Countercurrent: Conversations With Professor Roger Kneebone

Geoff Brown is Education Services Coordinator at Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court in central London. He trained as an actor before moving to the world of the law and now has a particular interest in advocacy training for those at the start of a legal career - especially the Moot. In this conversation we explore Geoff's many skills and interests, including improv theatre and stand-up comedy.

Lucy Skilbeck studied drama in Australia before coming to the UK in the 1980s and establishing herself as a director and teacher. For ten years she was Director of Actor Training at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in London. She is also Founder and Director of Being With Horses, where she offers equine-facilitated actor training and coaching. In this extended (2 hour) conversation we explore how her work in the theatre and with horses intersects with my own experiences in clinical practice and academia. https://www.rada.ac.uk/about-us/acting-teaching-staff/lucy-skilbeck/ https://beingwithhorses.co.uk

The distinguished barrister Angus McCullough KC has over 35 years of experience in public and private law. He has played a prominent role in many high profile cases - such as the phone hacking trial with Rebekah Brooks and proceedings against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (otherwise known as Tommy Robinson).  Alongside his work as a barrister he has recently been appointed as a part-time judge of the Courts of Appeal in Jersey and Guernsey. Angus has many other interests, especially concerning the natural world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and he keeps bees.  https://www.1cor.com/london/barristers/angus-mccullough-kc/

Hamish Brown is a pianist, composer and arranger with many strings to his bow. I first encountered Hamish in his capacity as collaborative pianist during a teaching session for Masters students in conducting at the Royal College of Music, where he is a staff accompanist. Hamish has collaborated with many leading singers as well as performing as a soloist across the world and as an orchestral keyboard player. His work spans multiple genres, including classical, jazz, musical theatre and choral work. http://hamishbrown.org/biography

Nick Gold is managing director of the speaker bureau Speakers Corner. He works with clients to provide suitable speakers for corporate events and other gatherings, drawing on his extensive panel of contributors. In this podcast we discuss parallels with other kinds of live performing, including clinical consultations and scientific presentations at conferences.  https://www.speakerscorner.co.uk/meet-the-team/nick-gold

David Juritz started playing the violin at the age of five. After winning the Royal College of Music's top award he joined the English Chamber Orchestra before becoming the Leader of the London Mozart Players - a role he held for seventeen years. He is well known for his recordings, including Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin and Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and for his work with the London Tango Quintet. His recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, transcribed for violin, guitar and cello, was released in 2021. In this conversation we explore the many intersecting strands of his professional career. https://davidjuritz.com/biography/

Rob Ryan studied Fine Art at Trent Polytechnic and specialised in printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London. For many years he has worked from his London studio. He has written and illustrated several books and he is particularly well known for his papercuts, which are instantly recognisable. In this conversation we explore the process by which he creates and executes his designs.  https://robryanstudio.com/about/ https://shop.robryanstudio.com

Roberto Trotta is Professor of Theoretical Physics at SISSA, the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, where he directs SISSA's Interdisciplinary Lab. He's also Visiting Professor in Astrostatistics at Imperial College London. His most recent book Starborn: How the stars made us and who we would be without them was published in 2023 and has received widespread acclaim.  In this conversation we discuss how Roberto's work as a physicist and data scientist complements his work in science communication, and explore his concerns about the impact of current technological developments on the nature of our lives as humans. https://robertotrotta.com

Dr Elisa Cunial trained as a psychotherapist and practised for many years in London. She now works in Trieste, Italy as a counselling psychologist and ecotherapist. In this podcast we discuss the nature of her work and explore her ideas for expanding the boundaries of her current practice.  

