Phillip Scott has joyfully been puncturing the inflated egos of this country’s elite for four decades. He does it all – a writer, composer, actor, singer, and musician – skills which come together for satirical comedy shows beginning in the early 1980s with The Gillies Report, morphing into their current guise as The Wharf Revue for the past 25 years. All good things must come to an end, and he and his fellow satirists are presenting their final iteration of the show – The End of the Wharf as...

A musician described as “the most interesting voice on the guitar for a generation”, Edinburgh-born Sean Shibe is as at home on the electric guitar as he is on the classical acoustic one. Winner of awards including the 2018 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award and the 2022 Leonard Bernstein Award, he was nominated in 2023 for a Grammy, and continues to prove himself as an original mind at the frontier of contemporary classical music. In this conversation, Sean demystifies the...

A keyboard soloist and conductor, Francesco Corti is one of Europe’s most in demand musicians. He is a member of Les Musiciens du Louvre, Bach Collegium Japan and Le Concert des Nations, among several others. He’s led Tafelmusik, the English Concert, and the Freiburg Baroqueorcheter, is the musical director at the Drottningholm Royal Court Theatre, and appears on over 30 albums. Francesco takes us through his passion for early music, and performing on instruments authentic to the period. He...

He is a counter-tenor loved by audiences around the world. Andreas Scholl has a beautiful pure clarity of voice, gives absolutely divine performances including on his dozens of albums, and he has a wonderful gentle good humour too. Andreas talks about the discovery of his beautiful counter tenor voice as an adolescent, which inspired him to make music his career. We hear about how his musical development was nurtured and what he has learnt on this journey. We also get to hear his baritone...

Violist and music curator Katie Yap has performed with some of Australia’s finest ensembles, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Van Diemen’s Band, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. She’s also played overseas, including with the Academy of Ancient Music. She’s a founding member of a prog-baroque quartet Croissants & Whisky, plus the Chrysalis Harp Trio, and crossover folk/baroque group the Wattleseed Ensemble. Katie shares her passion...

One of the UK’s most sought-after baritones, Roderick Williams has a vast repertoire which spans from the baroque to world premieres. He was called the greatest living baritone by Britain’s Daily Telegraph, and The New York Times labelled him a natural and expressive communicator in song. He has performed at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw and the Musikverein, and composed for and performed in the coronation of King Charles III. Roddy is infectiously cheerful, and his musical selections...

A pianist who The New Yorker described as “New York’s queen of avant-garde piano”, Lisa Moore has performed with the London Sinfonietta, Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Sydney, Canberra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras to name just a few, and has played under the baton of luminaries like Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, David Robertson and Edo de Waart. She’s appeared in venues from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House, and been part of over 30 albums. Lisa has made her career...

Opera singer Katherine Wiles has been a permanent member of the Opera Australia chorus since 2007, and has performed several principal roles there as well as in South Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. She’s performed at the Edinburgh Festival and on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Katherine's new book, No Autographs Please, tells the tale of the backstage antics, onstage disasters and the long road to success of an opera singer. Opera Australia CEO Fiona Allan says that her account of life as a...

A composer who Australian Stage has dubbed “the most interesting voice in Australian composition for many years”, Harry Sdraulig has risen to prominence through a string of collaborations with renowned artists and organisations. He’s composed for The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva, the Australia Ensemble, as well as the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Tasmanian, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, and has also been commissioned by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Harry shares some great insights...

“The complete package!” is how Tim Draxl has been described for his performance as Joe Gillis in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard, currently playing at the Sydney Opera House. That part is just the latest in a long line of Tim’s roles in his 20-plus year career which has garnered him nominations for AACTAs, Logies, and a Helpmann Award. On stage he has appeared in musicals such as Jagged Little Pill, Into the Woods and Catch Me If You Can. He is a familiar face on TV, most...

Australia’s very own “genius of jazz”, James Morrison has entertained audiences here and overseas for over 40 years.  He’s played with many jazz legends, including Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles and Don Burrows, to name just a few. He frequents the world’s greatest jazz clubs in New York, Paris and London, has performed for US Presidents and British Monarchs, and has received countless awards and nominations. James takes us through his somewhat unorthodox entrée...

"Totally embraceable" and "larger than life" is how critics have described Rhonda Burchmore. An actor and singer who has entertained Australians for four decades, she has forged a career across stage and screen. Her musical theatre credits are vast, from Mame and Annie Get Your Gun to Mamma Mia and Hairspray. She’s no stranger to cabaret, has released seven albums, and has also written her autobiography. Rhonda shares some highlights from her long career, taking us back to her earliest days...

