Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Digitally Curious Today, something that has nothing to do with AI. It's a tale that sounds like it was pulled straight from a Hollywood script, but it's real. Imagine this You're enjoying a quiet evening with friends, sipping wine and catching up. The next morning, your phone rings and within hours, you're on stage at the Sydney Opera House performing Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony in front of a sold-out audience, live-streamed to the world and recorded for a global release. Oh, and you've never sung the full piece before. This is exactly what happened to mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble in July 2022. Her story is one of courage under pressure, quick thinking and trusting your instincts when everything feels impossible.

Speaker 2: 0:49

In her, own words, this is madness.

Speaker 1: 0:52

I had never seen, heard or sung the last part of the symphony, but she did it, and what followed was an unforgettable night that became part of the history of one of the world's most iconic venues. In this episode, deborah takes us behind the scenes of that whirlwind day, from rummaging through a garbage bag for an old concert dress to navigating the chaos backstage at the Opera House. She shares how she overcame self-doubt and leaned into her years of experience to pull off what seemed impossible. Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation about what it means to rise to the occasion when life throws you into the deep end. This is Deborah Humble's Mahler moment.

Speaker 2: 1:37

The chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, simone Young. She was talking to the mezzo-soprano from America and Michelle's voice alarmed her at this function. It was talking to the mezzo-soprano from America and Michelle's voice alarmed her at this function. It was hoarse. She was so alarmed that she was heard to say we need Debbie. Get me Debbie right now. My telephone rang how would you like to sing the mezzo-soprano solo in Marla tonight? She said look, there's no time to explain. Let me be honest. It's you or nothing. It was a day in July 2022 and I was up in Brisbane. And I was up there because in a couple of months time, I was going to sing the mezzo-soprano solo in Marla's third symphony and the conductor, simon Hewitt, had asked me to go up and do a little bit of pre-publicity and run through the score with him, and I was very happy to do that and doubly delighted because Simon was a friend of mine and I hadn't seen him for many years. We knew each other from being contracted at the Hamburg State Opera. At the same time, I was a contracted mezzo-soprano principal and Simon was actually Simone Young's assistant conductor and I was very friendly with him and his wife and I had never met their children. I hadn't seen them for a long time, so it was a very nice opportunity to catch up with them. So after finishing our tasks for the day, I went back to their home and we had a meal together and we opened a nice bottle of wine and such was the good time that we were having and the atmosphere that Maria suggested perhaps we should open a second bottle of wine and I said, absolutely, why not? I didn't have any concert engagements for at least a fortnight so I could relax and have a good time. But, unbeknownst to me, while I was enjoying that second bottle of wine with my friends, there was some drama unfolding in Sydney at the Opera House. So following the first performance of a sold-out run of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, which was to celebrate the reopening of the Opera House concert hall after a couple of years of very extensive renovations, the chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, simone Young, was at a post-concert function and she was talking to the mezzo-soprano from America, michelle de Young, and Michelle's voice alarmed her. At this function. It was hoarse and Simone was very worried about what tomorrow would bring, and I later read in a review by Pilkall Day in the Australian Book Review that she was so alarmed that she was heard to say we need Debbie, get me Debbie right now.

Speaker 2: 4:42

So the next morning my telephone rang and on the other end of the line was Melissa King. Melissa is the Director of Artistic Planning for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, a lovely lady, always enthusiastic and jolly. And I said hi, melissa. And she said where are you in the world, miss Humble? I said well, I'm in Brisbane, been rehearsing for Mahler 3. Right, she said lovely.

Speaker 2: 5:08

Well, how would you like to sing the mezzo-soprano solo in Mahler 2? And I was so excited because I've done Symphony No.3 and I've done Symphony no 8, and I never had the opportunity to do Symphony No.2 and I thought how wonderful that would be. And I fully expected her to come up with a date maybe in 2024, maybe 2025,. Organisations like this organise their planning at least a couple of years in advance. So I said I'd love to do that. And when are you thinking? So I said I'd love to do that. And when are you thinking?

