In Conversation

Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer Caroline O’Connor has spent over four decades performing in Australia as well as in the West End and on Broadway. She came to world attention thanks to her role in Baz Luhrmann’s film  Moulin Rouge!  in 2001, but she’d already been on stage for the 20 years prior to that in a slew of theatre productions. From Helpmann-winning turns as Judy Garland and Edit...

In Conversation  kicks off 2026 by welcoming an actor who has graced our stages and screens for over 50 years. Andrew McFarlane has appeared in seminal Australian television dramas, including  Division 4 ,  The Sullivans ,  Patrol Boat ,  The Flying Doctors , and  Underbelly . His theatre credits are just as long, appearing in classics such as  The Glass Menagerie ,  Who’s Afraid of Virgina Wolf ,...

For the final program of 2025, Simon Moore was invited into the home of a trailblazer of early music performance – not just in Australia, but also in the wider world. Winsome Evans founded The Renaissance Players in 1959, and quickly became a leader in the field. She appears on 33 albums, and has the aptitude to have taught herself to play that many instruments too. She’s also a composer, having w...

Sydney doesn’t put away its party hats after the New Year is rung in, because from January 8, the city comes alive once again for the Sydney Festival. Simon Moore sat down with new Festival Director Kris Nelson to provide some highlights of the upcoming festival and revealing his hopes and ambitions for it as it reaches half a century. Festivals are very much in Kris Nelson’s blood, having just fi...

A composer, writer, and presenter, Andrew Ford is a unique and highly valued voice in Australia’s musical landscape. His music has been heard all around the world, from Sydney to New York, and London to Singapore. It’s been conducted by Jeffrey Tate and Benjamin Northey, played by Piers Lane and Lisa Moore, and sung by Yvonne Kenney and Teddy Tahu-Rhodes. He’s educated us with his 11 books, most r...

One of the key figures of Sydney’s theatre scene, UK born Mark Kilmurry has written, directed and performed in countless theatre productions around the world. He’s had a long association with the Ensemble Theatre , first as an actor, then associate director, and since 2016 he’s been their sole artistic director.  In this conversation, Mark delves into the early influences of his mother’s comedy wr...

Internationally acclaimed and award winning soprano Carolyn Sampson has had an unusually organic rise to the world stage – from her formative years in Bedfordshire’s exceptional youth music programs to early encouragement from influential mentors like Geoffrey Skidmore and Harry Christophers. Equally at home on the concert and opera stages, she has appeared with the Gewundhaus, BBC Philharmonic, a...

A chance encounter with Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto changed Ana de la Vega ’s life forever. It inspired her so much that she is now one of the most sought-after flautists of her generation, praised for her crystal clear and velvety tone. She has appeared in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Philharmonie Berlin, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and London’s Wigmore Hall. No...

Under Richard Tognetti’s leadership, the Australian Chamber Orchestra has come to be regarded as one of the world’s finest ensembles. In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, Richard reflects on 35 years at the helm, as well as his international orchestral appearances as director or soloist. Equally at home on the period, modern and electric violins, he has also created dozens of arrangements...

A music director, pianist, composer, producer and cabaret performer, Steven Kramer has worked on a diverse array of musicals, from  Little Shop of Horrors  to  Calamity Jane  and from  Assassins  to  Rent , winning the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical Director for  Jekyll & Hyde . He’s played piano with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Kate Ceberano, and for productions of  The Sound of...

One of the world’s most sought-after cellists, Daniel Müller-Schott performs on all the international concert stages, whether it’s with the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, or the Gewandhaus Orchestra. He’s worked with the world’s greatest conductors, including Neeme Järvi, Andris Nelsons and Simone Young, and recorded over 30 albums for a diverse array of labels. He also enjo...

Award-winning Australian soprano Cathy-Di Zhang has performed extensively with Opera Australia as well as for Victorian Opera and the State Opera of South Australia. She has sung with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Perth Symphonic Chorus and as a soloist with orchestras and chamber groups throughout Europe and Asia. In this conversation, Cathy-Di reflects on her somewhat unconventional jour...

The “Rock stars of Renaissance music” is how  The New York Times  described the award winning British vocal ensemble The Tallis Scholars . Founder and artistic director Peter Phillips has devoted his life to creating the ideal choral sound, and exploring many neglected gaps in the polyphonic repertoire. He’s also commissioned many contemporary composers including Eric Whitacre, John Tavener and Ni...

