BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
In this new interview series, we place two musicians side by side to answer questions about their careers and performances — but they don’t get to see each other’s answers until you do.
Together, we discover views about music as they change with time and experience, as well as the many things that unite artists no matter where they are in their careers.
First up, we feature Hamish Gullick and Maxime Bibeau.
Hamish (pictured above) chats with us about his role as an ANAM Musician. The double bassist hails from Sydney, where he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and he has performed with some of the leaders in Australian music — Rubiks Collective, the nation’s major symphony orchestras, and the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra.
As for Maxime, he is the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s principal double bassist — a role he’s taken on since 1998 — and has performed in festivals and orchestras the world over.
The two instrumentalists will unite for nine ANAM and ACO concerts celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday. But first, we team up with ANAM to bring them together for you.
How are you feeling about life in music, at this stage in your career?
HAMISH: Music has taken me so much further than I ever could have imagined. Staring down the canon of Western art music as a daily exercise is incredibly daunting, but I’m excited and optimistic for what the future holds for myself and my career.
There are definitely some challenges that I didn’t expect along the way that were bound to come up when you try to combine passion and an extremely competitive career, but I feel like I have grown into clarity of mind now to set more ambitious goals for myself. Every day, I feel utterly privileged that I get to study at a place like ANAM and have music at the centre of my life, and I hope to continue that way for many years to come.
MAXIME: I guess you may say that I’m now in my mid-career phase. If I were to stop for a moment to take this in, it seems like that first half has simply gone way too quickly!
One has got to have love and dedication for their art, put in some hard work and be self-motivated, know to position yourself, and have good timing or luck for being at the right place at the right moment to have a successful and fulfilling career in music amongst other paths. […] I feel like I need more time to keep going on this journey of discovery, and hope for a longer happy career, still.
ANAM is bringing you together to perform side by side with the ACO. What do you hope to learn from each other — and to share with each other — during this experience?
HAMISH: I want to go in with my eyes and ears open. Of course, with an orchestra like ACO, we are going to be exposed to some dynamic, exuberant and highly skilled playing, but there is obviously so much more that goes into the daily rhythm of an ensemble of that calibre.
It’s hard to imagine as a student what they might learn from us at this point of their careers, but I guess adding new members to an ensemble always has the potential to invigorate the music making process. It’s hard to say when ACO are already so amazing!
MAXIME: I have known Hamish for quite some time: I remember his audition he applied to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, saw him grow in his year there, and more recently taught him at ANAM as a visiting artist.
It will be really nice to connect with him on more level footing on stage through the several performances we have coming up. It will be great to see all that work he has put in over the years, taken out there in a professional context for all to see and hear.
Hamish, what do you most wish to achieve through professional performance experiences like those provided by ANAM, which will set you up for a life in music?
HAMISH: Maturing and streamlining of my creative process to fit into ever-changing parameters of the performing profession.
One of the many things that ANAM does exceptionally well is priming us for the realities of the trade — whether that means learning repertoire in a certain style to match the vision of the ensemble down to managing your performance wardrobe and your food through a tight tour schedule.
Maxime, if you could go back to your days of training and study, what advice would you give yourself to help get you through?
MAXIME: Music, and particularly double bass, was a late discovery for me. Had I known better, starting formal music lessons and classes would definitely have been tremendously helpful.
Early on in my early to mid-teenage years, I knew too little to realise that I actually didn’t know anything at all, and failed to look for the teachers and mentors I really needed. I ended up catching up and made my mark, but I sure that there was quite some time lost there.
What do you think makes for a successful musician?
HAMISH: I think true success as a musician comes when there is a good flow from their emotional intent to the sound they produce; when they are able to bring a freshness to the art they make throughout their career and their ability to collaborate and inspire their colleagues.
I feel that I adhere to these principles most effectively when I have a balance of playing my instrument, spending time on the bike saddle, cooking and eating well, and most importantly a good support network.
MAXIME: I think the musicians I admire the most seem to keep themselves engaged and interested by having many types of projects going on simultaneously or back to back. They are grounded, confident, have strong convictions, but are also open-minded and end up being eternal students in search of the unattainable.
Hamish, you have an incredible background and range of musical interests — from early music with period instruments right through to Western art music! When you rehearse and perform alongside Maxime in the ACO, what are you planning to ask him about (or secretly listen to while you’re by his side)?
HAMISH: There are always things to ask Maxime! He’s an incredibly thorough musician who brings a zen-like approach to bass. It’s so rare in Australia to come across a bassist that almost exclusively plays chamber music, too. I think it allows a creative freedom that his symphony orchestra colleagues rarely experience.
Maxime, in addition to your performance career, you’ve also worked extensively as a mentor and educator. How are you going to show Hamish, and other musicians you’ll perform with, encouragement and inspiration?
MAXIME: During your average teaching or mentoring, you’d be guiding the student by discussing their choice of technical or musical approach, explaining your thoughts on certain topics, and demonstrating passages on the instrument, with the usual back-and-forth of questions and answers as we get further into something.
What we will have this week will be a completely different opportunity to be a team […] Our goal will be to present a strong, warm, and unified voice as one. So you can imagine all the micro-adjustments that will be taking place over the course of the next few days as we find some common ground and push each other.
I’ll be welcoming questions as it may help their progress, and they also may actually be shedding some light on something that I had missed out on!
See Hamish and Maxime along with other ANAM Musicians and the ACO in Beethoven 1, 2 & 3 this February 8-17.
Performances will take place in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Full details and bookings online.
Images supplied.
