In Conversation

An award-winning lyricist and writer for film, TV, and musical theatre, Lynn Ahrens has collaborated with composer Stephen Flaherty on a slew of popular musicals, including  Anastasia  for both film and stage,  Ragtime ,  Once on this Island ,  Seussical ,  A Man of No Importance , and many others. She’s been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and won the Tony for Best Original Sc...

One of Australia’s pre-eminent actresses, Pamela Rabe has graced our stages and screens for over four decades. Her list of credits is vast, having appeared in seminal plays, from  Private Lives  and  The Glass Menagerie , to  God of Carnage  and  August: Osage County . She’s also no stranger to the screen, most notably for her portrayal of Joan Fergusson in  Wentworth . She’s received countless no...

A conductor with an impressive career that now spans 45 years, Sir Donald Runnicles has had enduring relationships in chief artistic leadership positions at many organisations around the world – Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival amongst many others, with his newest position as Chief Conductor of the Dresden Philharm...

A composer who has been capturing our imaginations for over 40 years, Alan Menken is best known for his stage and screen compositions for a slew of Walt Disney films and subsequent stage musicals. He was one of the creative powerhouses behind what has become known as the Disney Renaissance, composing for  The Little Mermaid ,  Beauty and the Beast , and  Aladdin  amongst many other titles. And tha...

A fiercely original voice in Australian theatre, Sheridan Harbridge is an artist who moves fluidly between acting, writing and directing, and who thrives on the adrenalin of making new work. In this wide-ranging conversation, she speaks about her latest projects, including co-writing the book for the new Australian musical  My Brilliant Career, based on the Miles Franklin novel, returning to the s...

A conductor who has been making a name for himself in both Australia and Europe, Sam Weller has conducted top tier orchestras including the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the 18th Century and the Dutch Radio Philharmonic, as well as our own Adelaide, Tasmanian, West Australian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.  In a wide-ranging conversation that moves from bold contemporary programmin...

Musical theatre performer Jarrod Draper steps into the role of Raoul in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s  The Phantom of the Opera  for the spectacular Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. A proud Wiradjuri man and the first Indigenous graduate of WAAPA’s musical theatre program, Jarrod reflects on the journey that led him to this moment – from growing up in Orange in a sports-loving family to discovering musical...

An Australian soprano admired by international critics for her “glossy, commanding sound” and “magnificent dramatic power”, Lauren Fagan is one of the most impressive and versatile sopranos on today’s stages. She’s performed roles with the Canadian Opera Company, Scottish Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, Opernhaus Zürich, and Opéra de Paris, and many others, for roles ranging the full spectrum fr...

A violinist hailed for her “brilliant, polished, expressive and intense, absolutely stunning playing,” who is respected by critics, peers and audiences alike, Dutch born Simone Lamsma has an extensive repertoire, having performed with the world’s top orchestras. She’s played with the New York and London Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw and Vienna Symphony to name just a tiny fraction, and wo...

Recognised as one of the most dynamic and internationally acclaimed conductors of his generation, Andrea Battistoni has conducted in many of the world’s leading opera houses, including Covent Garden and Deutsche Oper Berlin. He’s currently music director with Teatro Regio di Torino, chief conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and has just commenced another role – as Music Director of Oper...

Rupert Noffs is a singer, actor, writer and producer who works across cabaret and musical theatre, as well as live comedy and television. He’s recently twice toured the country as Bob Downe’s wide-eyed nepo-nephew in  Choose Bob: 40 Ridiculous Years  and is a founding performer in  Old Friends Sing Sondheim . Rupert’s life story goes well beyond that, though, as he’s also a successful restaurateur...

An actor, writer, director and artistic director who is now a major force in Sydney’s theatrical scene, Mitchell Butel has come a long way from bursting onto the stage for his Sydney Theare Company debut in  Six Degrees of Separation  35 years ago.   Now the STC’s artistic director, he is presenting his first full season, coming to the role after a five-year stint as artistic director of the State...

A pianist whose fresh interpretations have established him as one of the most unique and unusual soloists of his generation, Dejan Lazic has performed with some of the world’s leading orchestras, among them the Chicago Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw and the Tokyo Symphony. He’s recorded 16 albums, and been lauded by critics, with  Die Spiegel  magazine praising his “gra...

Principal trumpet of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David Elton, speaks about his career at the very top of the orchestral world and his ongoing commitment to new music. He discusses his collaboration with Australian composer Lachlan Skipworth, including the upcoming premiere of a new double concerto for trumpet and clarinet with the Omega Ensemble, and reflects on what it means to help shape a wo...

Vienna-based Australian mezzo-soprano Margaret Plummer is beloved by audiences in Australia and Europe. She spent eight years as a principal artist with the Vienna State Opera, and she’s sung with orchestras from the Vienna Philharmonic to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and at La Scala and Bayreuth. She’s back in Sydney performing again with Opera Australia, for a role she is very familiar with...

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...