Interviews with musicians, composers and conductors
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career? My parents were both musicians and always provided the encouragement and support to pursue music as a calling. What have been the greatest challenges of your career so…
Never stop learning and trying out new ideas. Slowing down is a luxury that we, people involved in arts, simply cannot afford.
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music? I remember, around the age of six, finding an old cassette of Beethoven’s Emperor concerto and by the end of the first two minutes thinking “yes, I’ll do that!”. Hearing it thirty seven years later still brings back that feeling of wonder that any…
Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? Big question. Many people, many things inspired me. Great pianists like Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. Great musical minds like Glenn Gould and my teacher Darwyn Aitken. Great performers like Take 6 and Bobby McFerrin. My parents’ deep respect for…
Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music? I improvised on the baby grand in my mothers ballet studio and didn’t realise what I was playing until my mother said that was Beethoven… this triggered my appetite to try and become ‘something in music’ at the age of…
I like to have a theme, or subject matter, for my piece either before I start, or in the very early improvising stages. This helps me shape my piece. I often use landscapes, both rural and urban, to inspire my work. Sometime I draw a picture of what the piece should look like!
