Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano on the Hope of Music

Lucy Winkett: Tony, you and I have met a couple of times and, before I was a priest, I trained as a soprano. Do you think musicians can find a particular connection, even if they subsequently pursue other paths?

Sir Antonio Pappano: To make music, there has to be a degree of emotional intelligence. When someone has that quality, you sense it immediately. It has to do with being able to strategise and create a narrative. On top of that, if you’re working with other people, you must be able to listen to what they’re doing, react to it, converse with it, argue with it even.

LW: That’s a great summary of what making music demands. When did you first realise music was your calling? Perhaps I should use the word vocation, given this conversation.

AP: I was encouraged, healthily or unhealthily, to practise the piano. My father was a singing teacher, so I started playing the piano when  I was about six and a half. Later, I began accompanying his voice students, which I did for over 12 years. I vividly remember receiving the brown envelope with the results of my Grade Five piano exam, and I’d passed with distinction. That was the light bulb moment.  I didn’t know specifically what I wanted to do, and conducting wasn’t even remotely an idea. I mean, I was lousy with my hands! But I always knew what I wanted to hear and could articulate it, even if I couldn’t do it with my hands.

LW: I’ve seen you conduct at the Royal Opera House. Recently, you’ve been performing more intimate chamber concerts with the London Symphony. When you’re much  closer to the audience, do you approach conducting differently?

AP: Chamber concerts usually imply that I’m playing the piano. That’s the real business; I do it to keep myself honest. The interpersonal relationship with my musicians is also much more intimate and, from a social aspect, it’s more enriching.

LW: Would you give a solo piano recital, Tony?

AP: I don’t have the nerves for it anymore. My hands tremble at first. I can play the piano quite well, but I do get very nervous because I don’t have that much time to practise when I’m studying new pieces as a conductor. That takes hours of solitary confinement! You don’t want to get up in front of the London Symphony and not know your music.

LW: That brings me nicely to commissioning new music. You’ve been a fantastic friend to  St James’s Church, and we commission a piece every year for our Christmas for All Gala Concert. Where do you think we are in terms of contemporary classical music?

AP: I think any classical music institution will strive to create an honest equilibrium with the old and the new. No institution wants to be called a museum. New music has to have emotional content, because, in my opinion,  not enough of it really hits the heartstrings. Everybody’s trying to be very clever.

LW: Yes, maybe it’s too much head and not enough heart with contemporary music? Alongside the Christmas for All Gala Concert, we host lunchtime concerts supporting around 5,000 musicians every year, with live performance opportunities. They’re free  to attend and we know from talking to our audiences that this free music helps alleviate loneliness in London. For 50 minutes, people can sit as they are and listen to amazing music. How do you see that contributing to our city and society at Christmas?

AP: When I first stepped into St James’s, I knew I was in a very special place. The richness of the music programme is a beacon in this world. It’s a place made for community, and at Christmas, it’s cold outside but warm inside in every possible way. That’s what we need: to come together and embrace each other. That’s what happens at Christmas at St James’s.

LW: If every person who comes through the doors of St James’s this Christmas leaves carrying one thought or feeling with them – particularly about music – what would you say to inspire them to come along and experience it?

AP: You’ve been given the gift of music. Support it, stay with it. It’s not a one- time thing; it’s a life thing. Make it your vocation to support this wonderful initiative. I truly believe that.

LW: That’s so encouraging, thank you. It genuinely helps us carry on! I sometimes reflect that whether it’s the London Symphony or a smaller place like St James’s Piccadilly, keeping a cultural institution going day-to-day means remembering why you’re doing it. We sometimes think of a musical score as silent until we sing it, so we have to keep singing it; otherwise, it remains ink on paper, and that doesn’t serve anybody in the end. Thank you so much, Tony.

The St James’s Christmas for All Gala Concert takes place on 3 December, featuring The Sixteen and Genesis Sixteen choirs, and  the St James’s Chamber Orchestra, plus invited soloists and celebrity readers. Help give a gift of hope this season by making a donation to the St James’s ‘Christmas for All’ Appeal 2026. Visit sjp.org.uk/Christmas