You have been involved with Street Orchestra Live since 2019. Can you tell us a little bit about this project and its importance?
I joined as Assistant Conductor in 2019 and then became the Artistic Director in 2021. Street Orchestra Live’s slogan is ‘music for everyone, anywhere’. The passion and the heart of the organisation is to bring orchestral music to people who can't access it. We go into care homes, schools, prisons and hospitals as well as unexpected public spaces such as shopping centres, beaches and parks. We’re trying to surprise people with orchestral music when they least expect it – something to impact someone's day and catch them unawares – in a good way! Half of the programme is Western classical music and we also commission new pieces. The other half is in every other genre we can manage to get our hands on, and we work closely with arrangers and orchestrators to do that.
I love having that up-close interaction with audiences and seeing how people respond to the orchestra in that setting. I remember we were playing in a playground and the children were on the climbing frames and people were just chatting. I think people can engage and connect more freely with music when they're feeling comfortable. It always roots me back to why it is I make music. Ultimately, it’s to offer something to people in the hope that it impacts them in some way.
Tell us a little bit more about the day-to-day life of being a conductor.
This week I'm at home and I'm score studying. When I have a week off, I really try and focus and prepare scores for upcoming projects. I feel like I'm most productive in the morning. I wake up, get myself a good start to the day by not going on any screens or doing anything that would distract me. I always have an idea of what element I'm going to focus on that day. I think more in an interpretational way about the piece, so I listen to some recordings and really get into the details. I'm working on the piece for the BBC Proms and currently reading the Gertrude Stein book that the piece is based on. I try and work through pieces methodically. In the afternoon I keep my diary free for meetings and some admin. I live really near the beach, and I always try and go for a cycle to get some sunshine. Being a conductor is a bit like being an athlete, both in the physical sense but also the mental sense. I try to keep my brain and my head space as healthy as possible.
When I’m rehearsing it depends on what the orchestra’s schedule is. For a performer the end goal is the concert but for me the biggest pressure point is the first rehearsal. Once that is done, I can focus on the orchestra I've just heard and how I can tailor my study to them, constantly thinking about what direction we need to move in to progress.
Can you tell us about a career highlight so far?
Back in October, I conducted in Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw for the first time. I worked with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra doing Beethoven’s Symphony No 7, which was just a dream come true. It was one of the first pieces I worked on at the Academy with Sian Edwards. I remember the audience was completely full. It’s such a beautiful hall and space. I'd spent the previous season as the Assistant Conductor with the orchestra and really got to know them. In a way, it was just an hour of making beautiful music with a group of friends who happen to be world-class musicians. It was also my birthday, so it was quite amazing.
What did studying at the Academy bring to your career?
I was so lucky to be taught by Sian Edwards, who is an extraordinary and very inspiring conductor and teacher. There is so much that she taught me that I find myself leaning on now, and I always want to message her and just say thank you. Sian has the most amazing conducting technique and because of her, I've gained so much confidence in my ability to be clear and expressive when communicating with an orchestra.
It was also amazing to be surrounded by so many fantastic musicians, and getting to work with the orchestra was always brilliant. The friendships I made at the Academy are still with me now and are some of the most mutually supportive.
Do you have any favourite memories that stand out from your time at the Academy?
I had such a lovely time working on the opera scenes. It was wild to get to do that on stage, all of us together. I also got to meet some amazing conductors: Mark Elder, John Wilson, Trevor Pinnock and Edward Gardner. It was extraordinary to be around all of those musical minds.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow a similar career path to you?
I conducted for the first time at Junior Academy. I first joined as a flute player, that was my first study, but we were also able to take part in conducting classes. I think it was getting the opportunity to just try it that ultimately led me to it. My best advice is, if it's something you're passionate about, get people around you who also want to make music and just do it – it’s the best way you can learn. Of course, at some point you're going to want someone professional who can teach you some technique. However, a mixture of both is great so you can get yourself into it and just enjoy yourself.
How does it feel to be performing at the BBC Proms?
It's exciting. It hasn't really hit me yet. I think it's going to feel quite surreal when I'm in the Royal Albert Hall. When I was 13, my local music centre did a concert there and I don't think I ever thought I'd be conducting there. It’s a big honour. I know how much this festival means, not just in the UK but also internationally. I've had a lovely relationship with the London Sinfonietta over the past couple of years, so it’s a huge privilege to be able to work with them on this piece.
Do you prepare for something like the BBC Proms differently to how you would approach another concert?
I would say that the approach doesn't change for me. The acoustic is something we're having to think about and there are technical requirements with this piece which adds an extra element. But in terms of the actual musical preparation, it doesn’t change. The only thing I would say is as I have entered deeper and deeper into the musical world, the expectations I have of myself get higher.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you're particularly excited about?
All of the projects I'm doing with the residency in The Hague next season. I'm also making my Garsington debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra next summer, which is a dream come true. I'm also super excited about making my debut with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in January. There are quite a few big debuts coming up, so I’m really honoured to get to work with these orchestras.
On Friday 9 August, Chloe makes her debut at the BBC Proms, leading Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and London Sinfonietta in a performance of Heiner Goebbels’s Songs of Wars I Have Seen.