Ep019:

Adventures of a Modern Maestro

A phone call, a private jet, and a destination so secret no one would say it out loud—followed by an accidental insult to a billionaire, forced vodka shots, a sinking stage, and a world-class singer arriving by helicopter. That’s just one chapter in conductor Robert Emery’s wildly unconventional career. But behind the chaos is a deeper insight into what a conductor really does: shaping pace, colour, and emotion so a hundred musicians move as one.

From talking his way into conducting a major orchestra as a teenager to leading performances after national tragedy, Robert shows how music becomes both craft and medicine. Whether he’s calming an audience in grief or making classical music more accessible—sometimes with a tux, sometimes with a lightsaber—his mission is simple: open the door wider. This episode blends backstage chaos with a fresh case for why orchestral music still matters.