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- Read more: Special: Far from Home, Close to Music
Special: Far from Home, Close to Music
Three young Australian violinists. One city that changed everything. In this special episode of Tall Poppies, host Brendan O’Shea sits down with Leanne McGowan, Josephine Chung and Harry Ward — three remarkable musicians who left Australia and found a new creative home in Berlin.
- Read more: Australian excellence on the global stage: A Conversation with Hector McDonald
Australian excellence on the global stage: A Conversation with Hector McDonald
SoundCloud Podcast Dear Listeners, As I spend this European summer revisiting and editing interviews that have been waiting for me, I’m reminded of just how much I enjoyed these conversations. It’s a true pleasure to return to these memories and share them with you. Our latest podcast is a perfect example.
- Read more: Alma Moodie’s Legacy : An Australian Salon with Kay Dreyfus
Alma Moodie’s Legacy : An Australian Salon with Kay Dreyfus
Dear Listeners and Salon Guests, Last week, we resumed our Tall Poppies Talk Australian Salons and had the pleasure of hosting musicologist and historian Kay Dreyfus. It was an enriching evening, diving into the remarkable work of one of Australia’s leading figures in the field. In addition to many regulars, we were joined by a
- Read more: Save the Date! Next Berlin Salon June 18th
Save the Date! Next Berlin Salon June 18th
Dear Salon Guests, We are happy to announce that our next Tall Poppies Talk Salon is scheduled for June 18th. We’re honoured to welcome Kay Dreyfus, one of Australia’s foremost musicologists and historians, to join us in Berlin for this special event. For those familiar with Tall Poppies: The Podcast, you may remember Kay from
- Read more: Season’s Greetings from Tall Poppies: The Podcast
Season’s Greetings from Tall Poppies: The Podcast
Dear Listeners, Season’s greetings from the Tall Poppies Project! I hope this message finds you well and immersed in the festive spirit. com?
- Read more: Tall Poppies: The Podcast presents A Poetry Special
Tall Poppies: The Podcast presents A Poetry Special
Poet Alice Millar (Photo Studio Monbijou) Dear Listeners, Thank you for your many emails these last months. Today I am very happy to introduce another special program. This time two terrific poets and musicians – Alice Miller and Matthew McDonald – join the podcast to talk poetry, and ponder music’s curious relationship with the spoken
- Read more: Two New Podcasts: The Life and Music of Alma Moodie
Two New Podcasts: The Life and Music of Alma Moodie
“Of all my students, I like Alma Moodie the best” Carl Flesch, renowned violinist and pedagogue Dear Listeners, Thank you for your emails this last week. It is very gratifying to know that so many of you have enjoyed hearing the first part of Alma Moodie’s story. Today I published the second of the Moodie
- Read more: New Year and New Podcasts
New Year and New Podcasts
Dear Listeners, Happy New Year! Hopefully there is some time for listening this year as I will be publishing two new podcasts about the phenomenal musician, Alma Moodie. Moodie was born in 1898 in Mount Morgan, a small town in rural Australia, but started her violin lessons in nearby Rockhampton.
- Read more: News from the Tall Poppies Project
News from the Tall Poppies Project
Dear Listeners and Salon Guests, This summer seemed to be more precious than ever. With most of us travelling again, we were able to savour being able to move around freely; something that until 2019, we’d just taken for granted. I’ve spent the past months in Australia and in various parts of Europe, visiting family
- Read more: Tall Poppies Newsletter
Tall Poppies Newsletter
A living archive featuring Australian luminaries Dear Listeners, Dear Salon Guests, I hope this finds you all in good health. Thank you for your many emails. Rest assured a new series of podcasts is in production, and hopefully we can resume the Berlin salons very soon.
- Read more: Composer Liza Lim joins Tall Poppies, The Podcast
Composer Liza Lim joins Tall Poppies, The Podcast
Dear Listeners and Salon Guests, I hope this finds you well. This week I’ve published a new podcast featuring the composer Liza Lim. “When I think of Australia, I think of cultural promise.
