Crump's Classical Conversation

Crump's Classical Conversation

Join Bryan Crump, RNZ Concert host, singer & choir director as he shares the love of classical music with guests from Aotearoa & around the world. It's a classical conversation in more ways than one.

Episodes

June 23, 2026 18 mins

American conductor Mark Russell Smith is the leader of probably the largest band coming to Aotearoa this year; the 126 strong Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestra from Minnesota.

Watch that bit of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Bryan and Mark were raving about.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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Mark as Played

Young Dunedin violinist Skyla Murray decided to do her university study in Finland and it's paying off. She spoke to us about all day sun, saunas, Finnish small talk (they don't do it) and making wonderful music.

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Mark as Played
June 18, 2026 17 mins

Tui Mamaki shares her love of Bulgarian song with her all female choir Medena, recorded in RNZ's Auckland studio.

Medena sings a song of Bulgarian independence here.

Medena performs a song about getting married here.

Medena sings to the mountains here.

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Mark as Played
June 16, 2026 28 mins

Australian baritone James Clayton is a jack of all trades. He took time out from opera to drive a truck during the Covid pandemic. Luckily for opera lovers he's back singing, including performing the title role in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, with NZ Opera.

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Mark as Played
June 14, 2026 21 mins

New York pianist Kelly Moran sometimes performs on a "prepared" piano. That's when you put nuts and bolts on the strings to change the sound. She's no slouch with digital pianos either. Kelly spoke to us ahead of her tour of New Zealand.

Listen to Kelly's music and check out tour dates here

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Mark as Played
June 11, 2026 24 mins

Sensors that transform chemical changes in rotting fruit into sound and recordings of birdsong made with machines used in mineral prospecting are part of the latest exhibition at New Plymouth's Len Lye Centre. Anna Briers is the curator.

Read more about the exhibition here.

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Mark as Played
June 9, 2026 16 mins

In late 2024, the New Zealand music scene mourned the death of Hamilton composer Martin Lodge. Eighteen months later, his partner Dr Gail Pittaway talks about the tribute album, Aeon, featuring music by his composing friends.

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Mark as Played
June 7, 2026 18 mins

Li Wei Qin was born in China, grew up in Australia and now lives in Singapore. He took time out from a tour of Aotearoa to tell us how living in different cultures has broadened his approach to music making.

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Mark as Played
June 4, 2026 23 mins

Much of the music our orchestras play is by men, but that's changing - slowly. Yvonne New tells us about the balance of male verses female composers in the programming of two of our top orchestras, from 1980 to 2024.

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Mark as Played
June 2, 2026 20 mins

Electricity sparked up the career of the originally acoustic musician Jess Chambers. Now the Arts Foundation's provided her with a springboard to move into the musical world of TV and film.

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Mark as Played
May 28, 2026 20 mins

War is making a comeback, but Little Bushman guitarist Joe Callwood is taking a stand with his latest project, an online "politics free" musical collaboration dedicated to peace.

You can get on board Joe Callwood's Peace Ensemble here.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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Mark as Played
May 26, 2026 22 mins

Tane Upjohn-Beatson is a composer and arranger turning Shayne Carter's rock songs into orchestral masterpieces.

Shayne Carter plays Crystalator live at Wellington's Bodega Bar.

Listen to Tane's arrangement of Shayne Carter's Crystalator.

The NZSO plays Tane's arrangement of Waiting Game.

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Mark as Played
May 24, 2026 22 mins

Officially retired from teaching music at Otago University, Anthony Ritchie has no plans to stop writing it. Finishing his seventh symphony is one of his projects. He'll also have time to exercise his other great skill, playing croquet. Anthony's a former NZ representative.

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Mark as Played
May 21, 2026 18 mins

Normally the double basses are at the back of the stage, but the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Principal Bass Joan Perarnau Garriga is about to have a moment in the spotlight when he plays a solo in a performance of Mahler's 1st Symphony.

Watch the double bass solo in Mahler's 1st Symphony here.

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Mark as Played
May 19, 2026 24 mins

If music is our first language, then our first language lessons should begin in the womb. Educator Julie Wylie talks about the importance of musical play, not just for young children, but their parents too.

Read information on Julie's approach to musical play here.

The music used in this podcast is Julie Wylie's own; “Rock-a-Bye Blues”, and “Bop it in the Rocket”, published by Sing and Play recordings. More in...

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Mark as Played
May 17, 2026 22 mins

The young cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, one of the stars of Harry and Meghan's wedding, is coming to New Zealand later this year. I spoke to him about three of the things that matter in his life: football, his very musical family, and music.

Watch Sheku play during Harry and Meghan's wedding.

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Mark as Played
May 15, 2026 21 mins

Want to get your kids into classical music? Try TwoSet Violin. Brett Yang and Eddie Chan have almost four and a half million followers on YouTube and over nine million across all social media (with an average age not far from 19). We spoke to one half of TwoSet Violin, Brett Yang, about bringing their live show to New Zealand.

TwoSet Violin react to the "fastest" violinist in the west.

Watch TwoSet Violin explain why playing the viol...

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Mark as Played
May 14, 2026 22 mins

His career is on the rise, so is his latest role. Christchurch singer Jared Holt was once a Mobil-Song Quest winning baritone, now he's a heroic tenor. Holt talked to us about his upcoming gig, in which he plays a bloke dying and going to Heaven - almost.

Watch Elgar's Dream of Gerontius here

Find out about Singfest.

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Mark as Played
May 12, 2026 22 mins

At a time when racial and religious division is on the rise - around the world and in her home country - UK composer Roxanna Panufnik is on a mission to find common ground. NZTrio is taking one of her works on its latest tour of Aotearoa.

Listen to "Around Three Corners" by Roxanna Panufnik.

Check NZTrio's tour dates here.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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Mark as Played
May 10, 2026 25 mins

Welshman Aled Jones is that rare thing, a hit singer both before and after his voice broke. You might know "Walking on Air" from his boyhood days, but he's continued to enjoy chart success since. We spoke to him shortly after he arrived on his first tour of Aotearoa.

Watch Aled Jones bridge his own generation gap here

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Mark as Played

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