Conductor

“I think that another issue is that the subjects that Handel writes about, although on the face of it, it seems to be often just dry historical figures and people, or say complicated plots … but I think it’s a mistake to focus on that, because actually within that, he uses those plots and figures really to talk about very basic human emotions and thoughts. ”

“Verdi is still the composer who has more operas in front of the public than any other. He still rules the roost, and of course, as the years go by it’s hard to find the best way to put on his operas. But they’re still worth putting on. ”

“Music is a continuum, and I think what’s important is that we take the lessons we learn from period instruments, and also apply them to the way you work with modern instruments. “

“For me, it’s very important to feel my voice is just an instrument that i use to make music. When i combine both singing and conducting, i feel like an instrument in the middle of the instruments.”

“I find connecting with an audience is one of the great fundamentals of my job, and it frustrates me when we perform the piece which I’m passionate about and it hasn’t spoken through to the audience. It’s something I think about very much.”

“There are no singers and no lyrics. But I found out that the music is so strong that you can actually understand the content of the music without the words as well. It’s a little bit kind of, I would say, a mini opera without words.”

“I think if you’re really serious about music, you should be constantly working on sources. You should be asking questions every minute of your working life. It’s about going through the process of analysis and thought, and that’s what we all need to spend more time as musicians. “

“Choral music, or music in my estimation, must speak directly to the soul, to the individual, and become part of an awakening. “

“Our responsibility is choosing the proper titles of the opera, and also choosing the adequate stage directors and singers. It’s our big obligation.”

“We have to understand as parents, that we feed our children every day, and that’s very good, but we should realize that we also should feed the soul. I think art, overall, is food for our soul, and especially food for the children’s soul. “