In Conversation

One of Australia’s foremost guitarists, Slava Grigoryan is counted as among the finest musicians of his generation. He appears on a whopping 29 albums and, along with his brother and fellow guitarist Leonard, has won 4 ARIA awards and been nominated for countless more. He’s performed in venues around the world, from London’s Royal Albert Hall to Vienna’s Konzerthaus, and is not afraid to perform all genres.

He and Leonard, along with fellow guitarists Andrew Blanch and Vlad Gorbarch, are launching the Australian Guitar Quartet, performing their first concert at The Great Synagogue, on Tuesday 28 February as part of Live at Yours. Since recording this interview, Live at Yours have scheduled a second concert at The Great Synagogue on Wednesday 1 March.

In this conversation, Slava talks about the impetus behind the Australian Guitar Quartet, shares the story of his parents leaving the USSR when he was a very small child to find a new home in Australia, and has tales from his long and successful career, including working with KD Lang.

One of the most thrilling violinists on the planet, Ilya Gringolts is renowned for his extraordinary technical command and musical sensitivity. He’s equally at home with contemporary and rare works, as much as with the great orchestral masterpieces.

Rising to fame as the youngest ever winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition, he's since appeared with the world’s top orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, to name the tip of the iceberg. He’s in Australia now guest directing the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and in particular to perform one of the Romantic era’s most popular concertos, Bruch's Violin Concerto no 1 in G Minor.

Ilya's passion about new music is well articulated in this conversation, and he also shares an historic recording and talks about what we can learn from it. He speaks against the regime in his native Russia and how life has changed there over the years.

Lebanese-French pianist/composer Rami Khalifé has been hailed as one of the most exciting young composers of the 21st century. His work is as eclectic as it is bold, whether it’s improvised concerts, recording a Prokofiev concerto, or performing with his father, Marcel. His compositions include two piano concertos, a cello concerto, and a requiem, as well as writing for the screen, plus writing and performing with his classic electro group, AUFGANG.

On Monday 6 February he will be performing with his father, fellow composer, and oud player, Marcel Khalifé, for a concert entitled Legacy, in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Rami talks about his incredible musical journey, pushing and blurring musical boundaries and giving us an incredibly refreshing and inspiring insight into the joy of music making.

An award-winning director who is taking the Sydney arts scene by storm, Shaun Rennie has received three Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Director, and won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction for both his productions of Rent at the Hayes, and Baby Doll at the Ensemble.

Most recently, he directed the highly acclaimed The Lovers, a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by Bell Shakespeare, which played to sold-out houses at the Sydney Opera House’s Playhouse late last year. He’s currently the revival director for Opera Australia’s La Bohème which is running until 11 March in the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

In this conversation, Shaun talks about his pathway to becoming a theatre director, sharing stories from his earlier years as a performer, through the tragic loss of his brother to leukemia which inspired him to co-create the annual Light the Night fundraising concert, to his highly successful productions of Rent and The Lovers.

In the final episode for 2022, Simon Moore speaks with a man who has been declared by the National Trust to be a National Living Treasure. Roger Woodward has dazzled audiences for over 60 years here and overseas. A champion of Australian composers, he has performed at the invitation of Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit… the list goes on. Performing from New York to LA, from Beijing to Warsaw, he’s also recorded with all the major labels. Based in San Francisco, he’s back in Australia to perform with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra for their 50thAnniversary Concert, at the Concourse in Chatswood, 3pm on Sunday 11th December.

In this program, Roger tells some remarkable stories from his long career and what he considers his breakthrough concert, and we hear about his passion for contemporary works, plus the role he played in the 1980s supporting the Solidarity movement in Poland. He also speaks eloquently about the works he shares in this program, and his personal relationships with some of the composers.

British keyboardist and director Chad Kelly has a very long list of credits to his name. He has been living in Australia less than two years, but has already performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Victorian Opera, and with the Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Earlier this year, he joined Opera Australia. His commitment to historically informed performance practice has led him to perform with Sir John Elliot Gardiner and Trevor Pinnock, and his enduring collaboration with violinist Rachel Podger has recently culminated in them recording an album together of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, due for release in 2023. 

He will be guest directing the Australian Haydn Ensemble for CPE Bach: Universe of Harmony, their final concert of the year, from the 11th to the 14th of December. In this conversation, Chad gives us a preview of the concert and his unique perspectives on historically informed performance practice, and he shares a diverse selection of works which have played different roles in his life.

Nicholas Hammond first appeared on Broadway at the age of just 11, and his career only opened up further from there, and never stopped. He’s worked all over the world on stage, film and television. He’s been in over 40 films, from Lord of the Flies to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, more than 250 TV shows, most notably the Amazing Spiderman, and he’s made an award winning documentary of the true story behind what is undoubtedly his most celebrated role, one which has given pleasure to millions of people for nearly 60 years – Friedrich von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music.

The spirits of Rodgers and Hammerstein have visited him once again, as he is currently appearing as the Chamberlain Sebastian in Cinderella, playing now at the Lyric Theatre.

Nicholas shares some amazing stories from all parts of his career, with particular attention paid to The Sound of Music, and his musical selections include some pieces which are very special to him.

An acclaimed actor, director and writer, Jonathan Biggins has entertained audiences for decades with his wit, cheekiness, and a very healthy dose of irreverence. He’s played Peter Sellers, appeared in The Mikado, and directed Australian productions of Avenue Q and Noises Off. But his most well-known work is in political satire, as one of the brains behind, and a performer in, The Wharf Revue, which has been going strong since 2000.

The Wharf Review is back, playing at the Seymour Centre until the 23rd of December, for their new show Looking for Albanese. Jonathan joins Simon Moore to share some stories of the world of satirical comedy from his long career, what’s changed and what hasn’t, the perils of impersonating someone who happens to be sitting in the audience in front of you, and presents a diverse selection of music that he’s encountered in his travels.

Liesel Badorrek is a Sydney based writer, director and performer with a diverse and wide ranging repertoire. She’s a founder of Loose Canon Arts, which has created new work for young people throughout Asia and the Middle East, has directed with the Darlinghurst Theatre and CDP Productions, and keeps thing real as a member of the all-woman comedy cabaret collective Six Quick Chicks. Somehow, she also finds time to work with Opera Australia, and with OA is now directing Carmen on Cockatoo Island, on for a limited season from the 25th of November to the 18th of December.

In this conversation, Liesel lifts the lid on what we can expect from this unique event, and shares some fascinating tales and perspectives from the other parts of her career. Her music selections include some treasured favourites from her present and past.

German baroque violinist Jonas Zschenderlein certainly got off to an early start. He’s been performing with professional ensembles since he was a teenager, around the same time as he began his own ensemble, 4 Times Barque. He’s played all over Europe, Asia and the Americas, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to Carnegie Hall in New York, and he’s now performing at the City Recital Hall Angel Place, guest directing the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra for Bach’s Universe, until the 11th of November. For Jonas and the ABO, it’s a case of third time lucky, as the concerts have twice had to be cancelled because of Covid.

In this conversation, Jonas shares some of his musical inspirations, some of which come from sources which might surprise. We also hear about his remarkable instrument, the importance of the music of JS Bach, and his early journey to performing the baroque violin.

Photo: Keith Saunders