EUNICAST: Meet Visionary Europeans

EPISODE 7 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s key Art patrons and Collectors, Catherine Petitgas. Swapping the world of investment banking for a life of art collecting and philanthropy, Catharine is now an art historian and writer. She chairs the International Tate Council, is Vice-President of the Friends of Pompidou Centre and chairs the Fluxus Art Projects. Catharine talks to Joe Lynam about her French identity, the nature of her philanthropy, and whether a post-lockdown world could usher in a new ‘Roaring 20s’ era of creativity. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 29 minutes This episode was prepared with the kind support of the Institut Francais.

EPISODE 6 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s foremost musicians Tomo Keller. Born in Stuttgart to German-Japanese parents, Tomo moved to Vienna in the mid-1980s where he started his formal music training at a young age. He’s since enjoyed a career as a world famous violinist and has held several leadership roles: as Assistant Concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, leader of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and as Director & Leader of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in London. In conversation with Joe Lynam he talks about the influence of Asian culture on his style, the composers and musicians who have left the greatest impression, and what advice he’d give to other Europeans trying to follow in his footsteps. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 31:30 This episode was prepared with the kind support of the Austrian Cultural Forum.

EPISODE 5 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s foremost artists. Lina Lapelytė is a Lithuanian composer, musician and performer. Her work fuses song with performances and art and often deals with challenging issues such as gender, ageing and nostalgia. Her work has been exhibited all over Europe, including the Venice Biennale, the CAC in Vilnius, the BBC Proms, the Echoraum in Vienna, and Holland Festival in Amsterdam. Lina is currently exploring the phenomena of song as an object to explore issues of displacement, otherness and beauty. A wide-ranging conversation with Joe Lynam explores her challenge of gender stereotypes, whether living abroad has driven a focus on displacement, and being both a musician and a rebel. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 30 mins This episode was prepared with the kind support of the Lithuanian Institute

EPISODE 4 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s foremost conductors, Paavo Järvi. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, Paavo is a Grammy award-winning conductor who has worked with orchestras all over the world – most notably in Germany and the United States. He’s currently Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle Orchester-Zürich and NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, Artistic Director of Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Bremen, and the Estonian Festival Orchestra based in Pärnu. Paavo talks to Joe Lynam about how Estonia’s rich musical tradition shaped him and how that Grammy win brought him to the attention of a global audience. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: TBC This episode was prepared with the kind support of the Embassy of Estonia.

EPISODE 3 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s leading historians and an expert in scientific instruments, Dr Silke Ackermann. Born in Germany, she has since lived for more than a quarter of a century in Britain where she became the first female director of Oxford’s History of Science Museum. In conversation with Joe Lynam, Silke revisits her life well lived, and explores the boundaries between cultures, faiths, gender, history and science that have shaped her life and career to date. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 30 minutes This episode was kindly supported by the Goethe Institute.

EPISODE 2 In this episode we meet one of Europe’s best ballet dancers and artistic thinkers. Tamara Rojo is currently the Artistic Director and Lead Principal Dancer at the English National Ballet. Through her illustrious career so far, she has been Principal Dancer at the Scottish Ballet, has danced with the Kirov, Tokyo and Berlin companies, and also at the Scala in Milan. In conversation with Joe Lynam, Tamara challenges the perceived elitism of ballet, recounts the moment her appendix burst during a performance, and talks passionately about the importance of keeping the arts free from nationalism and propaganda. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 28 minutes This episode was prepared with the kind support of the Cervantes Institute.

EPISODE 1 In this first episode we speak with Czech native and one of Britain’s foremost journalists, Sir John Tusa. Best known as a BBC News presenter, John is also an author, historian, arts curator, and music lover. In addition to a successful broadcaster career, he was managing director of the BBC World Service and the Barbican Arts Centre, and chaired University of the Arts London, the Wigmore Hall and the EU Youth Orchestra. Besides what he has learned from his leadership and journalistic experiences, John also talks about his family and Czech heritage, how he balances this with the affinity for his adopted country of the UK, and how to this day he’s kept a sense of what it means to be European despite the turbulence of Brexit. Presented by Joe Lynam Running Time: 39 minutes This episode was kindly supported by the Czech Centre. EUNICAST: Meet Visionary Europeans is a brand new podcast where we catch up with some of Europe’s most talented and respected artists, performers and influencers, and get their opinions on the arts and current affairs as well as their life stories and artistic influences. EUNICAST has been prepared by EUNIC London under the leadership of the Czech Centre. EUNIC stands for the European Union National Institutes for Culture and its goal is to share knowledge and resources in order to promote greater cooperation and develop cultural partnerships between European nations and UK organisations. EUNIC London is a network of cultural institutes and embassies of EU member states based in London. About the EUNICAST: Meet Visionary Europeans Premysl Pela, initiator and leader of the EUNICAST podcast series Director of the Czech Centre and co-President of EUNIC London “The Meet Visionary Europeans podcast series has been on my mind for some time and the execution of Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has just expedited my decision to go ahead with the project. The main objective of the podcast series was to enrich and uplift our spirits through positive and inspirational testimonies and personal life stories of some of the most accomplished personalities, European and British visionaries, as well as to address and debate most pressing issues of our current and in many respects historical times”.

Director of the Czech Centre London and co-President of EUNIC London and the initiator and leader of the EUNICAST podcast series Přemysl Pela introduces a brand new podcast series EUNICAST: Meet Visionary Europeans presenting some of Europe’s most talented and respected artists, performers and influencers expressing their opinions on the arts and current affairs and sharing their life stories and artistic influences. Find out more information at https://bit.ly/Eunicast

EUNICAST: Meet Visionary Europeans is a brand new EUNIC London podcast series presenting some of Europe’s most talented and respected artists, performers and influencers expressing their opinions on the arts and current affairs and sharing their life stories and artistic influences. Presented by BBC journalist Joe Lynam and prepared under the leadership of the Czech Centre London. More info here: https://bit.ly/Eunicast