Speaker 2: 5:47

And there was a split second silence and she said well, how about tonight? And my first thought was don't be ridiculous. I thought tonight. And then I suddenly remembered that these performances were taking place, and the reason I record that is because, a couple of weeks before all of this happened, simone Young had chosen me to be one of the singers involved in the final acoustic testing at the concert hall, and the mezzo-soprano solo, which is called Urlicht, was one of the pieces that she'd asked me to prepare to sing, along with something, I think, from the Verdi Requiem and something from the Bach Mass in B minor. So there was a variety of things there, and so, whilst I was somewhat familiar with the first part of Mahler II, I had never seen, heard or sung the last part of the symphony.

Speaker 2: 6:47

So unfortunately, there was no way that I could say yes and I couldn't fulfill Melissa's request. The problem was that Melissa wasn't going to take no for an answer. She said look, there's no time to explain, but let me be honest, it's you or nothing. Please get on a plane and we will sort everything else out when you get here. So a lot of thoughts are going through my mind, really. The first and foremost one is how can you sort out the fact that I don't know the music? I mean, I can't sing something I don't know in front of a couple of thousand people tonight. That's impossible.

Speaker 2: 7:39

I then thought well, you know, I have nothing to wear. I didn't bring a concert dress with me on this trip. I didn't even have a nice pair of shoes. I had wine last night. I didn't sleep very well in somebody else's house, could I even sound good tonight? So I made all these excuses and she said look, just get on the plane. And then I had a, I guess what became my pivotal thought. And the pivotal thought was Simone Young wouldn't have asked you to step up. She wouldn't ask you to do this if she didn't think you could do it. And I let that thought sit with me for a couple of minutes and then I thought well, maybe I can do this. So I changed the flight and I got on a plane and, with the benefit of the technology that's available to us these days, I downloaded the score onto my iPad and a recording of the music onto my iPhone, and I sat on the plane for the best part of 90 minutes and went through the part of the music that I didn't know, all the time, sort of thinking, maybe, maybe this is possible.

Speaker 2: 9:00

And when we landed in Sydney, there had been a lady sitting next to me on the plane and she asked me what I'd been so focused on doing throughout the journey and I said well, it seems like I'm going to be singing at the opera house tonight at very, very short notice, and so I've been learning the music. And she said you're kidding, right? I said I'm'm not kidding and she wished me luck and I said to her well, yeah, I may well need it. So after I landed, I took a taxi to where my car was parked, because I had remembered that in the boot of my car was a garbage bag full of clothes that I had recently earmarked for the op shop. And I knew that in that bag was a blue sequined off the peg concert gown that I didn't like anymore, wasn't wearing and was a bit too small for me. I thought, so I opened the boot, rummaged around, got out that dress and shoved it in my hand luggage.

Speaker 2: 10:08

Then what next? So I thought well, I better go around to my coach, and I've got an hour, the best part of an hour. She wasn't answering the phone, but she lived nearby and I knew she'd probably be at home. So I rushed around there and breathlessly knocked on the door. I opened the door and she said what are you doing here? You know, our rehearsal, next rehearsal, next meeting together is not for a couple of days. I said, yes, I know, but I need you to teach me the Mahler two solos in the next 45 minutes.

Speaker 2: 10:44

And Sharlene is a very calm person, very in control, very knowledgeable, very professional, and she was wearing an apron. She'd obviously been cooking the dinner. She wiped her hands on the apron. She said go into the music room, I'll just go and turn off the oven. And we didn't have any time for small talk, but we launched straight into the parts of the music that I was not familiar with and we just had time to do everything through about once and then it was time to go. So she called out her husband and she said I'd like you to drive Debbie down to the opera house please.

