Having just completed one season and preparing for a second, Amal Choucri Catta speaks with , principal conductor of Cairo Symphony Orchestra When he walked onto the podium of Cairo Opera's Main Hall last September for his first concert as principal conductor and musical director of Cairo's Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Lloyd seemed to be experiencing a degree of discomfort. The feeling was visibly shared by members of the orchestra and the audience. Invisible question marks hovered around the stage and in the auditorium. What would the new maestro be like? was no newcomer to the orchestra, though this was his first performance as principal conductor and the instrumentalists seemed unsure whether they should offer him their love or give him hell. Having spent two seasons under the baton of two different conductors, they were in need of someone they could trust and someone who would stay. Or so they said. Little did they know, at the time, of the overwhelming willpower, the formidable strengths lying behind the calm features of the new young maestro. And they knew even less of his ardour and enthusiasm, his captivating wit and extraordinary love of music. They soon, however, discovered, for it did not take long to be appreciated and respected by his orchestra as well as by his audiences. His popularity grew rapidly and his musicians are visibly enthralled by his masterful baton and his excellent musicianship. They are happy he will be staying on for another season, and probably hope he will stay for more. is a brilliant, award-winning conductor who started the piano when he was six. "I hated it," he says, "and begged my father to allow me to stop: my piano teacher had very hairy fingers and they used to frighten me. I thought he was a big monster". Eventually he did stop, only to return to music lessons at the age of 11 and, by 13, had started playing percussion and was a member of his local youth orchestra in Birmingham. "I was 17 when I asked the conductor of the orchestra if I could have a go at conducting, because it was something I had always wanted to try. I had a broken baton which had been given to me by my cousin and which I had been practising with, and as I stood up there it felt like somebody giving me my right arm. It went so well, and from then on I became hooked on conducting." studied conducting at the Birmingham Conservatoire and graduated with an MA. He was given a position with the student orchestra and began to seriously consider a career in conducting. He was appointed principal conductor of the Birmingham Conservatoire junior department. "I then had a position with Exeter University to conduct two orchestras there and then I had my first professional appointment in 2001 in London, and that led to an appointment with the British-Scottish Ensemble, which in turn led to an engagement with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and through three appointments I was offered the job with the Oman Symphony Orchestra. I was there for two years: Mustafa Nagui came over for a concert and invited me to come to Cairo. In the meantime, Cairo Symphony Orchestra invited me to give a concert as guest conductor, in 2003, and that is how my relationship with Cairo began. In 2004 I was asked if I would be interested in becoming principal conductor of the orchestra and I accepted." Remembering his first impression of the orchestra, says: "I was actually pleasantly surprised, I was impressed by the fact that the orchestra had an infrastructure: there was a management, there was a library; it was basically organised, and this was thanks to Thomas Christian David who was an inspirational figure. Doubtlessly the orchestra needs discipline at all times, but it also needs tender loving care. There are times when things are incredibly tense, but there are also times when we have some fun, and as long as both these elements are in, on a weekly basis, that is fine. Regarding the success of the performances, it depends on the quality of music. All I can do is engineer, or motivate or exploit the conditions to allow for a good performance of a piece of music, whether it is a masterpiece, or just a good piece of an adequate standard. I did not compose any of the pieces I conduct, so I cannot take the glory for the success of the performances. My job as conductor is to facilitate the circumstances allowing for a good, successful performance. It has nothing to do with me, or with the musicians of the orchestra, but it has to do with the music itself. I think we are all servants of the music..." Coming from such words are no surprise. His modesty is as palpable as his genuine dedication to music. "I would like to see a large injection of funding for Cairo Symphonists, because orchestras are very expensive, and my ideas really involve elevating the status of the orchestra, not only locally, but nationally and internationally, and doing that is going to cost money. But the orchestra itself can be such a worthy ambassador for Egypt, touring worldwide, creating a reputation not only for itself but for the country and for the region as well. It really can be a great ambassador for the arts and for culture: if we really want to create an orchestra with a big reputation, there has to be a huge increase in funding. I do not know where it will come from, but I am hoping to attract funding from business and trusts and other sponsors. I have ideas and plans in motion to attract funding for the orchestra, because it has to happen. I often say that Cairo is one of the most famous cities in the world, and its symphony orchestra should be as famous. Now it is not, but it should be. I know it is not going to be easy -- opera, symphony, ballet are not popular culture anywhere. Any opportunity I have to promote the opera house and the symphony orchestra, I do. I believe in the place: you can walk around on a busy day and see three different companies functioning: you can watch the symphony orchestra rehearse, you can watch the ballet rehearse and the opera rehearse, and all in the same day. That is phenomenal, and it is happening in Cairo." Lloyd has great hopes for Cairo Symphony Orchestra, and has already started his promotional ventures. This month the orchestra has given concerts in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Hopefully there will be many more such concert-tours to come. "I would like as many people as possible to come to our concerts. Some people think an opera house is only for the elite of society and not for all, which is wrong. I really would like people to come and try us out. This is my message: come, try us out!"