Taslim Martin is an artist whose work takes many forms, including portraiture, design and site-specific works for public spaces. He lives and works in London, exhibits internationally and has works in the permanent collection of the British Museum and the Horniman Museum. In this conversation we discuss how his career has unfolded and explore some of the influences which have helped to shape it.  https://taslimmartin.com

Sarah Hart is a mathematician whose research focuses on group theory.  She is Professor Emerita at Birkbeck and Provost of Gresham College. In this podcast we explore her fascination with patterns, both in mathematical thinking and in the physical world. Sarah is well known for her ability to connect with a wide range of public audiences and she is passionate about exploring parallels between mathematics, language, art, history and music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_B._Hart

Neal Peres da Costa is Professor of Historical Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he founded the Historical Performance division in 2007. Before that he held academic posts in the UK.  Neal is an expert on performance on historical keyboard instruments including the harpsichord. Alongside his work as a soloist, chamber and continuo musician performing with leading ensembles across the world, he is fascinated by the processes of historical and contemporary recording. In this conversation we explore how insights from the past can inform current practice, whether in music or medicine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Peres_Da_Costa

Per Palmgren is Associate Professor in Medical Education at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden where he is the director of doctoral studies at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics. In addition to his work as an academic, Per is an award-winning ballroom dancer who has represented his country many times. He also teaches and adjudicates in dance competitions. In this conversation we explore these different instances of performing. https://ki.se/en/people/per-palmgren

Professor Ian Walmsley is Provost of Imperial College London and Chair in Experimental Physics. He has a distinguished career as a researcher, both in the UK and overseas. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and has many awards and honours, including a CBE.  Ian has a specialist interest in quantum information processing and leads a research group in this field. He is about to step down from his role at Imperial and take on the leadership of the Oxford Quantum Institute. In this podcast we explore what quantum computing is and how non-specialists like me might think of it.  https://www.imperial.ac.uk/about/leadership-and-strategy/provost/about-the-provost/

Dr Deborah Safron is a sociologist and independent scholar who was brought up in America. As part of her research she is documenting the now abandoned practice of 'reading vacations' at Oxford University, and exploring how long-form reading might be revived - both for young people and those in retirement. We discuss how these ideas might help disadvantaged young people to experience intensive reading as they study, complementing the role of AI. 

Dave Stachowiak is an expert in leadership. He established and directs the Coaching for Leaders Academy in the USA, drawing on his experience with Gale Carnegie and his doctorate in organisational leadership. He started his weekly podcast Coaching for Leaders in 2011 and recently invited me to take part in an episode. In this conversation we explore the nature of leadership before comparing notes on our experiences in podcasting. https://coachingforleaders.com My conversation with Dave on his podcast: https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/teach-your-expertise-roger-kneebone/

Charles Hayter is a radiation oncologist, author and playwright. After an early career studying and teaching drama, Charles changed direction and became a medical student. He was inspired by radiation oncology’s combination of technological precision with the human experience of patients coming to terms with cancer. His book Cancer Confidential was published in 2022. In this podcast we compare our experiences within and beyond the world of medicine. https://charleshayter.com/ Cancer Confidential: Backstage Dramas in the Radiation Clinic (University of Toronto Press, 2022)

Rachel Vickery is a human behaviour and high performance consultant. Initially an international gymnast on the New Zealand National Team, she retired from athletics at the age of nineteen. She trained as a physiotherapist and gained extensive clinical experience before specialising in supporting people from a wide range of high pressure professions and fields - including medicine, sport, the military and law. Rachel’s approach integrates physical, mental and emotional dimensions. In this podcast we discuss our shared fascination in looking across conventional disciplinary boundaries. https://rachelvickery.com

Sophie Yates is a distinguished harpsichordist - recitalist, broadcaster, recording artist and teacher. We first recorded a Countercurrent conversation in 2017. In this podcast we explore Sophie’s ability to listen with forensic accuracy in her world of music - and compare this with the role of listening in clinical practice and other areas of performing. 

Ashley Solomon is Head of Historical Performance and Professor at the Royal College of Music. He is a baroque flute and recorder player who has performed as a soloist all over the world. He co-founded the baroque ensemble Florilegium in 1991. Since then they have made over 35 recordings and performed all over the world, including almost a hundred appearances at London’s  Wigmore Hall. Ashley has been working with indigenous musicians in Bolivia for over twenty years, uncovering and exploring a baroque  musical tradition dating back to the Jesuit missions in the 17th century.  https://www.rcm.ac.uk/hp/professors/details/?id=01414