In Conversation

Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts is one of the most thrilling violinists on the planet. Renowned for his extraordinary technical command and musical sensitivity, he’s equally at home with contemporary and rare works, as much as with the great orchestral masterpieces.

Rising to fame as the youngest ever winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition, Ilya has since appeared with the world’s top orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, to name the tip of the iceberg. He’s in Australia now, guest directing the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and in particular to perform one of the Romantic era’s most popular concertos, Bruch’s Violin Concerto no 1 in G Minor.

Ilya’s passion about new music is well articulated in this conversation, and he also shares an historic recording and talks about what we can learn from it. He speaks against the regime in his native Russia and how life has changed there over the years.

Lebanese-French pianist/composer Rami Khalifé has been hailed as one of the most exciting young composers of the 21st century. His work is as eclectic as it is bold, whether it’s improvised concerts, recording a Prokofiev concerto, or performing with his father, Marcel. His compositions include two piano concertos, a cello concerto, and a requiem, as well as writing for the screen, plus writing and performing with his classic electro group, AUFGANG.

Next Monday 6 February he will be performing with his father, fellow composer, and oud player, Marcel Khalifé, for a concert entitled Legacy, in the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House.

Rami talks about his incredible musical journey, pushing and blurring musical boundaries and giving us an incredibly refreshing and inspiring insight into the joy of music making.

An award-winning director who is taking the Sydney arts scene by storm, Shaun Rennie has received three Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Director, and won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction for both his productions of Rent at the Hayes, and Baby Doll at the Ensemble.

Most recently, he directed the highly acclaimed The Lovers, a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by Bell Shakespeare, which played to sold-out houses at the Sydney Opera House’s Playhouse late last year. He’s currently the revival director for Opera Australia’s La Bohème which is running until the 11^th of March in the Joan Sutherland theatre.

In this conversation, Shaun talks about his pathway to becoming a theatre director, sharing stories from his earlier years as a performer, through the tragic loss of his brother to leukemia which inspired him to co-create the annual Light the Night fundraising concert, to his highly successful productions of Rent and The Lovers.