- Read more: News on Podcast Guests
News on Podcast Guests
Dear Listeners, September 9th was a special day for all of the Tall Poppies team as we hosted our first salon in over a year. Covid restrictions meant the number of guests we could invite was limited, but those attending brought with them mountains of enthusiasm that appropriately reignited the Tall Poppies project after the
- Read more: The Australian Salon Tall Poppies Talk returns
The Australian Salon Tall Poppies Talk returns
“The process of writing poetry is very similar to playing bass” Guest Author Carola Torti (Scroll down for the text in German) “I liked contemporary music from the very beginning,” our guest, Matthew McDonald, 1st solo bassist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, told us at the recent “Tall Poppies” salon on September 9th. The salon,
- Read more: Tall Poppies continue to thrive in 2021
Tall Poppies continue to thrive in 2021
Dear Listeners and Salon Guests, I hope this message finds you safe and well after what has been a challenging year for us all. Thank you for your many emails over the last few months. It is very encouraging to know that so many people enjoy the podcast.
- Read more: New Podcast Series & a German’s take on an Australian Salon
New Podcast Series & a German’s take on an Australian Salon
Dear Listeners, Dear Salon Guests, This week I will be launching the third series of “Tall Poppies: The Podcast”. The series opens with a look back at a few of the guests to date and, in particular, their reflections about what it means to be Australian and the moments when they feel this the most.
- Read more: Tall Poppies Talk: Creative Solutions for Unusual Times
Tall Poppies Talk: Creative Solutions for Unusual Times
Dear Podcast Listeners and Salon Guests , I sincerely hope this finds you all safe and well. A few updates from some of our Tall Poppies who, despite the challenges of the current situation, have been busy. Neuroscientist Matthew Larkum and his team at the Larkum Lab have published several papers in the last few
- Read more: Apologies for superfluous emails
Apologies for superfluous emails
Dear Tall Poppies Subscribers, Our apologies for the numerous emails you may have received over the last days. Fortunately we have been able to fix the problem, and are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you have any further questions please contact us.
- Read more: “Tall Poppies Talk,” a springboard into an unfamiliar world
“Tall Poppies Talk,” a springboard into an unfamiliar world
Dear Listeners, This will be the first of two emails this week, as the next episode of Tall Poppies, The Podcast will be published in the next few days. It features the Berlin Philharmonic musician Stan Dodds who hails from Adelaide. The first Tall Poppies Talk, Australian Salon for 2020 took place a few days
- Read more: Tall Poppies The Podcast, Series II from January 2020
Tall Poppies The Podcast, Series II from January 2020
Dear Listeners, It has been a remarkable year for Tall Poppies, The Podcast. I have been fortunate to be able to welcome phenomenal guests to the programme and we now have over 5,000 listeners tuning in from around the globe. I’ve been busy collecting a new series of interviews over the last months, and in
- Read more: Author Gail Jones, Guest Australian Salon, Berlin
Author Gail Jones, Guest Australian Salon, Berlin
Dear Listeners, A few days back, the Tall Poppies Talk, Australian Salon, welcomed Australian writer and academic, Gail Jones, as the guest of honour. Gail spends a few months each year writing in Berlin. She is the author of two short-story collections and a critical monograph, and her novels include, “Sixty Lights,” “Sorry” “A Guide
- Read more: Tall Poppies: Postcard – Soprano, Joan Sutherland
Tall Poppies: Postcard – Soprano, Joan Sutherland
Dear Listeners, In the third Tall Poppies Postcard, we revisit my interview from 2001 with the great Joan Sutherland, who died in 2010. Not many opera singers could match the achievements of the Australian soprano, Joan Sutherland. Her brilliant career stretched over four decades and the legendary singer was celebrated in opera houses and concert
- Read more: Shannon Barnett, Jazz Musician Extraordinaire on Tall Poppies
Shannon Barnett, Jazz Musician Extraordinaire on Tall Poppies
