How do you generally listen to music?
Going for a walk with headphones. I have to remember not to break into interpretive dance so as not to scare fellow walkers.
What was the first ever recording you bought?
A cassette tape of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto – my brother and I listened to it so much we wore it out.
What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
When it comes to music I have no guilt.
If you had six months to learn a new instrument, what would it be?
The bassoon – though six months is not nearly enough; my diaphragm would need serious training.
What single thing would improve the format of the classical concert?
No apologies.
If you had to pick one work to introduce someone to the wonders of classical music, what would it be?
Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
Which conductor or performer of the past would you like to have worked with?
Dieterich Buxtehude.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever performed?
The New York subway.
We’re giving you a time machine: what period or moment in musical history would you travel to?
Five centuries from now, when descriptive music remains the way in which all peoples can relate.
Which non-classical musician would you most like to work with?
Eminem.
What do you sing in the shower?
Queen.
It’s late, you’ve had a few beers, you’re in a karaoke bar. What do you sing?
My voice is woeful, so I choose not to ruin everyone’s evening.
