Send us Fan Mail “I’m very happy I came from Australia. I think it gives you a down-to-earth outlook. Living here in Vienna, you encounter many people who are quite privileged, having grown up in musical families and playing in string quartets since they were little. I envy them, but I wouldn’t trade my own start for anything.”  Join us as we explore the extraordinary career of Hector McDonald, one of the most celebrated French horn players of our time. From his early days in Australia t...

Trailer - Far from Home, Close to Music

Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson. That Hollywood spotlight ensures that most of us know the name of these celebrity Aussies, but what about those many other Australians who have forged impressive careers around the globe? Artists, academics, sportsmen and women, scientists and no doubt many, many more professions. People like the Melbournian Barrie Kosky, who is today one of the world’s most-celebrated opera directors, conductor Simone Young, who directs international orchestras and Sydney-born singer-songwriter Kat Frankie, a popular performer at top music venues all over Germany. As a journalist working internationally for decades, I’m constantly amazed at the number of Australians – high profile or otherwise – living outside Australia – who have remarkable careers and what’s more, remarkable stories to tell. In Tall Poppies I’ll be sitting down with one of these inspiring Aussies each episode to chat about their work, living abroad and their passage to international success. Of course we will also look at how growing up in Australia influenced them in the past and even today in their work.