In Conversation: Guildhall School podcasts

Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion, Guildhall Wigmore Recital Prize winner for 2020, joins us to talk about her Wigmore Hall recital. We discuss her programme of much-loved works by Mozart, Beethoven and three French composers from across the ages, her interest in Lili Boulanger, and getting back to performing in front of a live audience. Following the postponement of this Winner's recital in Summer 2020, we're delighted that Élisabeth is now able to present this programme with a live audience in the wonderful surroundings of Wigmore Hall. The recital takes place on Monday 19 July at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the Wigmore Hall Box Office (https://wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/elisabeth-pion-202107191930). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Head of Composition Professor Julian Philips joins us for this podcast to talk about 'Stories of Sweet Visions', a programme of song and chamber works celebrating his 50th birthday year. We discuss his inspirations as a composer, his fascination with text and song, the process of putting programme together for this milestone concert and what it's like to revisit past works. Stories of Sweet Visions takes place on Monday 25 November at Milton Court Concert Hall. Tickets are available via the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/stories-of-sweet-visions-chamber-music-by-julian-philips). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Final-year Stage Manager Tom Downie joins us to discuss the access performance of our autumn term drama 'The Wheel', written by Zinnie Harris. Tom talks us through the ins and outs of audio describing a performance, the rehearsal process and technical requirements and describing for the ear and not the eye. 'The Wheel' runs to 26 October in the Milton Court Theatre, and the audio-described performance and touch tour will take place on Thursday 24 October. Tickets and more information are available through Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/the-wheel). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

A very special podcast as Guildhall pianist Jonathan Ferrucci sits down with Carole Presland, Senior Tutor in Keyboard Chamber Music, to discuss our upcoming Chamber Music Festival in which they are both performing. The pair talk about how the programming for the festival was decided, what it's like to programme and perform, and how the festival captures the essence of chamber music and its teaching at Guildhall. Our Chamber Music Festival runs from 5-7 July at Guildhall School and across Culture Mile venues. Tickets are available via the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/series/guildhall-chamber-music-festival-2019). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Cast members Harriet Burns and Siân Dicker give us the inside track on this term's opera double bill of early operatic works exploring romantic love: Aminta e Fillide by George Frideric Handel and Venus and Adonis by John Blow. We talk about these two very contrasting but thematically linked operas, exploring comedy and tragedy in a double bill, and performing opera in Milton Court Theatre. Our opera double bill runs from 3-10 June in the Milton Court Theatre. Tickets are available via the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/opera-double-bill-aminta-e-fillide-venus-and-adonis). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Cast members Sam Carl, Irene Hoogveld, Madison Nonoa, William Sharma, Collin Shay and Christian Valle join us to discuss our production of Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. They talk us through this production of Britten’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s magical tale (emphasis on the magic), being double cast in two very different roles, and give us a glimpse into the incredible design and technical work that's gone into the production. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' runs to 4 March in the Silk Street Theatre. The run is sold out but returns may become available from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/brittens-a-midsummer-nights-dream-presented-by-guildhall). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Cast members Elena Faverio & Uri Levy and Stage Manager Chloë Siller talk us through our last autumn term drama production, Eduardo de Filippo's 'Saturday, Sunday, Monday'. We discuss the rehearsal process and working with director Joseph Blatchley, the challenges and joys of having a large cast, and getting to grips with cooking in the rehearsal room and on stage - with a bonus recipe from Uri Levy. 'Saturday, Sunday, Monday' runs from 30 November – 5 December in the Silk Street Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/saturday-sunday-monday-presented-by-guildhall-school). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

The entire cast of our autumn opera join us on this podcast. Cast B singers Seán Boylan, Samuel Carl, Samantha Clarke, Frederick Jones, Lucy McAuley & Madison Nonoa talk us through this production of Mozart's comic opera, the benefits of having a double cast, what they've enjoyed most about the process and give us an insight into the design of the production. ' Così fan tutte' runs from 5 – 12 November in the Silk Street Theatre. (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/event/mozarts-cosi-fan-tutte-at-the-guildhall-school). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Designer Libby Watson joins us in the studio and gives us an insight into the design process for 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot', from how she works with director Wyn Jones and our lighting and sound designers to the design decisions of including a revolve and a white set. 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot' runs from 22 – 27 October in the Milton Court Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-presents-the-last-days-of-judas-iscariot). Painting of Judas Iscariot by Dustin Parent. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Stage Manager Juliet Hague and cast members Jasmine Lee-Jones and Matthew Nikitow talk us through our upcoming production of 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot' by Stephen Adly Guirgis. We discuss the joys and challenges of large casts, the relationship between director and stage manager, and what it's like to bring well-known characters and historical figures to life on stage. 'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot' runs from 22 – 27 October in the Milton Court Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-presents-the-last-days-of-judas-iscariot). Painting of Judas Iscariot by Dustin Parent. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Aaaaand we're back! The podcast returns to deep dive into our first drama production of the term, Philip Ridley's 'Mercury Fur'. We're joined by director John Haidar and cast members Mirren Mack and Joseph Potter to discuss the play, their first experience of 'Mercury Fur', the rehearsal process, and what they're most looking forward to about opening night. 'Mercury Fur' runs from 15 – 20 October in the Milton Court Studio Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/mercury-fur-guildhall-presents-the-play-by-philip-ridley). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

It's summer musical time at Guildhall, so we caught up with cast and creative team to talk about our production of the classic Fiddler on the Roof. We're joined by cast members Georgina Beedle and Alex James-Cox and Sound Designer Charlie Smith to discuss the production. Charlie and Alex tell us what it's like for their final Guildhall production to be on such a grand scale and how they've found their way in to the characters, and Charlie talks us through the process and challenges for sound design as well as telling us about some of his highlights since graduating from Guildhall in 2013! Fiddler on the Roof runs from 4 – 11 July in the Silk Street Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-school-presents-fiddler-on-the-roof). Audio-described performance and touch tour on Friday 6 July - book directly with Barbican Box Office in person or by phone. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

The Gold Medal is the Guildhall School’s most prestigious prize for musicians. This year, instrumentalists take to the Barbican Hall stage to perform a concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Judd. Finalists Ljubica Stojanovic, Dan-Iulian Drutac and Joon Yoon talk about their Gold Medal experiences, from their first auditions to their preparations ahead of the big day, and why they chose the piece that they'll be playing. This year's Gold Medal final takes place on Thursday 10 May in the Barbican Hall. Tickets are available from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-school-gold-medal-2018). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Our final drama production of the term is Clifford Odets' rarely-produced play Paradise Lost. We're joined by cast members Georgina Beedle and Finlay Paul, Lighting Designer James McKeogh and Deputy Stage Manager Georgia Graham to discuss the play, working on a large production with such a large cast, the creative process, and what they're most looking forward to about opening night. Paradise Lost runs from 23 - 28 March in the Silk Street Theatre. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-presents-clifford-odets-paradise-lost). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

'Blackout' in the Tower Bridge Bascule Chamber sees Guildhall video design artists return to the unique subterranean space for a new immersive video projection and sound installation inspired by the photography of Arthur Cross and Fred Tibbs. We're joined by Lecturer in Video Dan Shorten, Design Realisation Assistant Tom Downing, and BA Video Design for Live Performance students Andrew Monks and Laurie Lumley. We discuss the collaboration with Tower Bridge, the City of London Police Museum and the London Metropolitan Archives, the Blitz photography of Cross & Tibbs, the challenges of working below river level and the design process for these kinds of immersive events. Blackout runs from 23 - 25 March at Tower Bridge. Get your tickets from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-school-video-design-installation-at-tower-bridge). You can also find out more about the BA Video Design for Live Performance programme on our website (https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/video) and on Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallvideodesign). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Cast members Michelle Alexander, Lucy Anderson and Michael Vickers join us to talk about our spring term production of Poulenc’s sublime masterpiece set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, 'Dialogues des Carmélites', discussing everything from religion and martyrdom to nun puns and singing in French. Dialogues des Carmélites runs from 26 February - 5 March in the Silk Street Theatre. Performances are currently sold out but you can find out more and try for a return ticket via Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-presents-poulencs-les-dialogues-des-carmelites). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

To mark the start of the 'Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018: Artists as Citizens', we talk to one of this year's speakers. Nell Catchpole, Course Leader on the Master’s in Leadership programme, talks to us about her motto of "Sound artist as Activist? A Performance of Sonic Stories from East Suffolk", her views on artistic citizenship, and her performance piece 'Stenclmusic', a solo music theatre piece combining the poems of the Yiddish poet Avrom Stencl (1897-1983) and living local poet, Stephen Watts, stories from the community, and projected images with an original score for multi-layered recorded clarinets, live clarinet and voice by composer Rachel Stott. The Reflective Conservatoire Conference runs from 20-23 February in Milton Court. Find out more at the RCC website (www.gsmd.ac.uk/rcc) and follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/rconservatoire) for updates from the conference. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing).

To mark the start of the 'Reflective Conservatoire Conference 2018: Artists as Citizens', we talk to one of this year's speakers. Neyire Ashworth, Professor of Clarinet at Junior Guildhall, talks to us about her motto of "Towards a more flexible musician of the future", her views on artistic citizenship, and her performance piece 'Stenclmusic', a solo music theatre piece combining the poems of the Yiddish poet Avrom Stencl (1897-1983) and living local poet, Stephen Watts, stories from the community, and projected images with an original score for multi-layered recorded clarinets, live clarinet and voice by composer Rachel Stott. The Reflective Conservatoire Conference runs from 20-23 February in Milton Court. Find out more at the RCC website (https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/rcc) and follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/rconservatoire) for updates from the conference. Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Stage Manager Samantha Agnew and cast members Poppy Allen-Quarmby, Charlotte Blandford and Tegen Short join us to discuss our spring term production of Shelagh Stephenson's The Memory of Water. Cast & crew talk about the complex characters of the play, portraying a realistic sisterly rapport on stage, the 90s setting and the Stage Manager's biscuit and bread budget. The Memory of Water runs from 12-17 February in the Milton Court Theatre. Tickets are available from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-presents-shelagh-stephensons-the-memory-of-water). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)

Cast & crew of our spring drama opener, Laura Wade's 'Colder Than Here', join us for this podcast. Cast members Jonny Lavelle and Phoebe Marshall and Lighting Designer Sally McCulloch discuss working with director Lisa Blair and the creative team, the joys of working with a small cast and the challenges in finding the humour in a play about cancer. Colder Than Here runs from 2-13 February in the Milton Court Studio Theatre. Tickets are available from the Barbican Box Office (https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/guildhall-school-presents-laura-wades-colder-than-here). Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/guildhallschool), Facebook (www.facebook.com/guildhallschool/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/guildhallschool) and head to our website (www.gsmd.ac.uk) to stay up to date with all the events and news from the Guildhall School. Intro and outro music is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon, licenced under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing)