In Conversation

2MBS Fine Music Sydney
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  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
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In Conversation is brought to you by 2MBS Fine Music Sydney. In each episode, Simon Moore speaks to a figure in our artistic landscape, delving into all the detailed and interesting facets of their life, from the trivial to the profound. Our guest also introduces some musical extracts that are meaningful to them.

  1. Mitchell Butel: Curating the space for difference

    4 HRS AGO

    Mitchell Butel: Curating the space for difference

    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 Theatre Company of South Australia. As an actor, he’s received Helpmann awards for his turns in Avenue Q, The Mikado, Mr Burns and The Venetian Twins. He returns to the stage to star in The Normal Heart, a role he has already performed in Adelaide. Mitchell discusses how this play about the AIDS crisis in New York from the mid-80s still has resonance today, and goes on to reveal some other highlights of the 2026 season which is shaped by themes of difference, dialogue, and social change, balancing drama with humour and emotional storytelling.  We hear about his unconventional path into theatre, from growing up in Maroubra and studying arts/law to then embracing a professional acting career. He speaks of the responsibilities of leading a major arts organisation, including nurturing artists, selecting productions, and balancing creative ambition with financial sustainability, including the development of new Australian works such as upcoming productions of new musicals My Brilliant Career and Whispering Jack. Throughout, Mitchell conveys both the challenges and deep rewards of shaping the future of Australian theatre while maintaining his enduring passion for performance.  Mitchell Butel stars in The Normal Heart at the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House until March 14.

    49 min
  2. Dejan Lazic: Kicking goals in every key

    4 FEB

    Dejan Lazic: Kicking goals in every key

    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 “grandiose technique” and The Guardian describing him as “a powerhouse performer whose playing combines strength with beauty”. He has returned to Australia to once again appear with Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, an orchestra he first saw perform as a 12 year old in Zagreb and with which he feels a special affinity. Dejan talks about his musical upbringing in Croatia, his early success as both a pianist and clarinettist, and his formative studies in Salzburg within the Hungarian piano tradition.  He reflects candidly on the challenges of growing up as a highly visible young musician, on what was needed to shake off the perceptions of being a child prodigy, and on how working as a composer is an important part of being a fully rounded musician. Throughout, he exudes energetic curiosity and a grounded humility. Dejan Lazic performs with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody until February 18.

    46 min
  3. David Elton: Shaping sound

    28 JAN

    David Elton: Shaping sound

    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 work from its earliest stages. He also shares insights into the art of orchestral playing, balancing virtuosity with blending one’s sound with the other players. David traces his musical journey from early violin lessons and choral singing to discovering the trumpet, studying in Australia and the United States, and holding principal positions with major orchestras in Australia and overseas, including a remarkable period serving simultaneously as principal trumpet of both the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. Along the way, he reflects on auditions, orchestral culture, teaching the next generation of musicians, and the lifelong process of refining sound, technique, and musical identity. It is a thoughtful and generous portrait of a musician who combines technical brilliance with curiosity, humility, and a deep love of music. David Elton performs with the Omega Ensemble which includes the premiere of A Turning Sky, a new concerto for trumpet and clarinet by Lachlan Skipworth, at the City Recital Hall in Sydney on February 12, at the Newcastle City Hall on February 13, and at the Melbourne Recital Centre on February 18.

    43 min
  4. Margaret Plummer: Viennese fairy tales

    21 JAN

    Margaret Plummer: Viennese fairy tales

    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 – Hänsel, in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel. In this conversation, Margaret recounts her journey from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to life as a principal artist at the Vienna State Opera. She speaks of her initial desire to be a jazz singer, the persistence needed to navigate the years through her training, to her time in the Opera Australia Chorus which eventually led to her leap of faith that took her young family to Europe. She offers candid insight into the realities of working in a major European repertoire house, the challenges of language and bureaucracy, which all lead to the artistic and personal freedom she now enjoys as a successful solo freelance mezzo. Margaret Plummer performs Hänsel, in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel, with Opera Australia from January 27 to February 28.

    52 min
  5. Caroline O'Connor AM: Putting it all together

    14 JAN

    Caroline O'Connor AM: Putting it all together

    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 Edith Piaf, to Chicago, Funny Girl, Anything Goes, Gypsy, and many others, Caroline has musical theatre in her DNA. On top of that, she has impeccable Stephen Sondheim credentials – not only did she perform at his special 80th birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall, but after seeing her in Sweeny Todd, the great composer and lyricist declared her to be the best Mrs Lovatt he’d ever seen. This all makes her the ideal choice to be headlining Sondheim’s Putting it Together, playing now at the Foundry Theatre until February 15. In this conversation, Caroline reflects on her extraordinary journey in musical theatre, from her early training as a dancer to becoming one of the most respected performers of her generation. From chorus girl to leading lady, she speaks about the resilience required to navigate auditions, setbacks, and on making pivotal career decisions. She recounts her move to London, and the moments of chance and courage that led to major breakthroughs.

    53 min
  6. Andrew McFarlane: The boy next door

    7 JAN

    Andrew McFarlane: The boy next door

    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, and King Lear. He has also appeared in many David Williamson plays, and he returns to the Ensemble theatre later this month for The Social Ladder, the latest work from Australia’s most famous playwright. In this conversation, Andrew reflects with great humility on his long career, tracing his journey from a comfortable and conservative upbringing through to discovering acting and training at NIDA. He speaks candidly about the formative impact of the Vietnam War era on his political awareness and how it shaped his early adulthood. From managing typecasting by deliberately leaving popular roles, to the irony of not being cast in gay roles despite his sexuality, Andrew remains grateful for the combination of confidence, discipline and a heathy dose of good luck that has brought him long term success as a performer. Andrew McFarlane stars in David Williamson’s The Social Ladder at The Ensemble Theatre from 23 January to 14 March.

    55 min
  7. Winsome Evans OAM BEM: Renaissance woman

    17/12/2025

    Winsome Evans OAM BEM: Renaissance woman

    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 written and arranged music for radio, film and TV, and for half a century at Sydney University she taught and inspired generations of our musicians.  This conversation tracks Winsome’s early life from childhood to the formation, development and success of The Renaissance Players, as well as her life-long academic career. We hear about the music she has loved to perform, and the people she loved to perform it with, plus the instruments she has found, restored and played.

    55 min
  8. Kris Nelson: Creating future facing festivals

    10/12/2025

    Kris Nelson: Creating future facing festivals

    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 finished a six-and-a-half year stint as Director of the London International Festival of Theatre, and prior to that having a long run as Director of the Dublin Fringe Festival. Kris traces his personal and professional journey, from growing up in Saskatoon, Canada, through grassroots theatre and festivals, to leadership roles in Montreal and beyond. He reflects on the energy of fringe culture, and the joys of presenting unique shows that find the festival environment as their homes. The Sydney Festival runs from 8 to 25 January.

    52 min
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5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

In Conversation is brought to you by 2MBS Fine Music Sydney. In each episode, Simon Moore speaks to a figure in our artistic landscape, delving into all the detailed and interesting facets of their life, from the trivial to the profound. Our guest also introduces some musical extracts that are meaningful to them.

Information

  • Creator
    2MBS Fine Music Sydney
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    232
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2MBS Fine Music Sydney
  • Show Website
    In Conversation

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