Speaker 2: 11:22

And I was doing the walk along the concourse with wobbly knees. Really, I remembered the same walk that I'd done exactly 20 years earlier, when I had done my debut at the Opera House with Opera Australia, which was an absolute dream come true, and I thought to myself you know, you've learned a lot in 20 years. You've done the hard work, you've made the investment and it's time to do this. You know you can do this, and I told myself that the only thing that was going to get in my way was doubt, really. So to cast the doubt aside and just do the best you can. And the other thing I thought was you know, perhaps this doesn't have to be perfect. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but you know, people probably don't expect this to be perfect. Let's, let's do a good as job of this, as as as you can.

Speaker 2: 12:27

So once I got into the opera house, of course things just took off. There wasn't much time, it was maybe, maybe an hour, and you know, people were saying here's hair and makeup over there and here's a black folder and the librarian's coming to give you the music. And this is your dressing room. Simone will come and see you in a minute. What size shoes do you wear? Because I had no shoes, I just had sneakers with me and things took off fairly quickly. And then a Woolworths bag, a green Woolworths bag, full of size 40 shoes, was delivered to my dressing room and I was thinking where have these shoes come from? All black, all sensible. So it seemed that the ladies chorus had been approached and anyone with size 40 feet, had been asked to voluntarily put their shoes in a bag so I could choose a pair. So I kept thinking all through the performance there's someone sitting up there in the choir stalls in stockinged feet probably. So I never got to meet the lady whose shoes I chose, but thank you very much.

Speaker 2: 13:34

And then someone walked past me and said oh, you know, fantastic, you're saving the day. Tonight's an ABC ivy broadcast live and it's going to be available throughout the world. And I'm like what? I'm sure Melissa didn't tell me that on the telephone this morning. Okay, so, yeah, okay, a little bit of panic setting in then, so I decided I wouldn't bother with hair and makeup, I'd do an extra 15 minutes of warmup and practice. And then somebody else walked past and said, as if this was no consequence whatsoever oh, and, by the way, deutsche Grammophon are recording this live for a future CD release. So the situation is getting more and more surreal, really, and I'm thinking well, don't think about that, because in essence, I suppose we're always taught that it doesn't really matter if one or two people are listening or if thousands of people are listening. You do your best regardless. And it is what it is.

Speaker 2: 14:37

So Simone came into the dressing room and she was very business-like and I realised that this is not easy for her either. I mean, she's in charge of soloists, choir, orchestra. It's a stressful situation, it's an important situation for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and I thought, you know, don't let her down, it's stressful for her too. So we went through the music little bits and pieces and we had a talk through, and then it was really time. So I put on this ill-fitting dress that I really didn't like and the chorus lady's shoes, I scraped my hair back into a ponytail, someone put some powder on my face and I went for what's actually quite a long walk up to the stage and I was yeah, my heart was racing by the time I got to the side of the stage and as we walked onto the stage and you know, the audience were there and I could I smiled at the audience, as you do, and I could see that there was not one spare seat, and I heard a voice behind me, which was Simone, and she said don't panic, just watch me. And I thought, okay, yeah, don't panic.

Speaker 2: 15:48

So I walked onto the stage and I sat on the soloist chair that had been put there for me and that was on her right-hand side, and I sat down and I opened the folder that I'd been given by the symphony librarian and I immediately anticipated a problem, because I opened the music to follow, as you do when you're singing in a symphony or an oratorio, and there was only my music there. Now, this was a bit of a problem because I didn't know the symphony. I didn't know, I didn't have any context, so I didn't know am I going to be sitting here for five minutes, 15 minutes, 50 minutes? I had no idea. So that's problem number one.

Speaker 2: 16:28

And then I saw a second problem, or anticipated another problem, and that was that the first thing I sing in that symphony starts on an unaccompanied D and I don't have perfect pitch. So I can't, I can't pull a D out of midair perfectly. I can work it out though, if I've got some context and I know what key the previous section of music finishes in. But it wasn't there. So two problems, and at this moment I'm thinking, oh gosh, it's just one thing after another. All the time I'm thinking this, I'm aware that thousands of people are potentially looking at me, so I'm trying to maintain a calm demeanour. Anyway, I heed Simone's advice and I try not to panic and I watch her very closely and at some point and I still can't I really don't know how long it was that I sat there.

Speaker 2: 17:27

To be honest, in fact I have very little recollection of the performance as a whole, but Simone was conducting and at some point she made a gesture which clearly meant get up now. So I stood up and then I heard another whisper and it said stand on the green cross. And I knew, of course, from experience that that would have something to do with the placement of microphones for the recording. And I looked down and indeed there was a very small green cross taped to the floor. So I took a little step onto the green cross and then I heard silence and thought okay, it's my turn. But of course I had no idea what this note was that I was supposed to pluck out of thin air, and I guess it was only a second, maybe two seconds of hesitation, and I heard Simone hum very, very quietly and I thought, oh, you're my hero. And I started to sing.

Speaker 2: 18:28

That went quite well, and so, with a heart that was very much pounding, I sat down at the end of that section and I hesitated to relax enough to look into the audience, and just right in front of me, in about the second or third row, was somebody I knew, and he winked at me. He smiled and gave me a wink, and this little gesture of encouragement made me feel a lot better actually. And so I sat there and kept watching carefully, waiting to discover when the next moment I should get up and sing was and that part was with chorus and with the soprano soloist, nicole Carr and I hadn't even had time to say hello to Nicole before the show, and I mean it must have been stressful for her too, because singers that come in at the last minute can sometimes be a bit of a liability, and it means you have to concentrate even harder than perhaps you normally would. Look, everything went quite well. Simone later told me that I'd sung one wrong note, but that it fitted in with the harmony, so that should be okay. I remember thinking, if that's the worst thing that's happened today, then I'm extremely lucky and extremely relieved. And then she told me I would be singing the next three performances this week and by tomorrow night she did expect that one wrong note to be corrected. And look, the audience jumped to their feet with appreciation.

Speaker 2: 19:59

The streamers were coming down from the ceiling and I suddenly realised now that that was all over, that I had just become part of the history of this very famous building, that in fact it was later mentioned in the broadcast that it was actually the second most important event in the building's history, the first, of course, being the opening of the Opera House when Joan Sutherland sang. So it was a really big moment and I tried to be present at that point and just enjoy the experience that had happened. So it was a very big night and I went home. There was, you know, I didn't sleep much, adrenaline levels were very high. And then people started ringing and messaging from all over the world and I had another moment of recognition that, okay, this was a significant event and it's been successful. I ended up doing four out of the five performances. That's how it unfolded.

Speaker 1: 21:04

It's a great story and there's a lot of things to unpick there and every time I hear it there are new things that come up. What struck me when you recounted the story just then was that everyone else around you was calm Singing teacher Simone, your friend in the audience. They had incredible faith in what you were doing. Did you at any point question your own ability, like I can't do this? And if you did, at what point did you go? No, I've got this. Oh, I absolutely questioned it as soon as I got the phone call. I can't do this. And if you did, at what point did you go? No, I've got this.

Speaker 2: 21:31

Oh, I absolutely questioned it. As soon as I got the phone call, I thought this is madness. I mean, this is crazy. I have stepped in at the last minute for things quite a bit. It's sort of a tradition in Europe. They don't have understudies, and so very often you get called up, so I've done things that I've never stood in at the last minute for something that I didn't know.

Speaker 2: 21:57

Luckily, on this occasion, you can use the music, and I'm a pianist as well, and so I'm a good musician and I have the skill of being able to sight read.

Speaker 2: 22:09

Now, without this skill, none of what I've just told you being able to sight read Now, without this skill, none of what I've just told you would have been remotely possible, in fact.

Speaker 2: 22:21

And so once I had opened the score and had a look, I knew that it was possible. And then I think it's just a case of saying well, you've got to make a decision, you've made the decision, you've said yes, and so from now on, doubt must be cast aside in order for this to work and, let's face it, nerves play a part. So, in order to be as calm as possible, you just have to have self-belief and belief, as you say in the people around you, and I was very lucky to have Simone Young as the conductor. We've been working together for 20 years, so we know each other well and, like I said, I knew she wouldn't have asked me if she didn't think I could do it, but I also knew that if there was anyone that I wanted by my side for this occasion, then she was the person and she stepped up to the mark on several occasions that night and really helped me get there.

