Andrew Comben's Gurus

Sir Brian McMaster
Brian’s rigorous Edinburgh Festival programmes over 15 years are example enough, but it is because he is so supportive of people at the start of their careers, so interested in young and emerging artists, and so knowledgeable about almost any area of artistic endeavour that makes his advice and guidance such an honour. I marvel at his enthusiasm for new work and take courage from his insistence that you should see it for yourself and back your own judgment.
 

Adam Pollock
Adam Pollock, who for three decades assembled each year an army of British singers, instrumentalists and production assistants to stage opera in Batignano, took a chance on me and I’m forever grateful for it. Unsure of what use I could be (not strapping enough to be a general assistant, not experienced enough for company manager) but knowing I read music and seemed the organising type he suggested I try Stage Management. Adam had a knack for creating an environment where everybody wanted to work, experiment and achieve things they didn’t know they could. He was always there if things went wrong and encouraged us to improvise solutions
and be as unflappable as he was under fire. It was an ideal training ground.

Colin Graham
Colin was associated with Benjamin Britten and the English Opera Group for so many years, that I was surprised to discover when I became Director of the Britten-Pears Programme in 2001 that he hadn’t been back to Aldeburgh for more than 15 years. His production of ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ at Snape in 2002 with young professional singers and the Britten-Pears Orchestra is still one of my desert island performances for its intensity and commitment. It was particularly in the rehearsal process that I learnt from Colin’s wisdom, humour and compassion. He seemed to know instinctively when a singer would struggle – vocally and theatrically – and he always found a way to guide them toward a better performance without them feeling exposed in front of their colleagues or the audience. He was tough and uncompromising, but in wanting the best results he remained concerned for each individual in the company and their own progression.

Anish Kapoor
Anish accepted my invitation to become Guest Artistic Director of Brighton Festival 2009, and in working together he became mentor, friend and inspiration. Anish’s demands on himself and others are enormous, but always in pursuit of a vision about which he has total certainty. Anish taught me that perfection must always be the aim, that it’s never too late to make it better and that the best response to a good idea is always “why not?”