Khori Dastoor on Houston Grand Opera’s turnaround, new works and James Gaffigan
Rick Perdian in conversation with general director and CEO of Houston Grand Opera Khori Dastoor
Interviews
All the Seen and Heard Interviews
Gregor Tassie in conversation with Czech opera director Jiří Nekvasil
Director of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava Jiří Nekvasil talks with Gregor Tassie
Gregor Tassie in conversation with conductor Viliana Valtcheva
Conductor Viliana Valtcheva talks with Gregor Tassie
Bulgaria’s music is best known for its magnificent choirs and the never-ending stream of singers who have become celebrated in the world’s most famous opera theatres. Boris Christov, Ghena Dimitrova, Lyuba Welitsch, Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Sonya Yoncheva are just a few Bulgarians who have become stars on the world stage.
There is a distinguished school of instrumentalists, but relatively few conductors, with one major exception in the brilliant Emil Tchakarov, who became legendary during a relatively brief period, until his death at the early age of 43 in Paris. A prodigy of Karajan, Tchakarov was renowned at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Mariinsky Theatre, among many others. Mravinsky picked him as his successor before his early death in 1991.
Tech mogul and conductor Mandle Cheung in conversation with Colin Clarke
Scaling Everest – conductor Mandle Cheung’s journey to Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony
John Quinn talks to Three Choirs Festival CEO David Francis
A strong tradition and a bright future. David Francis, CEO of the Three Choirs Festival in conversation with John Quinn
The Three Choirs Festival is almost certainly the oldest music festival in the world: it can trace its origins back to around 1715. The Festival began as an annual gathering, lasting just a couple of days, of the Musical Societies of the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester; the respective cathedral choirs were part of these societies and sang services, accompanied by an orchestra, during the gatherings. From the outset, each of the three cities took it in turn to host the annual get-togethers. The gatherings gradually widened in scope and duration. Nowadays, the Festival runs for a week and includes a wide variety of concerts, recitals, talks and social events.
Gregor Tassie in conversation with soprano Eleonora Djodjoska-Mladenova
Soprano Eleonora Djodjoska-Mladenova talks with Gregor Tassie
One highlight of the 2025 Wagner Festival in Sofia was the debut of young soprano Eleonora Djodjoska-Mladenova, who delivered a sensational Elisabeth in Plamen Kartaloff’s new Tannhäuser (review here). From first stepping on the stage, she seemed born for this role of an innocent girl falling in love. The singer from Northern Macedonia was acclaimed as an outstanding new star of the Sofia Opera. In 2026, reflecting Kartaloff’s trust, she was cast as the tragedienne Violetta Valéry — a role she triumphed in. Shortly after her La traviata debut (review here), I met with her to discuss her career to date.
Conductor David Robertson in conversation with Geoffrey Newman
Geoffrey Newman talks to conductor David Robertson
Californian David Robertson rose to prominence in 1993 upon his selection by Pierre Boulez to lead the Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC) in Paris for his ability to bring striking clarity and line to the most complex modernist scores. His further contribution was incorporating ‘minimalism’ and, in particular, the works of John Adams into the EIC repertoire. Robertson subsequently became principal conductor of Orchestre Nationale de Lyon (2000-2004), the St. Louis Symphony (2005-2018) and the Sydney Symphony (2014-2019). His current appointment is Director of Conducting Studies, Distinguished Visiting Faculty at the Juilliard School.
Melissa Smey, Executive Director of Columbia University’s Miller Theater, in conversation with Daniele Sahr
Executive Director of Columbia University’s Miller Theater Melissa Smey talks to Daniele Sahr
Melissa Smey, the Executive Director of Miller Theater at Columbia University, brings her collaborative spirit and production expertise to putting on some of the best music series in New York City. It might take listeners a few extra subway stops to make it uptown, but the artistic excellence they will find cannot be overstated. I got to speak to Melissa Smey in this 26th season of their signature series, ‘Composer Portraits’, about the curatorial process and her take on what makes contemporary music welcoming to audiences.