Speaker 1: 23:14

The first time I heard you tell the story, my corporate mind kicked in and I thought this is a story that corporates need to hear, because it has all the elements of teamwork and rehearsal and preparation and belief. And Simone obviously is the leader. She's, in many ways, the coach as well. She has all of the orchestra, all of the chorus, all of the soloists at her command. She's also having to make a decision. The night before that she had to replace a player and I'm sure people out there that are coaches and knowing to substitute someone on they have to understand whether they'll be able to perform at the same level. So talk me through how Simone's leadership, not just on the night but leading up to that, really gave you confidence. And I love the couple of little things you mentioned where she just whispered watch me and then she hummed the note. Little things like that really show that a leader is just wanting the best out of their team and in this case, the orchestra and the chorus. Talk me through how her leadership really impacted your performance.

Speaker 2: 24:12

Well, in all those ways that you've mentioned. But also, simone is one of the best conductors in the world. So this is a woman, this is a conductor that knows this repertoire intimately and knows exactly what she's doing. She also has a very close relationship with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She's their chief conductor. She works with them several times a year and, don't forget, the orchestra has never played this with me in the solo either, and so their teamwork was really important too. So I can see when I watch back on the television footage that they are also watching her and watching me, and everyone's trying to make music. You know, musicians are really good at teamwork and trying to get the best result possible. So I had every confidence in her, and she knows my work well.

Speaker 2: 25:07

There probably wasn't anybody else in the country, to be fair, who could step into a Mahler symphony at the last moment. Who would know it? Because it's not repertoire. That's done very often in Australia, done a lot, a lot in Europe, but not much in Australia. So there was probably some truth to Melissa's comment to me earlier in the day, where it's you or nothing. So they were kind of desperate too, to be honest, and so, yeah, I was their best bet, and she was there to support me all the way.

Speaker 1: 25:47

So one detail you missed out on the story that I'd like you to recount is the fact that not one detail you missed out of the story that I'd like you to recount is the fact that not only were you there the week before in essentially testing the Opera House's new acoustics for those on the podcast or watching this the Opera House for many years has had an inferior sound quality because of the way it was built and you look back on, if you go to the Wikipedia entry, you'll understand why. The opera and the concert halls were not perfectly designed for the type of music that was performed. So I think it was closed for two years. They essentially destroyed the orchestra pit and rebuilt it all. So what you're all doing is really testing the acoustics. So you had a whole week of doing that and you were there with Simone you did mention. On the way out you gave a cheeky comment.

Speaker 2: 26:25

I'd been there, I'd sung these excerpts over and over and over and over. At the top of the concert hall there are things that look like large pink fingernails and they were the new acoustic soundboards and they can change angle and they can also go up and down. So we were testing all of that. As you say, a few rows had been taken out, the orchestra pit had been enlarged and, as I say, I know Simone quite well, but I hadn't seen her for the whole period during COVID. So it was a kind of a nice reconnection and I was thinking of that day as a bit like a re-audition actually. Anyway, on the way out she was very complimentary and thanked me for coming and I kind of gave her a nudge on the arm and rather cheekily said you know, if you get into any problem with these performances, just give me a call. Of course, I never expected anything to eventuate and I look back now and I think, having said that, I should have had perhaps had a look at the second half of the symphony, but I didn't.

Speaker 1: 27:24

Well, I think you were prepared for a career in singing, and certainly working with Simone. If you had your time again, if you had an extra week or perhaps you knew that you were going to perform when you were doing the rehearsal how would you have approached it differently?

Speaker 2: 27:37

Oh well, I would have learnt the music in advance and I would have practised.

Speaker 2: 27:40

I'm a bit of an over-preparer because I believe that as a performer it's quite. You know, I still get quite nervous sometimes singing in front of you, know thousands of people, and I think the only way to temper the nerves really is to know your stuff so well that that is not something that you need to worry about, and then you're sort of free, if you like, to worry about anything else that might go wrong or anything else. I would have prepared, especially had I known that Deutsche Grammophon, which is the most famous classical recording label in the world, was going to be recording the performance for release. I mean, it's not ideal to do your first recording with Deutsche Grammophon on a one-take live performance on essentially three hours notice, but they had to approve it, simone had to approve it, the orchestra had to approve it and it was approved. Is it perfect? No, I listened to it and I think, given a bit of time, could have done that a bit better or sounded a bit better, but it is what it is.

Speaker 1: 28:48

What do you think people can learn from this experience? So I'm a corporate, I'm a lawyer, I'm a marketer. Listening to this, what can they take away from your experience?

Speaker 2: 28:58

That's a really good question because often I think, what has opera got to do with corporate or business? Why are people so interested? I think there's a lot of comparisons we can make and the first one is preparation. In our careers we all put in the hard yards, you know, we all do the study, we do the 10,000 hours, I think, if you like to become an expert perhaps in our fields. But I think it's about a lot more than just putting in the work. I have this formula, I've always had this formula, which was preparation plus opportunity equals success, and I've always believed in that.

Speaker 2: 29:33

When an opportunity presents itself, are we ready, and not just with our field of knowledge, but are we ready mentally, are we ready to sort of take a leap of faith? And we can only do that. We can only step up and do something that challenges our comfort zone, if you like, challenges our idea of what we normally do, if we actually know our stuff. So I think that's one thing. You know, I looked at that day in retrospect as sort of like cashing in on an investment that I'd made, you know, a really long-term investment that was actually finally going to pay off in a way, because deep down. I think we all know if we can do something or not. And then it's just a case of in my case, you have to do it in public a case of mentally being able to control yourself the nerves, the adrenaline, and I've had a lot of practice of that too. It's not easy, but it's possible. I mean resilience, grit, determination, courage.

Speaker 1: 30:42

So self-belief, I think, is a really important thing. How have you developed your self-belief? I mean, it's all very well to say you're an amazing singer, you're fantastic, you've obviously been on these stages, but how do you keep yourself in check and just have that undeniable belief in your ability to literally go on stage with no notice?

Speaker 2: 31:01

I think the honest answer is that we all doubt ourselves really. I mean, self-belief is sometimes an external thing as well. We all like to project the fact that we believe in ourselves and that we're competent and capable and ready, but deep down, I think it's human nature to have doubts and times of self-reflection. But again, I think on this occasion it was the realization that other people believed in me. And if these people really and truly at the top of their profession, if they believed in me, then the only person stopping me from doing this would be me not believing in myself. And and you know it's time, you know we're getting to the stage now, after 30 years in the profession. If you can't do it now, when are you going to be able to do it really? So let's just do this.

Speaker 1: 31:55

Being adaptable, I think is important in business, because things change, markets change, customers change. How do you stay resilient, not knowing what's coming next?

Speaker 2: 32:06

Yeah, look, resilience is something I think that builds up over many, many years. I mean, the last time we talked, we're in the middle of a lockdown in 2021. And I honestly believe that I may never sing again, and so this was one of the first jobs back and so, in some respects, doubly difficult, because I hadn't really performed for a couple of years. You know it was a long time since I had done anything, let alone something of this scale, so there was also a bit of that to overcome. But I was so excited, really, that things were recovering, a profession was recovering, that I think that played a part in my thought process too, when I think about it, because I thought, imagine, going from thinking I'm never going to sing again, the industry is is dead, life as we knew it is over to come and sing back at your favorite venue with your favorite mentor and conductor in this rather exceptional circumstance.

