Season 4 Episode 5: Celia Craig

In this episode of Legends of Reed, oboist Celia Craig shares her journey of how she accidentally started playing the oboe and fell in love with it. She discusses her experiences as an orchestral player, touring the world and adapting to different cultural expectations. Celia also talks about her memorable concerts, including playing with Leonard Bernstein and the London Symphony Orchestra. She shares her experience of synesthesia, seeing music in colors, and how it enhances her musical performances. Celia explains why she chose to leave the orchestra and start her own recording label, Artaria, and the importance of diversity and mental health in the music industry. In this conversation, Celia discusses her experience with synesthesia and how it influences her music. She shares and describes the colors she sees when playing certain pieces. Celia also talks about her passion for photography and how it helps her relax away from music. She emphasizes the importance of innovation in the classical music industry and breaking barriers between audiences and performers. Celia discusses her efforts to create intimate concert experiences and showcase the skills of musicians in film recordings. She also highlights the need for arts bodies to support independent artists and provide career planning guidance for young musicians. To find out more about Celia, visit her website: https://www.celiacraig.com.au https://www.instagram.com/celiacraigonline/ Legends of Reed is sponsored by Barton Cane, use coupon code, "legendsofreed" for free shipping on https://www.bartoncane.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:54 Discovering the Oboe 04:16 Career as an Orchestral Player 06:05 Cultural Differences in Orchestras 07:27 Memorable Concerts 08:24 Mentored by Leonard Bernstein 09:47 Leaving the Orchestra and Starting a Recording Label 13:07 Synesthesia and Music 18:43 Discovering Synesthesia 21:02 Promoting Diversity and Mental Health 23:00 The Importance of Music and Color in Modern Life 25:23 The Flow State and Synesthesia 26:18 Associating Colors with Music 26:45 Synesthesia and Mental Health 27:14 Perfect Pitch and Synesthesia 28:09 Challenges of Synesthesia 28:37 Synesthesia in Music 29:34 Describing Colors in Music 30:03 Synesthesia Experience with Elgar's Symphony 31:00 Unexpected Performance Experience 32:46 AI-Generated Art and Chamberworks 33:16 Unwinding and Relaxing with Photography 34:13 Innovating the Classical Music Industry 35:07 Intimate Concert Format 36:30 The Power of Live Music 37:28 Recognizing Performers in Film Music 38:24 Importance of Independent Art Scene 39:23 Supporting Independent Musicians 40:18 Teaching Career Planning and Entrepreneurship 42:06 Breaking Barriers and Unmasking Performers 43:03 Connecting Double Reed Players 43:58 Advice for Young Musicians 45:21 Playing in a Relaxed and Flow State 46:16 Practicing in the Dark 49:04 Upcoming Project: Researching Miriam Hyde