talks about repackaging classical music for a contemporary audience to entice new generations into the genre without sacrificing any musical integrity. Her diverse musical selections help to tell her story with both the Gewandhaus and Klassik Underground.

A name synonymous with musical theatre in Australia, Nancye Hayes started out in My Fair Lady back in 1961, and her list of credits is a catalogue of some of the most beloved shows and performances of the past half century or more. From Sweet Charity to Chicago, from Annie to Sweeny Todd she has it all covered.  She’s back on stage in a new production of the Stephen Sondheim classic A Little Night Music from October 13 at the theatre that bears her name, the Hayes.

In this wide ranging conversation, Nancye talks about returning to the role of Madam Armfeldt for the third time for this production, shares some of the highlights of her long and distinguished career on the stage, plus takes us back to where it all began.

An award-winning composer specialising in the rich and vibrant Latin American aesthetic, Daniel Rojas is an acclaimed pianist known for his stunning improvisations at the keyboard. Limelight Magazine has said he “is a master of his craft, both as a pianist and composer" and the Sydney Arts Guide has called his performances “energetic and emphatic” and “joyously explosive”.

He's bringing that energy once again to the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra on October 14 and 15, as he teams up with fellow pianist Yerim Lee to premiere his passionate new work Romanza y Danza de los Muertos.

Daniel talks about his influences behind this new composition, as well as his work more broadly, and takes us back to his childhood in Melbourne where his creativity with improvisation and composition developed from a very early age. He also shares his vast knowledge of the origins, characteristics and influences of Latin American music.

A true leader of the next generation of choral singers, Elizabeth Scott is a highly skilful choral conductor who has led the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ young adult choir Vox since 2008. She’s worked with the Queensland, Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and is a regular chorus master with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She also has a passion for contemporary choral composers, and it’s one such composer who is the centrepiece of the upcoming performance she will be conducting with Vox, of David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion, which has been defined as one of the most profound choral works of our time.

Elizabeth has spent her career nurturing and developing younger singers so that they have the tools to enjoy music throughout their entire life, including through the commissioning of new music.

Vox performs The Little Match Girl Passion, and other works, at the Verbruggen Hall on Saturday, October 14.

One of the most promising violinists of his generation, Théotime Langlois de Swarte is already a seasoned recitalist and chamber musician who has performed at prestigious venues all over the world. Captivating audiences since his early teens, Théotime is a regular with several baroque ensembles, including Les Arts Florissant plus his own period ensemble Le Consort. He’s in Australia now to guest direct the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for a series of concerts with the enticing title of The Lover, at the City Recital Hall and Melbourne Recital Centre until 16 September.

Théotime shares his refreshing take on how to make classical music relevant in the modern era, the links between the classics, jazz and pop music, and gives us a taste of his remarkable career so far.

Violinist Emily Sun is in demand internationally for her compelling and captivating interpretations. She has appeared with almost all the major Australian symphony orchestras, as well as orchestras across Europe, China, and the US. She has played in world class venues from the Sydney Opera House to the Royal Albert Hall, and has performed for royalty in both the UK and Belgium. Emily is the 2023 Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

In this interview, Emily shares memories of appearing as the schoolgirl soloist in the heartfelt 2011 documentary Mrs Carey's Concert, recalls playing for the then Prince of Wales now King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, describes her relationship with her unique instrument, and speaks about the remarkable resilience and resourcefulness of her father as a musician in Mao's China.

This interview was conducted at the 2023 Australian Festival of Chamber Music in Townsville. Emily Sun is in recital at Elder Hall on September 9 as part being Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and plays with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House on September 15 and 16. She returns to Australia to perform with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on November 17 and 18. The next Australian Festival of Chamber Music will take place from 26 July to 4 August 2024.