As a self-described “post-post modern diva”, Meow Meow is one of the world’s most outstanding cabaret artists. She has played to sold-out venues from London to New York, and Berlin to Sydney. Winner of the Edinburgh Fringe Prize in 2010, and a Helpmann Award in 2012, she’s performed with the great Barrie Humphries, been commissioned by David Bowie, and created roles in London’s West End.  Berliner...

British organist Martin Baker has spent a lifetime at the keyboard, from the moment he first touched the instrument as a child to his twenty years as Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. Along the way he has become one of the world’s most sought-after organists, known especially for his dazzling improvisations. Martin reflects on the twists of fate that shaped his career, from early lessons o...

Tony Award-winning director John Rando has staged some of Broadway’s most inventive and entertaining productions – from  Urinetown  to  On the Town ,  The Wedding Singer  to  Mr. Saturday Night . He was one of the creative forces behind the stage musical version of  Back to the Future  in both the West End and on Broadway, which he is now bringing to Australia. In this lively and wide-ranging conv...

Tara Morice has been a beloved presence on Australian stage and screen for more than three decades. Best known for her breakout role as Fran in Baz Luhrmann’s  Strictly Ballroom  – a performance that earned her BAFTA and AFI nominations – Tara has built a career across film, television and theatre that is as varied as it is enduring. In this wide-ranging conversation, Tara reflects on the global p...

The repertoire of Australia’s leading recorder virtuoso, Genevieve Lacey, ranges from medieval manuscripts to cutting-edge contemporary commissions. She has a love of both the very old and the very new in music, performing on an instrument that has become a bridge between worlds that are centuries apart. She discusses her remarkable journey, from growing up in Papua New Guinea, to her musically fo...

Brett Weymark has spent over two decades as Artistic and Music Director of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs , shaping the sound of one of Australia’s leading choral organisations. Along the way he has conducted every major Australian orchestra, worked with Opera Australia and Pinchgut Opera, and even brought his skills to the big screen conducting film scores including  Happy Feet  and  Mad Max: Fur...

Few musicians have expanded the horizons of their instrument quite like harpist Alice Giles . From winning the Israel International Harp Contest at just 21, to acclaimed performances across Europe and America, Alice has become one of the world’s most celebrated harpists — praised for her artistry, imagination and technical brilliance. But her journey has not always been conventional: she’s perform...

Actor, director, playwright, and singer Brittanie Shipway has worn just about every creative hat there is – and worn them brilliantly. From starring in  The Dismissal ,  Chess , and  The Pirates of Penzance  to writing her own acclaimed play  A Letter for Molly , Brittanie’s career is a tapestry of performance, storytelling, and cultural connection. In this conversation, Brittanie shares the visio...

One of the foremost clarinettists and leading artists of his generation, Michael Collins has shared his dazzling virtuosity and sensitive musicianship to audiences the world over. He’s served as the principal of the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Sinfonietta, and has been conductor of several orchestras, including serving as principal conductor of the City of London Sinfonia for most of the 201...

Whether as a singer and musical director of  The Swingle Singers , or composing choral works that are sung across the globe, or championing women in music, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange has made an indelible mark on the choral and jazz worlds alike.  In this wide-ranging and deeply personal interview, Joanna reflects on her remarkable musical journey – from a childhood shaped by foster care and early s...

One of Australia’s most talented creatives, Toby Schmitz is a beloved actor on stage (including Broadway) and screen, from the works of Shakespeare and Tom Stoppard to TV dramas such as  Black Sails  and  The Pacific . He’s directed at the Darlinghurst Theatre and The Old Fitz, and is also a playwright, winning the Patrick White Award for his play  Lucky  in 2002. And as if that weren't enough...

The New York Times   Magazine  dubbed Danielle de Niese as “opera’s coolest soprano”. Melbourne born, she has gained worldwide acclaim for her beautiful stagecraft, and superb communication. She regularly appears on the world’s most prestigious opera and concert stages, from Hamburg to New York, and from Glyndebourne to the BBC Proms. She has six solo albums to her name, and has won an Emmy for he...