00:00 Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Greenparks Editor for Sussex Newspapers and it's a huge
00:06 pleasure to speak to Iliad Harris, who is, as of very recently, the Sussex Musician of
00:11 the Year, which is a fabulous achievement. You must be so proud of yourself. How did
00:17 you do it?
00:18 Yeah, it was amazing. I was very, very happy to be awarded with that. I worked for a while
00:27 in the weeks leading up to it with my duo partner, Soo Hong Park, and we were preparing
00:33 the Bartok first Rhapsody. And we really just tried to delve into the music as much as we
00:42 could and figure out what we wanted to say with it. And by the end of our rehearsal time
00:47 together, it felt like we had a really cohesive and strong idea of what we wanted to be putting
00:55 across.
00:56 And you're saying that when you're performing for a competition, you mustn't be thinking
00:59 about the competition, you've got to remain focused and grounded in the music, clearly.
01:04 Yes. I mean, when you leave music college, but also within music college, you're kind
01:11 of constantly auditioning and doing competitions and it's very easy to get lost in the pressure
01:18 of that. And so always returning to what you want to say as a musician feels very grounding
01:25 and very important.
01:26 Yeah. And as you're saying, it's such an important win for so many different reasons, not least
01:31 the fact that Cora and Nuovo, who are organising the competition, will support you, won't they?
01:38 Yes, yes. That was a really amazing part of it. I'm at quite a critical point in my career,
01:47 crucial point. And having just left six years of study at Conservatoire and having any support
01:55 in this time financially is so helpful. I mean, just finding your place in the industry
02:02 can be very difficult.
02:04 But the point is you're out there on your own freelancing now, after all those years
02:10 of supported study.
02:12 Yeah. I thought it was going to be scarier than it has been. It's been more exciting,
02:19 which has been lovely. I work across a number of different orchestras and ensembles and
02:26 chamber groups and it definitely keeps things interesting. It's very changeable in the best
02:33 way though. You never know what each week will kind of bring, which is great.
02:39 Presumably you will always be learning, but was it relief to finish the formal study?
02:45 Yes. In a way, I think I was ready to finish by the time that I did. Six years is a long
02:52 time, but I mean, I still have lessons now. I think with all the musicians that I know
03:00 and actually all the professors that I know from my study, you never stop inquiring into
03:07 what you're doing. I think that's kind of what makes you a musician. So it was a relief
03:13 to have a bit of time to kind of figure out what I wanted to say with my playing and have
03:17 the control, but I won't ever kind of stop that route, I don't think.
03:22 And you were saying you owe a lot of gratitude to the musical opportunities you had back
03:26 in your hometown of Brighton.
03:29 Yeah, definitely. Yeah, Brighton's great for its music service. I was doing orchestras
03:36 and ensembles from seven all the way up to 18 when I played with Brighton Youth Orchestra,
03:44 and it was conducted by Andy Sherwood then. And I had an amazing teacher in Brighton as
03:50 well, Helen Brown, who taught me right from when I was maybe nine or eight all the way
03:55 to 19. He supported me so much, but I feel very indebted to that upbringing I had in
04:03 Brighton. I know that I'm very lucky to have had it.
04:06 And that was a perfect foundation for your formal study later on, clearly.
04:11 Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think it set me up very well. I mean, aside from the technique,
04:20 I just felt like I had a real enjoyment of playing in big ensembles, but also playing
04:25 for myself, and that's really supported me throughout the rest of my study.
04:30 Fantastic. So with all those years of intense study, and now the award, now at Sussex Musician
04:36 of the Year, you are ready, aren't you, to go out there?
04:40 Yeah, I think so. It's been great. I think every year that I'm working will bring new
04:48 challenges and every audition that I do is never easy, and I don't know if it should
04:53 be, but I feel more confident and assured in my playing now, and I feel like I can share
05:02 that with people confidently as well, which is a lovely thing to be able to do, yeah.
05:07 Fantastic. Well, congratulations again on the win. Fabulous achievement, and really
05:12 lovely to speak to you. And good luck with the future. Thank you.
05:15 Thanks.
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