Conductor on her love of period instruments, being name-checked by Cate Blanchett’s character in Tár, and why classical music needs to offer a spectacle

Laurence Equilbey, founder of the Accentus choir and Insula Orchestra, is named by Blanchett’s Lydia Tár as one of the women conductors who paved way for her

Ahead of her ensembles’ performances in the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Equilbey explains how creating a spectacle can bring in new audiences for classical music

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Laurence Equilbey, conductor and founder of the Accentus chamber choir and Insula orchestra. She will lead them in two performances at the 2023 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: Hong Kong Arts Festival

Published: 5:15pm, 4 Feb 2023

Some will disagree, but Laurence Equilbey thinks actress Cate Blanchett did a pretty good job conducting an orchestra in the film Tár.

“I’ve seen it. The first part, the commentary on our business, describing the daily life of the musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic, Cate is superb and credible. She conducts very well I think. Then the thriller sets in.

“I like the fact that she’s hard, neurotic and excessive. At this level of power, men and women are equal. I am also proud that she quotes me!”

For those who haven’t seen the film, Equilbey is one of the names mentioned by Blanchett’s character, Lydia Tár, as she rattles off names of pioneering female conductors who paved the way for her to become the conductor of one of the world’s top orchestras. (Marin Alsop is on the list too, but that didn’t stop her slamming the film, for which Blanchett has an Oscar nomination for best actress.)

Members of the Accentus chamber choir performing. Laurence Equilbey founded the choir in 1991 at the age of 29. Photo: Hong Kong Arts Festival

The big-screen namecheck is a sign of the French conductor’s standing in the world of classical music. The founder of both the Accentus chamber choir in 1991 (when Equilbey was 29) and the Insula Orchestra in 2012 will be leading both ensembles in two performances this month as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival.