Episode 146 - Neil Thomson

I have fond memories of the first time I met Neil Thomson and knew this would be a good interview - a charming man who has spent a lot of time thinking about what we do as conductors. We discussed the pros and cons of conducting from memory, we also chatted about the role of a conductor at a conservatoire and the role of being an orchestra trainer, and I heard about his experiences with a legendary British conductor who was once described as ”a benign despot”! If you would like to discover a whole lot more about conductors and conducting, why not subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/amiconthepodium, and, for a monthly fee starting from just £5 a month, you can access two new series of interviews, group Zoom meetings with other fans of the podcast and myself, a monthly bulletin about the podcast and my own career as well as articles, photos, videos and even conducting lessons from myself. If you listen via Apple podcasts, please do leave a rating and review - it really helps the podcast get noticed and attract more listeners. If you want to get involved on social media, you can via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/amiconthepodium) or Twitter (@amiconthepodium). This interview was recorded on 2nd March 2024 via Zoom.

Om Podcasten

Conductors - who are they, what do they do and how did they get to become a conductor? British conductor, Michael Seal conducts conversations with a distinguished list of conductors to find out all the answers. Each week, Michael interviews a conductor and discovers the journey each conductor has taken towards the conductors podium along with secrets from their teachers and mentors. At the end of each episode, every conductor will be asked the same set of 10 questions, helping us all to find out what makes them tick. So if you’ve ever been curious about the person waving the baton, or you are a real conducting geek, then this should be a fascinating insight in to what it takes to become a maestro.