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.
Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey has spent more than four decades building a career defined by curiosity, individuality and a refusal to regard any interpretation as finished. Equally at home on modern and period instruments, he has repeatedly returned to the great works of the cello repertoire, recording Bach’s Cello Suites three times and Benjamin Britten’s suites four times. In this conversation, Pieter reflects on why familiar music continues to change, the impossibility of an “ultimate” recording, and his lifelong search for greater expression in performance.
Pieter also looks back on a childhood immersed in chamber music, his early fascination with the physical sound of the cello, and the teachers who helped shape his musical world, particularly Anner Bylsma. He recalls the recording that launched his international career, explains why historical performance was never simply about following rules, and reflects on the singers who profoundly influenced his musical imagination, from Alfred Deller and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to Gwyneth Jones. And away from the concert platform, he finds a very different kind of satisfaction tending the land and waterways around his rural home in the Netherlands.
30 Sept 2026
Pekka Kuusisto: Genre optional
Pekka Kuusisto has never been especially interested in staying neatly within musical boundaries. The Finnish violinist, conductor and composer returns to Australia to guest direct the Australian Chamber Orchestra (aco.com.au)’s Legends and Luminaries program, bringing with him the curiosity, spontaneity and collaborative spirit that have become hallmarks of his work. He reflects on the ACO’s influence on his own approach to directing, his enthusiasm for contemporary composers, and why he tries not to spend too much time thinking about what kind of musician he is supposed to be.
The conversation looks back on a childhood immersed in music, from improvising at the piano with his father to beginning violin lessons at the age of three and later winning the Sibelius Competition. He talks about discovering Nordic folk traditions at a moment when he felt he had “lost the plot” musically, the value of collaboration over ego, and the freedom he has found in making music outside the classical world. His latest adventure is Council, a songwriting project with Gabriel Kahane, which has given him the chance to become, as he puts it, a “deeply middle-aged” beginner singer-songwriter.
Pekka Kuusisto directs the Australian Chamber Orchestra from 3-19 October.
23 Sept 2026
Simon Phillips: On the edge of our seats
Simon Phillips has spent more than four decades at the heart of Australian theatre, directing everything from Shakespeare and contemporary drama to blockbuster musicals and opera. In Sydney directing the Australian premiere of Steven Moffat’s The Unfriend for Sydney Theatre Company, Simon reflects on the precision required to make comedy work and how the audience’s laughter becomes another member of the cast.
He also looks back on a career that has taken Priscilla, Queen of the Desert around the world, helped bring Muriel’s Wedding to the stage, reimagined Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, and put The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour. Simon talks about discovering theatre as a child in New Zealand, his enduring passion for Shakespeare, the challenges of directing opera, and his years leading the Melbourne Theatre Company. He speaks about a desire to always keep audiences on the edge of their seats, drawing us into lives and experiences beyond our own.
Simon Phillips directs The Unfriend for the Sydney Theatre Company, at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, from September 29 through October 31.
Who has been a guest on In Conversation
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Nicole Car
Mark Vincent
Sam Allchurch
Helena Rathbone
Eamonn Dougan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
4,473
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
96
Social presence
0
YouTube
74
Engagement
32
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Guest appearances
Books guests
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