Guy Johnston

In this last episode of series 2, I was absolutely thrilled to talk to these two wonderful women who have accomplished so much, both individually as violinists and also together with their business "Intermission" which combines Yoga, breathing & mindfulness with Music.We had a fabulous chat about music education, the Benedetti Sessions and Melissa's Harlem String Quartet performing with the legendary Chick Corea and at the White House to President Obama. We also talked at length about race within the classical music world and how important it is for young people to see themselves represented on stage.I do hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did making it! Thanks for your continued support, be sure to subscribe wherever you normally listen so you don't miss series 3 as soon as it arrives in a few weeks time.Beth x

My guest this week is the British composer Deborah Pritchard. We had a wonderful chat about her synasthesia, which is where sound involuntarily evokes an experience of colour and how she has utilised that in her work and the gorgeous artwork that often accompanies her compositions.Here is a link to her piece for solo violin "Inside Colour" that we discuss and I highly recommend having a look!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk0NzyzccdU&feature=youtu.beYou can also see some of her visulisations and music maps on the Musici Ireland Facebook and Instagram pages.Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of Musici IrelandTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website http://musici.ie/Be sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

My guest today is Greek Opera Director Rodula Gaitanou. We talk about early musical influences, her memories of Wexford Festival Opera and how becoming a parent changes your focus.I do hope you enjoy this chat!Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of Musici IrelandTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website http://musici.ie/Be sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

My guest today is the wonderful Cellist Guy Johnston. I am delighted to share this insightful conversation we had about Life, Music and the future. I must thank Guy for being so warm and open with me, this was a really special chat!We talked about Guys brother Rupert and the charityhttps://www.thedtgroup.org/brain-injurythrough that the Eyes Alight branch, which was set up by Guys' sister Izzy Judd Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of Musici IrelandTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website http://musici.ie/Be sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

My guest this week is Sound Engineer Vinny Osborne. He works for Ireland's busy amateur Musical Theatre Scene. Having started his move into the theatre by touring with Riverdance for 5 years, he has enjoyed a busy and varied career since.You can find out more about Vinny at http://www.soundandmusicco.ie/Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of Musici IrelandTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website http://musici.ie/Be sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

This week I talk to Lucy Medlycott about the Circus and Street Arts area and how we could all do to look at how they use outdoor spaces to perform as we move forwards.This was such an interesting and informative chat for me as it is an area I really know nothing about! As the co-founder of the Irish Street Art, Circus and Spectacle Network (ISACS) Lucy was a fountain of knowledge and wonderful positivity!Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of www.musici.ieTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website www.musici.ieBe sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

It was such a thrill to be able to talk to Leanne Cope about being a ballerina at Covent Garden, being chosen to star in Broadway Hit "An American in Paris", getting to meet with Leslie Caron and being nominated for a Tony Award...Phew! And then there is the incredibly romantic story of her engagement to fellow Ballet Dancer Paul Kay, this one is a very enjoyable listen indeed!Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of www.musici.ieTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website www.musici.ieBe sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

My guest to day is Production Manager Peter Jordan. We had a great conversation about safety in the Arts going forward and what it means to be a production manager. Peter has experience in this role with Macnas, the Dublin St Patrick's Day Parade, Irish National Opera and many more. He also made a pretty strong bid for Husband of the year near the end of this chat! Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of www.musici.ieTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website www.musici.ieBe sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

My guest today is Vourneen Ryan, Flautist and Performance Psychologist. We have a lovely chat about our time at the Guildhall School Of Music and Drama and Vourneen talks to me about different techniques performers of all ages can adopt to help them perform better and feel more confident.We also discuss teaching with these techniques in mind. Truly a very informative discussion!Vourneen suggests some resources in our chat...here they are:Books - Tim Ferris - Tools of TitansThe Balanced Musician: Integrating Mind and Body for Peak Performanceby . Lesley Sisterhen McallisterPodcasts  Happy Place - Fearne CottonHow to Fail - Elizabeth DayUnlocking us - Brene BrownEsther Perel - How's WorkSuper Soul Conversations - Oprah WinfreyBlog - www.bulletproofmusician.comCaroline Goyder - Voice Coach - anything by her - podcasts and booksMusici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of www.musici.ieTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website www.musici.ieBe sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!

Musici Chats is presented by Beth McNinch:Freelance violist living in Ireland.Artistic Director of www.musici.ieTo find out more about Musici Ireland please visit our website www.musici.ieBe sure to Subscribe and tell all you friends about us!!Tom Creed-Opera and Theatre DirectorOpera and music theatre productions include The Tales of Hoffmann with Irish National Opera, Owen Wingrave with the Opéra national de Paris and Opera Collective Ireland, Irish tours of Acis and Galatea,  The Human Voice and Susanna’s Secret for Opera Theatre Company, Mavra and The Bear with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Die Zauberflöte, Suor Angelica, Mavra and Renard with the Royal Irish Academy of Music.World premieres of new work include The Hunger by Donnacha Dennehy at Opera Theatre of St Louis and the BAM Next Wave Festival in New York, Private View by Annelies van Parys, produced by Muziektheater TransparantPrivate View was awarded the FEDORA Rolf Liebermann Prize for Opera in 2014, Best Production at the Armel Opera Festival in Budapest in 2015, and was named by Music Theatre NOW 2015 as one of 14 notable productions “which are aesthetically innovative and reflect new developments in this genre” .He was an Opera Hub associate artist of Opera Theatre Company in Dublin from 2015 to 2017.He directed Vivaldi’s Griselda with Irish National Opera in Autumn 2019 and is developing a new opera with composer Michael Gallen for premiere in France and Ireland in 2021.TheatreHis extensive work as a theatre director includes productions with the Abbey Theatre, Gate Theatre, Rough Magic, Playgroup (which he co-founded in 2003) and a range of independent Irish companies, which have played in Ireland, the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia. He was nominated for Best Director at the Irish Times Theatre Awards in 2007.His productions of Watt by Samuel Beckett with acclaimed Irish actor Barry McGovern has been presented at the Dublin Theatre Festival, Galway Arts Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Perth International Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Barbican Centre in London, the Public Theatre in New York and on tour in the USA.Tom is a member of the steering group of the National Campaign for the Arts