PATHMAKER | Sérgio Pires on the many stages of artistry
From Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra to a multifaceted life in music, Sérgio Pires has built a career across worlds. Artist Playbook caught up with Pires to talk about artistry as a lifelong processof curiosity, growth, and reinvention. You’ve lived and worked across Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, and the UK. How has that shaped […]
THE LONG GAME | Andrea Scaffardi on building a life in music
Principal Clarinet of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic, Andrea Scaffardi, is redefining what it means to lead a career that bridges artistry, education, and entrepreneurship. Through The Practice Club and The Long Game, Scaffardi helps musicians decode the habits and mindsets that power a sustainable life in music. What has serving as Principal Clarinet of the Bergen […]
SCORE CARD | Pianist David Kadouch on the absurd nuances of artistry
French pianist David Kadouch has built a career at the intersection of top-tier musicianship and absurdity. A celebrated soloist and chamber musician, Kadouch is also one of classical music’s sharpest observers of its own culture. Artist Playbook caught up with Kadouch to talk about the rituals, pressures, perfectionism, and comedy that shape an artist’s life. […]
SOUND BRIDGE | Pablo Barragán on music as a meeting point
Spain’s Pablo Barragán is one of the leading clarinetists of his generation. Through albums like Boundless and Balagan, and as Principal of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, he approaches music as a bridge. Artist Playbook caught up with Barragán to talk about the connecting power of sound. “Stay true to yourself and let the music speak.” […]
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE | Natalie Di Luccio on bridging Opera and Bollywood
It all started on Youtube. Toronto-born soprano Natalie Di Luccio began posting covers of Bollywood film songs online.The videos caught the attention of A.R. Rahman, Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire composer. The rest is Bollywood history. Di Luccio went on to tour with A. R. Rahman, get spotlighted on South Asia’s top music platform, Coke Studio, and […]
PRACTICE EFFECT | Callum Smart on the future of becoming a better player
Callum Smart burst into the spotlight through the Menuhin Competition. Since then, he has built a career spanning performance, entrepreneurship, and education. Artist Playbook caught up with Smart to talk about the future of how musicians learn. “The most important quality in the practice room is curiosity.” What made you interested entrepreneurship alongside music? Problem-solving […]
FANTASIES | Zlatomir Fung on giving melodies new voice
Zlatomir Fung burst onto global stages as the first American cellist to win the Tchaikovsky Competition. His debut album, Fantasies, reimagines opera through the lens of the cello. Artist Playbook caught up with Fung to talk about the search for meaning beyond technique. You grew up in a family of mathematicians. What pulled you towards […]
BORDER SONG | Adrian Angelico on bringing the Sámi voice to concert stages
Adrian Angelico is a Sámi-Norwegian opera singer bringing Indigenous voice, language, and memory to global stages. For Angelico, singing in Sámi is more than performance. It is a way of making an ancestral culture visible on stages that once shut it out. “Sami culture is not something from the past. It is still here.” What […]