In Conversation

A much loved pianist who Australia has adopted as one of our own, Ukrainian-born Alexander Gavrylyuk began as a teenage prodigy and has been dazzling audiences around the world ever since. He’s performed at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, the Lincoln Centre, and played with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, and closer to his adopted home he’s recorded all the Prokofiev piano concertos with the Sydney Symphony under Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In this conversation, Alexander shares stories of his upbringing in Ukraine when still part of the USSR, the opportunities that came from coming to Australia, as well as talking about evacuating his father from of Kharkiv in recent months and the devastating invasion which his homeland is currently facing.

Alexander will be performing at the Canberra International Music Festival on May 3, and at the Melbourne Recital Centre on May 5.

Mezzo-soprano Sian Sharp has been singing with Opera Australia for nearly 20 years. Her significant repertoire includes key roles in seminal operas including Il Trovatore, Otello, The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, and Carmen – most recently late last year performing the title role in the much admired production on Cockatoo Island. 

And she’s back singing in the open air once again, as the loyal servant and maid Suzuki for the current production of Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour. A reviewer from one of her previous portrayals of this role described her performance as “absolute perfection”, and in this conversation Sian talks about the role and her journey to the world of opera, providing us with an understanding of the differences between a mezzo-soprano and soprano voice, and what she loves about being a mezzo.

An acclaimed musician of great versatility, Roland Peelman has established a reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative musical directors. Originally from Belgium, he’s been active in Australia for over 30 years as a conductor, pianist, artistic director and mentor to composers, singers and musicians alike. He’s worked with Opera Australia, been artistic director of The Song Company, and is now artistic director of the Canberra International Music Festival, which is on from the 28th of April until the 7th of May.

In this conversation, Roland shares his ongoing vision for the festival and tells some light-hearted stories from his long career, including from his childhood in a Belgian village learning with the local piano teacher and falling in love with choral music in his boarding school choir.

A man whose name is now synonymous with Australian theatre, David Williamson shot to prominence in the early 70s with Don’s Party and The Removalists and never looked back. He is so prolific that it’s hard to imagine anyone in this country who hasn’t seen one of his works, whether it’s plays like The Club, Emerald City, or Soulmates or his screenplays which include Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously.

His 2010 play Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica is playing now at the Ensemble Theatre, with Glenn Hazeldine and Georgie Parker reprising their roles from the original production. In this conversation, David talks about this production and tells stories from his long and illustrious career, giving some great insights into his writing. He recalls what Australian theatre looked like when he was starting out and how it has developed since. 

An actor who has graced the stage both here and internationally, Philip Quast is the winner of three Olivier Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, unsurprising when you consider he is widely regarded as the definitive Javert from Les Miserables. He’s also well known for his roles in Sunday in the Park with George, South Pacific and Mary Poppins, and he’s performed innumerable Shakespeare plays plus seminal works such as Death of a Salesman.

He is bringing his one-man show, Philip Quast: The Road I Took, to the intimacy of the Ensemble theatre, for 6 shows only from the 19th to the 29th of March. In this special edition of In Conversation, Philip shares stories from his remarkable life, from his childhood on a farm near Tamworth, the somewhat unorthodox audition technique that secured him the role of Javert, and working with Stephen Sondheim. He also provides fascinating insights about teaching his craft to the next generations of performers at NIDA.

An award winning actor, director, writer and producer, Jay James-Moody has collaborated with an impressive range of Australia’s arts organisations, from Opera Australia to the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and the Sydney Theatre Company to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company, plus New Mardi Gras, to name only a few. He is the founder and artistic director of Squabbalogic, an independent theatre company presenting an eclectic range of new musicals and reinterpretations of established favourites. Their next production is a new take on the 1960s screwball comic gem, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, playing at the Seymour Centre from March 17 to 15 April.

As well as giving us a preview of Squabbalogic’s production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Squabbalogic's new Australian musical The Dismissal coming later in the year, Jay talks about his unorthodox entry into the theatre world and has some wonderful reflections on working in the industry. We also get to dip into his vast knowledge of musical theatre and he shares some rarities from his collection.

As chief conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil in Montreal, violinist Alexandre Da Costa’s multi-dimensional artistic vision has brought him increasing renown. He’s made 25 albums across a number of recording labels, and he’s performed as a soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, such as London’s Royal Philharmonic which included performing as part of Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, as well as playing with the Berlin, Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, to name just a few. He’s been a regular visitor to Australia, performing with the likes of Musica Viva and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and he’s back in Sydney now to perform his acclaimed and genre-bending Stradivarius BaROCK, plus concerts in Melbourne.

Alex talks about his childhood, which involved playing professional tours internationally at just 11 years old, his passion for music education including how the study of music improves all aspects of your being, and his refreshing take on the breaking of genre boundaries.

Carmel Rodrigues has always loved performing and has been singing, acting and generally dancing up a storm since a very young age. She’s making her professional musical theatre debut as everyone’s favourite nicest kid in town, Tracy Turnblad, in Hairspray, currently playing at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre.

In this bonus edition of In Conversation, Tracy talks with excitement about landing her first professional musical roll, working with the star studded cast of this great feel-good musical, plus we hear about her time as a contestant on The Voice.

An edited version of this interview was broadcast on Fine Music Breakfast on 2 March.

Not yet 25 years old, Marie-Ange Nguci has exploded onto the international scene in just the last few years, having performed with Orchestre de Paris, Konzerthausorcheter Berlin, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to name just a few. She certainly fit the model of a child prodigy, being accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at 13, completing her Master of the Piano at 16, and releasing her first album at 20. She’s coming to Sydney to join the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to perform Saint-Saëns Second Piano Concerto from the 8th to the 11th of March at the Sydney Opera House, as well as a solo recital on Monday 6th March at the City Recital Hall Angel Place.

In this conversation, conducted remotely from her home in Paris, Marie-Ange speaks with great warmth and enthusiasm of the repertoire she has chosen for the program, we hear about growing up in her home country of Albania, and the move to Paris at just 13 years old to attend the Paris Conservatoire. Her passion for her music is unparalleled.

A leading Canadian-American cellist, gambist and researcher, Elinor Frey has made numerous recordings, many of which are world premieres and the result of long collaborations with other artists. The artistic director of Accademia de Dissonanti, an organisation for performance and research, she’s performed throughout the world, and is now in Sydney making her Australian debut with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for a series of concerts entitled Spanish Steps.

Elinor brings a wealth of knowledge and passion about Boccherini as well as lesser known composer Giuseppe Clemente Dall’Abaco, we find out about her remarkable collection of instruments, plus get a greater understanding about just how different cellos can be from one another.