Speaker 2: 33:11

So resilience, yeah, you are the sum of all your experiences bad and good experiences, and in fact, the negative experiences probably build your resilience more, and I've had plenty of those in my career. You know there've been plenty of setbacks, plenty of times where things didn't go as I would like them to go and you know, as an opera singer I've had to move around the world. I've had to learn different languages, lived in different countries and I think you know all of that. It can be a financially unstable profession. All of these things, if you like, lead to a moment where you just you know. Everything led to that.

Speaker 1: 33:51

Corporate's always asking about risk management, and this story is about risk management from getting that phone call, initial reaction being no, this is insanity. Through to going to the singing teacher, and I love that she just said look, I'll just turn the stove off and let's get on with this. Talk me through your own risk management of this opportunity.

Speaker 2: 34:13

Yeah. Well, the honest answer is, I didn't really have time to think about it. But the truth is, isn't it really that it didn't have to go this way? There was another way this could all have gone. I could have said, well, I could have said no, and in retrospect that would have been a great shame. Well, I could have said no and in retrospect that would have been a great shame. Or I could have said yes and it could have gone badly. So, deep down again, I think it all comes from the gut. You know, deep down. You know, if you say yes, then you have to think that you can pull it off, and that risk has paid off a hundredfold for me, really, because that was successful.

Speaker 2: 34:49

I've been asked to do other things at short notice. You know, sometimes there's a part of me that thinks why didn't you ask me to do it in the first place? The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Simone have employed me every year since then and continue to do so into the future. I now have my name on the front of a recording with the best classical music label in the world. A lot of young people are coming to me and saying this is amazing.

Speaker 2: 35:21

How can I improve my skill set so that one day I might be able to do what you did. And that's really important because that's part of what I see as a legacy, if you like. It's training or helping the next generation that are coming through to see that these are all things that can be achievable. So, just after that, I don't teach anymore because I haven't got time at the moment, but I had quite a few students at the time post-COVID, during COVID, and they started coming to lessons and the first thing I'd do was five minutes of sight reading training with them all, regardless of whether they had instrumental background or not. And they're like why are we doing this? I said, well, one day you'll find out.

Speaker 1: 36:01

So one other thing that I think corporates would love to hear your view on is collaboration and trust. Clearly, this was a real-time collaboration and you had to have a lot of trust in a number of people. Just walk me through how that collaboration panned out and who you had to trust and what level of trust you had to invest in these people.

Speaker 2: 36:20

Being an opera singer is quite interesting because in many respects, it's about you. So in order to learn music, you have to shut yourself in a practice room for sometimes months at a time and learn the work, and that has to be done just by you. And very often when you get up on stage you know there will be a review and it will review you. So it can be often about you, but the essence of making music is not about just one person, it's about lots of people. And so on this night I was also aware that, whilst everyone was focused on me and getting me through this, that I was just a very, very small cog in this very important occasion, and I thought what a shame it was really that all the attention was on getting me through this.

Speaker 2: 37:15

It was a huge night for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It was a huge night for the Sydney public the reopening of their iconic opera house. A huge night for Simone it was the first time that they'd ever recorded an Australian orchestra and it was the first time that they'd ever recorded an Australian orchestra. And it was the first time that Simone Young had ever recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, which is a huge feather in their cap and a testament to their world-class status and music making, you know, and also befitting of such an event as this one. But yeah, it was about so much more than me. But I couldn't have done it without, as you say, without this team of people. And, let's face it, the best music making comes about when everyone works together.

Speaker 1: 37:59

I realised that something was happening when people kept hitting my website looking for your podcast and I reverse engineered because I went to the YouTube. I did a Google search, found the live stream. I'm watching you from London on the stage of the Sydney Opera House performing, but the credits down there didn't have you listen. I thought that's strange. She's performing but someone else is credited. I wonder what's happened. And I realized what was happening was people were going who's Deborah Humble? Because what led them to the podcast that we did and what led them to hit the website was people going. Who is Deborah Humble. Who is this person that's singing instead of another performer?

