Dinis Sousa, conductor

Who or what inspired you to take up conducting and pursue a career in music? I had a slightly complicated path towards becoming a musician, not always knowing that I was going to do it. As a kid I always loved music, but I never seriously considered a career in music as it didn’t seem…

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Christopher Willis, composer

Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? I can hardly remember not being drawn to music. I began tinkering with it when I was very little. Music has always seemed to me slightly not of this world: it’s this mysterious phenomenon that defies easy explanation. I used…

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Gavin Luke, pianist & composer

Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? I’ve always had an innate attraction to music. My mother often told me stories about how, as a toddler, music was the only thing that would calm me when I was upset. Composing began very early in my life. It…

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Alexey Shor, composer

Whether a piece is commissioned or not, the challenge is always the same: to write something that I feel I would enjoy listening to as an audience member. A lot of music gets discarded because it does not pass that test.

Sergey Smbtayan, conductor

To be unique, believe in the power of music, love music irrevocably, try to understand what music people enjoy and not to just follow trends and, last but not least, be maximally objective in what one can achieve – these are the things I would pass on to aspiring musicians.