What do you do?

I patiently explore airports and train stations worldwide — although more recently I’ve been sticking to the train stations when I can.

What excites you musically?

Double dotted overtures and #5/7/9 chords.

Lucia asks Alex – What’s the weirdest thing anyone’s ever asked you about your theorbo?

I think the weirdest thing (that actually comes up a lot) is ‘does it float?’ But my favourite recent comment from an audience member was ‘I’m telling you, the theorbo’s precursor was the ukulele, which is basically the same as a Portuguese guitar.’ – And I found I couldn’t locate the words with which to disagree.

László asks Alex – I have known you for some time now, and I remember that in the past you were not particularly interested in contemporary music. However, recently you’ve become very keen to expand your repertoire in that particular direction. Could you briefly explain why?  Or which one is your favourite train station?

I’ve come to the conclusion that I think more about classical music in terms of whether it has a practice-based creational element.  My nascent interest in contemporary music is tickled by the mere fact that I’ve come to realise it often harbours the same component practices as early music. And my favourite train station is probably York.

What do you do?

I’m a countertenor (so a man who sings high!) and conductor – it’s about an even split, although my conducting is mostly working with choirs and vocal ensembles (including The Marian Consort, the ensemble I founded), so it’s all part and parcel of the same corner of the musical world… Given my voice type, I find myself primarily singing early and contemporary music, which is handy as I find both endlessly fascinating – it’s always great to be able to combine the two!

What excites you musically?

All sorts of things! For me, the most important thing in music is probably the communication of emotion: this can be in any number of ways, in many different genres and styles of music. As a performer, I want to feel like there’s always a real connection with the audience, whether in a concert or on disc.

Tim asks Rory – How does your work leading and conducting the Marian Consort inform your work as a singer?

The two are really different sides of the same coin, and I always find that thinking about music with one hat on helps to inform what you do when wearing the other. It’s so important as a singer performing as part of an ensemble (which you always are, whether vocal or instrumental – very rarely are we left all by ourselves!) to be aware of the whole picture – the other performers and everything else that’s going on in the music besides your own part – and as a conductor it’s vital to know the expectations of your musicians, so how it feels to sing a particular phrase, where you’re likely to breathe…

Alex asks Rory – If you had to be a member of the Royal family, who would you choose and why?

I’m not an ardent Royalist, but I have had the good fortune to meet a few of them on various occasions – I think probably Prince Charles, as I once performed with him in the audience at Buckingham Palace, and was very impressed that there was someone whose sole job seemed to be waiting to hand him a G&T the second the concert ended!

What do you do?

I play all sizes of recorders, I research the nature and role of performance and performers at the dawn of modernity, and I lecture various things at the University of Glasgow and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. But most of my time I spend on wondering about why I do what I do.

What excites you musically?

I could be more specific, but let’s go with choices, details, communication, reaction and interaction.

Rory asks László – What’s your unfulfilled ambition? (musical or otherwise)?

That’s actually a long list, but if I’d have to pick a current enthusiasm, I’d say I’d be really keen to combine my musical activities with theatre.

Tim asks László – You’ve played quite a lot of contemporary music, do you feel the recorder is well suited to contemporary repertoire or do you feel it is part of your approach to the recorder that means you’re drawn to this?

Well, what actually draws me to contemporary music is the sensation of novelty, and the process of creation. In terms of the recorder, I must admit that however much I like it, ultimately, I see it as a tool that, just like any other tool, has its advantages and disadvantages. If I can find a way to balance these parameters, I’m extremely happy to perform in any genre. And regarding my approach to the instrument – I try to keep this as open to change as possible, meaning I usually try to alter my mindset depending on what I’m playing.