Speaker 1: 38:36

So I got a sense, thousands of miles away, that something had happened and slowly you told the story and I've heard the story several times now and that's why I thought this is a story that we need to capture the full story, warts and all and get some learnings from it. Because I think corporates need to hear this, that it's also something they can see. They've heard the story, they can see the performance, they can see that it worked, so that rehearsal and preparation, trust, collaboration all comes together and they can literally see it happen in the one package. So I think that's a really important story. What have you taken away from this? What will you do differently as a result of this experience?

Speaker 2: 39:15

No, I don't think I'd do anything differently. I think. What it's shown me, though, is that there's no such thing as an overnight success. A lot of people say, oh, you've been so lucky, so I don't really. I've never really believed in the whole luck thing. Yes, of course, there are opportunities that sometimes come, that are unexpected, but, as I go back to my formula, preparation plus opportunity equals success.

Speaker 2: 39:44

No such thing as an overnight success. We are the result. We are capable of doing what we have spent our whole lives business lives, artistic lives working towards, and I don't think there's any shortcut to that. You know, lots and lots of singers have a very nice voice, lots and lots of singers have fantastic technique, but, I think, to be truly successful whatever that means to the individual, of course and success means different things to different people I think that it's, it's a package, it's the sum of all these other things, you know mental resilience, determination, discipline.

Speaker 2: 40:28

It takes a lot of discipline to sit in a room for six months and things mental resilience, determination, discipline. It takes a lot of discipline to sit in a room for six months and learn 300 pages in a foreign language. It's kind of isolating too, and the teamwork doesn't come out until much later the fun part, if you like. But yeah, I think we are the sum of many, many, many, many different skills, so it sort of showed me that it had all been worthwhile. I wouldn't like to do too many of these things, I have to say. I'd still much rather be very prepared, but I think that calculated risk can reap results if you've done the groundwork.

Speaker 1: 41:12

Now, final thought. I know that Simone mentioned to you that you got one note wrong. So that aside, Simone, that night was your boss. What was the feedback from the boss the moment you came on stage?

Speaker 2: 41:24

Well, the feedback started while we're still on the stage actually, because, of course, there was standing ovation for this big event. As I say, there were colored streamers and it was you know it was. It was a really momentous end to this highly publicized concert and Simone turned to me and grasped her hands together and bowed and it was a very it was grateful bow. I could see that she was saying you know, thank you very much for doing this. You know you've saved the day, you really have saved the day, You've saved this event, and thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 42:05

It was a gesture that perhaps you wouldn't normally expect to receive. It was a very grateful gesture and at that moment I thought you know, regardless of how I think it went or how I think it sounds in the future, how I think it looks in the future, I've done something that was worthwhile and our relationship is such that I was just very happy, that she was happy and that I'd been able to do something for her, for the orchestra and for the event as a whole. And, of course, once we got off the stage, she was right. Well, you know, I'd like you to fix up that note tomorrow and then sing the further all the rest of the performances please. So she wouldn't have also asked me to do that if she hadn't thought it had been okay.

Speaker 1: 42:53

So in a way that night was an audition for the other, following three nights.

Speaker 2: 42:57

I guess so, although I also think they wouldn't have liked to go through that the next night with somebody else. Of course, with a bit of notice, you can start flying people in from different places, but there is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be singing the mezzo solo in Mahler too, given a bit of preparation, or not? So, yeah, she was very happy to have me on.

Speaker 1: 43:19

Final thought what should people take away from this experience?

Speaker 2: 43:24

That if you don't let doubt get in the way, you can achieve anything you want to.

Speaker 1: 43:29

Deborah Humple. Thank you again for your time. Congratulations on your continued success. Thanks, andrew.

Speaker 3: 43:34

Thank you for listening to Digitally Curious. You can find all of our previous shows at digitallycuriousai. Andrew's new book, digitally Curious your simple guide to navigating the future of AI and beyond, is available at digitallycuriousai. You can find out more about Andrew and how he helps corporates become more digitally curious with keynote speeches and C-suite workshops at digitallycuriousai you.