Passing Notes: An AYO Podcast | Jessica Fotinos

In the first episode of Passing Notes, we sit down with Australian harpist Jessica Fotinos. Now Principal Harp with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Jessica’s artistic practice has taken her across the globe, living and performing in Germany, completing residencies in Canada and France, and even joining a new orchestra in China as their first ever Principal Harpist. The episode dives into Jessica’s experiences developing her craft here in Australia, her interest in contemporary music, living and working overseas, and what things have been like returning home. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Created by harpist-composer and 2026 AYO Media & Communication Fellow, Passing Notes is a podcast which aims to demystify, debunk and explore the diversity of a career in classical music performance. As young performers in Australia, there can often be the idea of a ‘right way’ to go about pursing a successful career in classical performance—a formula or ‘golden path’ which young musicians might feel pressure to conform to. Throughout this miniseries, we learn how in reality, no two pathways look the same. By entering the worlds of some of Australia’s leading performers and artistic thinkers, we hear about what their journey has looked like navigating a career in classical performance. ----------------------------------------------------------------   Music included in this episode: “Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue” No. 7 from Mondrian Interiors by Stuart Greenbaum (2007). Jessica Fotinos, solo harp; musicians of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), (2016). “Vienna, 1886” No. 3 from The Lost Art of Letter Writing by Brett Dean (2006). Frank Peter Zimmermann, solo violin; Jonathan Nott, conductor; Sydney Symphony Orchestra, (2013). 9 Candles for Dark Nights by Stuart Greenbaum (2005). Jessica Fotinos, harp, (2016). “Composition Chequerboard, Dark Colours” No. 5 from Mondrian Interiors by Stuart Greenbaum (2007). Musicians of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), (2016).