{"id":40,"date":"2015-09-24T11:44:42","date_gmt":"2015-09-24T10:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/188.166.168.151\/2015\/09\/24\/interview-with-toby-thatcher\/"},"modified":"2020-05-20T19:43:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T18:43:26","slug":"interview-with-toby-thatcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/interview-with-toby-thatcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Toby Thatcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week Zoe sat down with the globe-trotting conductor and oboist Toby Thatcher<\/a> to discuss his origins in Oz, his love affair with London, and partying to Prokofiev!<\/strong><\/p>\n

What’s the music scene like in Sydney? Is it very different to London?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s quieter for sure. There’s less going on, but the standard is very high, and I think people forget that, because Australia is so far away and it’s isolated from the rest of the world. With the exception of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Australian orchestras don’t tend to get a look-in. At Sydney Symphony we usually do a programme a week and rehearse for much longer than any London orchestra. It’s laid back, but in a positive way, so while we perform at a similar level, the ethos couldn’t be more different from London.<\/p>\n

What was your experience of playing with the Australian Youth Orchestra?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I played the oboe there, and I travelled to Europe with them on an international tour two years ago. We played in the Concertgebouw and the Konzerthaus in Berlin, which was amazing! I\u2019ve continued my orchestral playing around London since I moved here for my MA at the Royal Academy of Music.<\/p>\n

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The Australian Youth Orchestra at Berlin Konzerthuas in 2007<\/center>A while back you participated in the Symphony Australia Young Conductor Development Programme. How did you find it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s going back a long way… I was in my second year as an undergrad, so I would\u2019ve been 19 or 20. I was given the opportunity to travel round Australia and New Zealand conducting professional orchestras. All the ensembles I worked with were incredibly receptive and, for someone who hadn’t really conducted before, it was a great way to begin.<\/p>\n

So did that develop your conducting style?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope so! The orchestra members, many of whom I knew through the Australian would come up to us during the breaks and advise us on how we could improve. This was my first professional exposure, and it was terrifying and reassuring all at the same time. There aren’t many people that, within a year of having first picked up a baton, can be conducting a professional orchestra.<\/p>\n

So was it difficult moving to London, away from your family?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not at all, no. I’m not sure what the most diplomatic way of saying this is… I’m an only child, and I quite enjoy my own company, so I had no problems moving to the city. Also my parents are both English, and I have a lot of family in London. In fact, I have more family here here than I did in Sydney. So the whole experience was amazing, and I still utterly love London. It’s my favourite city in the world, by quite a long way.<\/p>\n

Were you studying both oboe and cor anglais at the Royal Academy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, both. It’s sort of compulsory at the Academy that everyone has to play both. I initially went there on the oboe, but I also played the cor anglais. I love playing cor anglais; it’s a beautiful instrument, and it has far fewer technical obstacles than oboe. I had the most amazing oboe teacher who helped me get work with the Philharmonia and the Royal Philharmonic. I went on to tour with the Royal Philharmonic to Paris which was great. So until a year ago I was basically an oboist who conducted.<\/p>\n

You’ve been invited to apply for a couple of very good orchestras as a conductor. What’s the auditioning process like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I auditioned for the assistant job at the Bournemouth Symphony while I was still at the Academy. I got to the final four, but they gave it to someone else. It was the first audition I had ever done and so I was thrilled to even get to that point. Sydney Symphony Orchestra was a slightly different procedure – they invited me to apply and I went over to audition. Though I still apply for masterclasses and competitions, since then most of my work seems to come through word of mouth. I\u2019ve been invited to conduct the Sinfonieorchester Basel in 2016 which I\u2019m looking forward to.<\/p>\n