Ep. 35: Sir Simon Keenlyside

*All Talking Classical podcasts formerly on SoundCloud redirected to Anchor.* In this podcast, we'll be "zooming in" with Sir Simon Keenlyside, one of the most distinguished baritones, maintaining a top-level career in the major opera houses and concert halls around the world. We start off by talking about what Simon and his family have been doing during this lockdown period. We then share some thoughts about the importance of supporting and financing the arts during this current pandemic (in this podcast, we're talking about the present situation in Great Britain). Alongside his intense passion for music and opera, Simon talks about his deep love of nature and some of his other interests including art and poetry. We also find about his journey into music (and experience as an ex-runner), which leads to an interesting discussion on some of the challenges of being a top-level performer. For him, this includes the difference between being a singer and an artist. He reflects on the highs and lows of an elite performing musician, and offers some invaluable advice on navigating these. Additionally, Simon shares some of his thoughts on attention and personality among performers; that some artists enjoy the limelight but someone like him wants to be focused on the work. However, he recognises that he can be extremely different on stage and this is not the person he is in real life. The facets of a person that can be moulded over time contribute to who performers are. He feels that being left-handed has influenced his artistry and creativity (a distinct characteristic of left-handed people)but he tries not to read too much into this! Finally, I ask that question...what it was like getting the knighthood? Many thanks to Simon for taking the time to talk especially for this podcast and his team at Askonas Holt (Joel Thomas, Sophie Dand and Imogen Taylor) for helping to arrange this recording! Podcast published 31 July 2020; interview recorded 27 July 2020. Simon's bio: https://www.askonasholt.com/artists/simon-keenlyside Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. *Amended - The marmots can be found in the Whipsnade Downs at Whipsnade Zoo, which is near Dunstable.*