Dear Listeners, A short note to introduce the latest Tall Poppies, The Podcast, which features the exceptional jazz musician, Shannon Barnett. “New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and the way that that happened was that it really was a melting pot of different cultures… so you had all these amazing influences from different cultures
- Read more: Tall Poppies: Postcard – Animation Writer, Director & Producer, Adam Elliot
Tall Poppies: Postcard – Animation Writer, Director & Producer, Adam Elliot
Dear Listeners, It was back in 2009 that I met with the Academy Award-winning animation writer, director and producer, Adam Elliot, who hails from the Australian state of Victoria. “Every audience terrifies me,” Adam confided, adding “ I think it’s the Australian way to sort of put – you know – put yourself down before
- Read more: Tall Poppies: Postcard – Poet, Robert Gray
Tall Poppies: Postcard – Poet, Robert Gray
Dear Listeners,As it is the European summer, I’ve had time to visit my archives to select a few interviews with renowned Australians I have had the honour of interviewing over the last decades. My first Tall Poppies Postcard features
- Read more: Another successful Tall Poppies Talk Australian Salon, with guest Rhys Martin
Another successful Tall Poppies Talk Australian Salon, with guest Rhys Martin
Dear Listeners, A few days ago we hosted another “Tall Poppies Talk” Australian Salon in Berlin. This time the focus was on the work of the Newcastle (NSW) born dancer, choreographer and educator Rhys Martin. In the course of the evening, Rhys recalled a few highlights from his phenomenal career, which spans four decades and
- Read more: “Tall Poppies Talk,” an Australian Salon, founders David Jackson and Breandáin O’Shea
“Tall Poppies Talk,” an Australian Salon, founders David Jackson and Breandáin O’Shea
Dear Listeners, It has been a busy few weeks for the Tall Poppies project. The first “Tall Poppies Talk,” Australian Salon took place recently in Berlin, where around 40 people attended the event. The guest of honour was oboist, music educator and composer Cathy Milliken.
- Read more: Coming up on Tall Poppies, The Podcast: Siobhan Stagg, Singer
Coming up on Tall Poppies, The Podcast: Siobhan Stagg, Singer
“That was a phone call that changed my life completely,” said singer, Siobhan Stagg, recollecting the day the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra called to ask her to perform “Brahms’s Requiem”. Siobhan Stagg hails from Mildura, a town in the Australian state of Victoria. She initially studied music at Melbourne University and later at the Wales International
- Read more: Cathy Milliken – Musician
Cathy Milliken – Musician
Cathy Milliken – Musician Posted on July 25, 2018 at 5:18 pm by admin Dear Listeners, While Europe has been sweltering through this extraordinarily hot summer, I have been busy meeting more exceptional Australians, who will be joining me on the podcast very soon. Next up on Tall Poppies we will meet the Brisbane-born musician Cathy
- Read more: Philosopher Peter Singer
Philosopher Peter Singer
This week on Tall Poppies, The Podcast: Peter Singer, renowned ethical and political philosopher. “I think that if you look at the history of our species, the story, on the whole, is one of progress. Despite the ups and downs and, of course, despite the appalling things that happened in the mid 20th century… I think
- Read more: Rhys Martin, Dancer, Choreographer & Educator
Rhys Martin, Dancer, Choreographer & Educator
” Dear Listeners, This week’s Tall Poppies Podcast, features dancer and choreographer, Rhys Martin, who hails from Newcastle, New South Wales. A graduate of Sydney University, Rhys initially
- Read more: This Week’s Podcast
This Week’s Podcast
March in Berlin is a busy time for concerts and two major events this week feature Australian performers in their line-up. “Maezmusik, Festival of Times Issues,” is an annual event that invites audiences to experience contemporary music in unwonted formats. The legendary Australian trio, “The Necks”, will make a much-anticipated appearance in “The Long Now,”
- Read more: Welcome to Tall Poppies, The Podcast!
Welcome to Tall Poppies, The Podcast!
Even though I’ve lived away from Australia for close to 30 years, to this day I’m still blown away by the number of expat Australians I’ve come across at the top of their professions. In fact, I’ve wanted to record their stories for a long time and this podcast and blog seem like the perfect
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