In Conversation

Percussionist Claire Edwardes has spent her career expanding the possibilities of her instrument and championing the music of our time. In this conversation, Claire reflects on her unlikely path from piano to percussion, the technical and physical demands of instruments such as marimba and vibraphone, and the sense of freedom she discovered in playing music without centuries of performance tradition behind it.

Claire also traces the evolution of Ensemble Offspring, from a group of Conservatorium students playing “wacky new music” to one of Australia’s leading contemporary music ensembles. She discusses the art of commissioning new works, her desire to push the art form forward, and why introducing audiences to unfamiliar sounds is as much about curiosity and connection as it is about the music itself. She also reflects on Ensemble Offspring’s decade-long commitment to working with First Nations composers and how those collaborations have reshaped her thinking about creativity and the process of making music.

We also hear about the enduring appeal of Steve Reich ahead of Ensemble Offspring’s upcoming concert, as well as Claire’s newest musical venture, Quartet X, an ensemble bringing together marimba, harp, guitar and violin for some unabashed musical guilty pleasures. Along the way, Claire reflects on turning 50, the pleasures and frustrations of a life spent surrounded by percussion instruments, and why she feels she is playing better, and is happier, than ever.

Ensemble Offspring’s Reich: Rejoice: Repeat! is on at ACO on the Pier for two concerts on Saturday 12 September, and at The Street in Canberra on Sunday 13 September.

Olivier Award-winning British actor Nathaniel Parker has built a distinguished career across theatre, film and television, from the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman to Wolf Hall and the long-running BBC series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. In this conversation, Nathaniel reflects on the experiences that have shaped him as an actor, the lessons he has continued to learn throughout his career, and the mixture of instinct, craft and confidence that allows a performance to come alive. He is in Australia for a significant new challenge – playing Professor Henry Higgins in Opera Australia’s 70th anniversary production of My Fair Lady, his first ever musical.

 He recalls discovering his love of performance as a child, training at LAMDA and joining the RSC at the beginning of his professional life. He shares vivid memories of working with Dustin Hoffman, reflects on the transition from stage to television, and speaks with striking candour about the stage fright that kept him largely away from theatre for two decades. He also explains how returning to the stage in Wolf Hall, and the trust placed in him by director Jeremy Herrin, transformed his approach to acting and helped lead to his Olivier Award-winning performance as Henry VIII.

Nat discusses finding his own interpretation of Henry Higgins for a modern audience, the advice he has received from Julie Andrews, his continuing passion for Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard and T.S. Eliot, and the roles he still hopes to play. With disarming humour and openness, he reflects on family, music, poetry and the enduring excitement of good writing.

Nathaniel Parker stars as Professor Henry Higgins in Opera Australia’s My Fair Lady at the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House from 10 September, before the production heads to Melbourne in November.

Few people have had a greater influence on modern theatre than Sir Howard Panter. As co-founder of Trafalgar Entertainment, he oversees a global network of theatres and productions, including Sydney's Theatre Royal, while producing acclaimed shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Jersey Boys, The Lehman Trilogy and many more. In this conversation, Sir Howard reflects on why timeless works continue to resonate with audiences, the importance of quality storytelling, and why theatre remains one of the most powerful ways of bringing people together.

Sir Howard also shares his remarkable journey from an art student who discovered he was better at "bossing people around backstage" than painting, to building two of the world's largest theatre companies from the ground up. He discusses the risks of owning theatres and producing shows, the challenge of programming successful seasons, and his passion for restoring historic venues to create spaces modern audiences enjoy visiting.

The conversation also explores Trafalgar's work filming stage productions for cinema and television audiences, and reveals Howard's high regard for Australian performers, whom he believes are among the finest musical theatre actors in the world.

🎭 Trafalgar’s production of Fiddler on the Roof runs at Sydney’s Theatre Royal until October 3 before heading to the other capitals. Their new production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives, starring Lisa McCune and Hugh Bonneville in his Australian theatre debut, runs at the Theatre Royal from February 6, 2027.

Conductor Alexander Briger has built an extraordinary international career, working with orchestras and opera companies across Europe and Australia, while also creating one of this country’s most ambitious musical projects: the Australian World Orchestra. As the AWO celebrates 15 years, Alexander reflects on how an idea originally intended as a one-off became an ongoing orchestra bringing together leading Australian musicians from around the world, and discusses the upcoming concerts in Melbourne and Sydney .

Alex also looks back on the beginnings of his own remarkable career, from hearing his uncle Sir Charles Mackerras conduct Mahler when he was 12 and immediately deciding to become a conductor, to leaving Australia for Europe in search of opportunities he simply couldn’t find at home. He recalls learning from Mackerras, Pierre Boulez and other great conductors, and the complex reality of carving out his own identity independent of his famous uncle. There are also some telling stories of the less glamorous side of an international conducting career, from having to learn major works at a day’s notice, to racing between countries and opera houses until the relentless pace eventually took its toll. He also reflects on what decades on the podium have taught him, including the importance of personality and instinct to great conducting.

Alexander Briger conducts the Australian World Orchestra for Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony, Stravinsky’s Petrushka and a world premiere by Jonathan Mills, at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Wednesday, 19 August and in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House on Thursday 20 August.

Swedish trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger has spent more than four decades redefining what is possible on his instrument, inspiring composers to create a remarkable new body of repertoire along the way. In Sydney to conduct and perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Håkan discusses HK Gruber’s Aerial Trumpet Concerto, one of many works written especially for him, and the extraordinary techniques and sounds Gruber drew from both player and instrument. He reflects on his collaborations with composers including Mark-Anthony Turnage and Brett Dean, his determination to give the trumpet the kind of substantial repertoire enjoyed by other instruments, and why the spontaneity and risk-taking of jazz remain an important influence on his approach to classical music.