An Australian pianist who has taken the world by storm, Andrea Lam has performed with orchestras across Australia, the US, Japan and China, and in venues from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Carnegie Hall. Words used to describe her playing include “sensitive”,  “riveting” and “mesmerising”, and the Wall Street Journal has pronounced her “a real talent”. Andrea takes us through her upcoming album, Sad Piano, music by Matthew Hindson, who Andrea has been friends with most of her life. We...

A violinist known for phenomenal technique, persuasive interpretations, and ravishing tones, Augustin Hadelich has performed across the world. He's appeared with orchestras from the Berlin and London Philharmonics to Tokyo’s NHK Symphony and our own Sydney Symphony Orchestra. His recordings cover a wide range of the violin repertoire, and in 2016 he won a Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. He has a new album out this month – American Road Trip – and in this program Augustin takes us...

International icon Sarah Brightman began her stage career at the age of just 13, and never looked back. She’s best known for creating the role of Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera both in the West End and on Broadway, the cast album of which is the highest selling cast album in history. She went on to a stellar recording career, having released dozens of albums. She’s now in Australia, ready for her close up, performing the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Sunset...

French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca has been hailed by Gramophone as “a master of his instrument” and by Le Monde as belonging to “the French Cello Elite”. He has appeared at major concert venues around the world, whether it’s Paris, New York, London or Vienna. He performs across musical genres, and his recordings receive unanimous critical acclaim. In this conversation, Christian-Pierre delves into two of his albums of recent years, Cello360 and his environmentally themed project...

James O'Donnell is one of the leading organists and choral conductors of his generation. He was Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, and subsequently Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey for over 20 years, during which time he was responsible for the music at several significant events – most notably the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Katherine, and the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Since 2023 he has been...

A two-time Grammy nominee, Rod Gilfry is a singer and actor who performs across opera, musicals, recitals and cabaret, all over the world. His opera repertoire in particular is vast, spanning 75 roles. He’s come to Opera Australia and the Sydney Opera House to perform one of the many roles in new operas that he has created – Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, directed by Neil Armfield. Rod has already performed this role at the Met in New York and at Glyndebourne in the UK. Rod takes us...

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, undoubtedly ranks as one of the world’s best-known choral groups. Founded in the 15th Century, the choir’s main function is to sing in the daily services in King’s College Chapel, but it has long since spread its wings far broader than that, generating worldwide fame through a wealth of recordings and an extensive international tour schedule. Daniel Hyde has been Musical Director since 2019. His distinguished career as an organist and choral conductor...

One of the world’s leading young harpsichordists, Justin Taylor has released numerous award-winning solo recordings, and is one of the founders of the internationally renowned period ensemble, Le Consort. The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s artistic director Paul Dyer calls him "a true master of the harpsichord". He comes to the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra stage to be part of a rare performance of JS Bach’s Concerto for Four Harpsichords. Justin speaks about the intricacies and...

A musical theatre actor responsible for some of the most notable performances on our stages, Anthony Warlow began his career with the Australian Opera in 1980. He has since become a household name thanks to his work in The Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden, Annie, My Fair Lady, Jeckyll & Hyde to name only a few, while also performing with Opera Australia for The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, The Pirates of Penzance, and more. He’s performed on Broadway and the West End, and has...

French-German cellist Nicolas Altstaedt is one of the most sought after and versatile musicians today, performing repertoire spanning early music to the contemporary, as a soloist, conductor and artistic director. He’s performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic, to name only a few. His conducting has taken him to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra and more. As a chamber musician he’s collaborated with...

A  global artist who has enjoyed chart-topping success, international tours, and celebrated collaborations, violinist Vov Dylan enjoys taking audiences to a place where the classical meets the contemporary, coalescing with world music and jazz.   He’s premiered works by some of this country’s finest composers, including Elena Kats-Chernin, Margaret Brandman and Ann Carr-Boyd. He has two new albums coming soon – Elevation, featuring the works of those composers as well as Stuart Greenaum,...

A singer songwriter who has proven herself as one of this country’s most hard-working, versatile, and prolific artists, Katie Noonan flourishes in every genre. She performs and composes across classical, jazz and rock music. She’s recorded a massive 28 albums, with a 29th on the way, garnering 28 ARIA nominations which have include five wins. Having already been part of her indie rock band George,  producing highly successful albums including Polyserena which went triple platinum, she went on...