Scaling Everest – conductor Mandle Cheung’s journey to Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony
Tech mogul and conductor Mandle Cheung in conversation with Colin Clarke
Interviews
All the Seen and Heard Interviews
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.
Illustrator and animator Grégoire Pont in conversation with Gregor Tassie
Gregor Tassie talks to visual artist Grégoire Pont
One of the unexpected highlights of the George Enescu International Festival was a Sunday matinee concert of French music for children at the charming Odeon Hall (review here). If the music by Poulenc and Ravel was well known, the artwork by the French illustrator Grégoire Pont was a pleasant surprise.
Mark Jordan in conversation with conductor Dalia Stasevska about her return to the Cleveland Orchestra
Questions on the road for conductor Dalia Stasevska
Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska (currently principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra) will be returning to conduct the Cleveland Orchestra 20-23 November in a program that features Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony and La Noche de los Mayas by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. Busy schedules prohibited the conductor and Seen and Heard International critic Mark Sebastian Jordan from finding an ideal time to speak in person, so they devised a correspondence interview that would allow Stasevska to work on her answers whenever she found a stray moment between family, study, rehearsals, performances and travel.
Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero in conversation with Gregor Tassie
Gregor Tassie talks to conductor Giancarlo Guerrero about Shostakovich and his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District
From my review of a recent performance of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District: ‘Guerrero’s masterly analysis of the score and his authority in guiding this excellent orchestra of Romanian Radio was at the centre of the evening – the orchestra unveiled world class virtuosity with the brass group in particular evincing the often ribald brutality of Shostakovich’s orchestration, with the woodwind matching them with the quirky intonation of the composer’s frequently piquant and satirical score. At significantly dramatic moments, Guerrero brought out the expressive passages on the violas which was another eloquent and impassioned element of Shostakovich’s orchestration.’