Håkan also looks back on the unlikely Christmas present that changed his life at the age of eight, leaving Sweden for Paris at just sixteen, and the very different teachers who shaped him as a musician. He recalls the competitions and recordings that helped establish his international career, explains why a lifetime is still not enough to master the trumpet, and reveals why conducting remains for him a “luxury hobby”. 

Håkan Hardenberger conducts members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for Modern Masterpieces for Brass from 6-8 August, and then performs with the SSO for HK Gruber’s Aerial Trumpet Concerto from 12-15 August.

Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen has forged one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music, blurring the boundaries between jazz, folk, ambient soundscapes and improvisation. Joining the Australian Chamber Orchestra for its From Winter's Stillness tour, Arve discusses the inspirations behind this unique collaboration, his long-standing musical partnership with Trio Mediæval, and how the landscapes, history and traditions of Scandinavia continue to shape his music.

In this conversation, Arve also reflects on a lifetime spent collecting sounds rather than styles, explaining why he believes improvisation is something we're all born with. He shares stories of growing up in a family marching band on Norway's rugged west coast, discovering jazz through Jan Garbarek, and why nature remains his greatest creative influence. We get a glimpse of his collaborative approach to music-making, where composition emerges organically from listening, trust and the courage to leave space between the notes.

Arve Henriksen and Trio Mediæval join the Australian Chamber Orchestra for From Winter’s Stillness around Australia until August 9.

Australian soprano Gemma Nha has taken an extraordinary path from singing Katy Perry songs on The Voice Kids to performing on some of the world's leading opera stages. After studying at the Sydney Conservatorium, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and The Juilliard School, and following engagements with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Vienna's Volksoper, she returns home to make her role, company and house debut as Gilda in Opera Australia's Rigoletto.

In this conversation, Gemma reflects on the journey that led her to opera, despite initially resisting the art form, and how a childhood trip to see Wicked on Broadway inspired her to pursue a life on stage. She speaks about balancing careers in opera and musical theatre, the challenges of developing a young voice, and why learning languages is an essential key to fully understanding the works.

Gemma also speaks about life in Vienna, Chicago and New York, the artists who have shaped her, and the importance of trusting your own artistic journey rather than comparing yourself with others. It's a thoughtful chat with one of Australia's most exciting young sopranos towards the start of her career.

Gemma Nha appears as Gilda in Rigoletto with Opera Australia until August 21.

Conductor, pianist and Opera Australia Head of Music Tahu Matheson joins In Conversation ahead of the Sydney season of The Drover's Wife, the acclaimed new Australian opera by George Palmer and Leah Purcell. Tahu explains why he believes the story is perfectly suited to opera, reflecting on the emotional power of the singing voice, the accessibility of Palmer's score, and his experience of helping shape a brand-new work from early workshops through to the world premiere.

The conversation also explores Tahu's musical upbringing, following his conductor father around Europe before settling in Australia, his early ambitions to become a concert pianist, and the unexpected moment that changed the course of his career: discovering Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. He shares his lifelong fascination with opera, the transition from pianist to répétiteur and conductor, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the often unseen work of Opera Australia's music staff, from coaching singers and preparing scores to balancing orchestral and vocal forces in performance.

Tahu also discusses the challenges of presenting contemporary opera alongside the great classics, why he believes audiences are rediscovering the thrill of live performance, and the enduring power of opera to move, challenge and inspire. 

Tahu Matheson conducts The Drover’s Wife for Opera Australia, August 7-15.

Internationally acclaimed American violinist Benjamin Beilman joins In Conversation while in Sydney to perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Renowned for the intensity and poetry of his playing, Ben reflects on his remarkable musical journey, from singing as a choirboy in Atlanta and beginning violin lessons through the Suzuki method, to studying at the Curtis Institute of Music with some of the world's most promising young musicians. He speaks warmly about the mentors who shaped his career, including Christian Tetzlaff, whose guidance extended far beyond the concert platform to the realities of life as an international soloist. Ben also reflects on the value of chamber music, the lessons he now passes on as one of Curtis's youngest faculty members, and how the musicians you meet as a student become lifelong musical companions.

Along the way, Ben gives us a glimpse into life as an international soloist, his love of chamber music, the remarkable historic violin he now performs on, and how becoming a father has given him a new perspective on both music and life.

Benjamin Beilman performs with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra 9-11 July.

Australian soprano Emma Pearson has built an extraordinary international career, performing with leading opera companies across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. After spending nine years as a principal artist with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in Germany – where she was later honoured with the prestigious title of Kammersängerin – Emma has returned to this side of the world while continuing to embrace new roles, including Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow for Opera Australia.

Emma reflects on the remarkable journey that led to her becoming one of Australia's most respected lyric sopranos. She discusses the formative influence of her teachers, the opportunities that took her to Germany, and the demanding but rewarding life of a repertoire singer, performing, rehearsing and learning multiple operas simultaneously. Emma also shares insights into the artistry of operetta, the challenges of mastering languages and new repertoire, and the lessons she now passes on to the next generation of singers through her teaching.

Along the way, she speaks candidly about balancing an international career with family life, and why kindness and professionalism matter just as much as vocal talent. Refreshingly down-to-earth, Emma offers a fascinating glimpse into the realities of life on, and beyond, the operatic stage.

Emma Pearson appears as Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow for Opera Australia in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House until August 18 for certain performances. Check the website for details.