In Conversation

A legend of the musical theatre world, composer Claude-Michel Schönberg is one half of the team behind Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and many other musicals. Of the Boublil-Schönberg writing team, it’s Claude-Michel who provides the music. The pair have been collaborating since their 1973 musical La Revolution Française, but it was their concept album of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables which led to a West End production, and for their work to be performed in all corners of the world.

Claude-Michel was in Sydney thanks to Opera Australia’s production of Miss Saigon, and in this conversation we hear about the inspiration behind this musical, the course of events which led to their international success with Les Misérables, as well as hearing about his unique relationship with music which has carried him throughout his life.

Actor, singer and dancer Rohan Browne has established an esteemed career spanning 25 years, and counting. His musical theatre credits in particular are impressive, including stints in The Boy from Oz, Singin' in the Rain, Cats, West Side Story and Chicago. On screen, he’s featured in Dance Academy, Miss Fisher’s Mysteries and Secret Bridesmaids Business to name just a few. He’s currently appearing as the illuminating, witty and immensely fun Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, playing now at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.

In this conversation, Rohan tells stories from his career, from his first lightning-fast audition to playing some of his dream roles, as well as sharing some of the unique challenges that comes with playing a candelabra!

A dynamic musician who cannot be constrained by a single musical genre, Heather Shannon burst into the public consciousness as part of the internationally renowned independent rock band The Jezabels, performing in venues from the Sydney Opera House to the O2 Arena in London, as well as at the legendary Glastonbury. Since that period, she’s been composing music in the classical genre, having worked with orchestras such as ACO Collective, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Orchestra, and it’s with The Metropolitan Orchestra that she will be performing her latest work, Strange Roses for Synthesizer and Orchestra, for its world premiere on Sunday August 20 at the Marrickville Town Hall.

In this conversation, Heather talks candidly about how a cancer diagnosis was the impetus for a change in her career direction, talks in detail about the inspiration behind her latest work, as well as giving some inside stories of the creation and evolution of The Jezabels. She speaks with great insight about her diverse musical choices, and her compositional style and techniques.

This week, In Conversation is on tour at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, in Townsville. Simon Moore caught up with French Horn player Katy Woolley, who has been dubbed by one critic as possibly the finest horn player of her generation and one of the UK’s greatest exports. She’s the principal horn of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and prior to that had been the principal horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, a position she had held from just 22 years of age. With that orchestra, as well as during guest appearances with the London Mozart Players and the New York Philharmonic, she’s performed some of the key parts of the solo horn repertoire. 

In this conversation, Katy shares some honest thoughts about the ups and downs of her career, and speaks with enormous enthusiasm about her musical selections.

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music this year runs until 6 August. Festival director Jack Liebeck has curated an absolutely delightful schedule of concerts, talks and other events. It’s a great excuse for a winter break of great music in a perfect setting, next year’s festival will run from 26 July to 4 August 2024.

Widely regarded as one of the most exciting and talented baritones of his generation, Morgan Pearse made his professional debut with the English National Opera and has gone from strength to strength ever since, performing from the Concertgebouw to the Sydney Opera House, from New Zealand to Germany. Currently based in London, this interview was recorded on one of Morgan's visits home to Australia, when he performed with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

In this gentle and wide ranging conversation, Morgan speaks about the magic and power of live singing, and takes us through a diverse range of musical selections which highlight his passions and loves, and provides great insights into the life and performance practices of a singer.

An actress who has been a core part of the Australian Theatre, Film and Television industries for nearly 50 years, Belinda Giblin's credits are so numerous that it takes a while just to scroll through them all. Her stage work covers seminal pieces of theatre, from Blithe Spirit to The Removalists, and on television she’s appeared in any show of the past 50 years worth mentioning, whether it was The Sullivans, A Country Practice, Home and Away, not to mention that famous stint as the second coming of Pat the Rat in 1980s melodrama Sons and Daughters. 

Fresh from her appearance in Suddenly Last Summer at the Ensemble Theatre, Belinda is now preparing for The Weekend, a new adaptation of Charlotte Wood’s best selling novel, opening at Belvoir on August 5.

In this light-hearted conversation, Belinda reveals some aspects of this new play, speaks fondly about her time working in what many regard as the golden era of Australian television, shares some music which is particularly memorable for her, plus much more.

A world renowned Australian violinist, Aria-nominated Ray Chen has redefined what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. He has broken boundaries not just in his playing but in his embrace of modern technology, reaching out to a global audience of millions thanks to a captivating online presence. He’s spread his wings into the world of computer games, is a fashion icon thanks to a multi-year partnership with Armani, and has collaborated with Sting. He also has a serious commitment to music education which has even led him to launch a new music practicing app, called Tonic. He may fly all around the world to perform concerts but he still calls Australia home, and is currently touring the country.

In this fast moving and jovial conversation, Ray enthusiastically talks about his craft, the inspiration and methodology behind the Tonic music practice app, making his acting cameos, his energetic social media presence, and much more.

Tonic is available for iOS and Android. Ray performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony from 12-15 July, and the Play with Ray concert, where three aspiring musicians get the chance to share the concert stage with him, is on 25 July.

Tanya Bannister is a pianist lauded by critics for playing with “intelligence, poetry and proportion”. The co-founder of both the AlpenKammerMusik in Austria and the Roadmaps Festival in New York, her career has taken her to many of the world’s great concert halls, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She’s also a past winner of two different prestigious international piano competitions, including the Concert Artists Guild competition in New York, an organisation of which she is now the president. She is in Australia to be one of the jurists of the Sydney International Piano Competition, which runs from July 5-22.

In this conversation, Tanya shares her experiences from both sides of piano competitions, and talks about how winning is only the first step in selling yourself as a professional pianist.

There’s about to be a small settings change to how In Conversation appears in Apple Podcasts. In theory, this shouldn’t affect new episodes appearing in your feed, however I’m always skeptical about these sorts of transitions running as smoothly as advertised.

If you follow the show on Apple Podcasts, and you find that new episodes stop appearing every Wednesday around 1:30pm Eastern Australian Time, you just need to search for 2MBS In Conversation in Apple Podcasts, and you will find the feed again to follow.

To reiterate, this SHOULDN’T be necessary, and if it DOES happen it will only affect SOME Apple Podcasts listeners , but it's safest to mention in advance of the change.

Thank you for listening to In Conversation, the next episode will drop on Wednesday.

Soprano Jessica Pratt has well and truly established herself as an international opera star. She's been hailed by The New York Times as a soprano of “gleaming sound, free and easy high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace”, and is considered one of today’s foremost interpreters of some of belcanto’s most challenging repertoire. She’s back in Australia to appear in two Opera Australia productions – in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman, as well as a one-night, one-woman concert of Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt.

In this conversation, Jessica talks about belcanto and mad scenes, her inspirations and challenges, and we get a sneak preview from her forthcoming album, Delirio.