Today I’m talking with Christopher Widauer, CEO of AMS and former Head of Digital Development at Vienna State Opera. Christopher has a wide-ranging career, with a speciality in all things digital. This includes the introduction of 2,100 tablets for interactive infotainment and seatback subtitling in Vienna, consulting for organisations like Cairo Opera and Teatro alla Scala on their digital transformation, and being involved with the digital sheet music app Newzik

We talked a LOT about digital covering a lot of bases, including how to bring your audience and organisation with you when innovating, the death of Google, the role of artists in the digital age, and of course, AI.

This chat was recorded at the Classic Violin Olympus in Dubai, talking with jury member Marios Papadopoulos. Marios is a conductor and pianist who founded the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998.

Founding an orchestra is no easy thing, so I was really interested to hear the journey from idea to an orchestra performing 40 concerts a year. With a lot changing since 1998, I was also fascinated to hear how the orchestra has adapted over the years.

We also talked about how the role of musicians has changed over the years, and Marios’ thoughts on the skills that soloists need to thrive.

Today’s episode is a little bit different. This is an impromptu in-person interview pianist Denis Kozhukhin that we managed to squeeze in at the InClassica festival in Dubai.

We talked about his hopes for humanity and how music plays a part in it, the role of competitions and advice for musicians in making the most of them even if they don’t win, reconnecting with audiences, and the challenge of being able to appreciate art when it is instantly accessible

Guest: Denis Kozhukhin