Elizabeth McCall’s best life
As the director of Chamber Music Adelaide, Elizabeth McCall loves creating opportunities for local musicians, as well as spending time with family, including musician/composer husband Julian Ferraretto. Here, the 48-year-old opera singer opens up about work/life balance, her top five songs and her hardest life lesson.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m an opera singer, songwriter, producer and now the director of Chamber Music Adelaide. I trained at the Elder Conservatorium in classical voice before studying further in the UK. I ended up staying in London for 11 years, working as a singer and in community arts development, then later as head of learning for Wigmore Hall, an incredible concert hall where the most elite chamber musicians from around the world perform. I’m passionate about the experience of exceptional live music, and love supporting artists, creating new experiences for audiences, and experimenting across musical genres.
Give us a brief insight into what you do?
As director of Chamber Music Adelaide, my focus is on creating incredible intimate musical experiences for audiences and supporting the careers of chamber musicians. We curate festivals, take musicians on regional tours, commission new works and help musicians find funding for their work. One of my favourite things is supporting collaboration between artists, whether that’s composers and ensembles or between musicians across genres. We’re about to launch our 2025 commissioning program, inviting musicians to create new works with composers and it is always incredibly exciting to hear these new ideas emerge. I also love programming our annual On The Terrace mini-festival (taking place this year on Sunday, November 2), presenting pop-up concerts in stunning spaces along North Terrace.
What brings you joy in life?
Time with my family. Making music with them is a particular highlight – my husband, violinist and composer Julian Ferraretto, has an incredible sense of humour and a brilliant musical mind. He’s also much better at supporting our children in their practice (I’m a little impatient)! I am fortunate to have an amazing Mum who shared her skill and love of music with us – I now realise that not everyone has access to this and would love to see all children benefitting from singing and making music every day from their earliest years.
What is your most treasured photograph and why?
My wise, kind Dad and me on my wedding day, just about to walk down the aisle. This makes me so happy for so many reasons! I was pausing as I wanted to enter at the right musical moment – Julian had arranged Ennio Morricone’s music for string quartet, timpani and french horn (music was our wedding indulgence – timpani in the church!!!). However, my fabulous bridesmaids had sprinted down the aisle so I had to wait longer than intended. We then entered just as the french horn was playing the beautiful line from “The Mission”.
What is the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn?
Learning to ask for what I need to succeed and choosing what to focus on. Balancing an arts career with family life can be hard and, when I look back, I wish that I’d let some opportunities go rather than trying to make it all work. I’m better now at saying what I need to succeed in work and I choose between opportunities so that I can do things well and spend time with my family. I am passionate about flexible working and supporting talented people to work in different ways – it takes trust and commitment from both sides.
Top five songs on your playlist:
My playlist is pretty eclectic!
- The Trout Quintet by Schubert – I was about 10 when I heard this played on a cassette tape (!) by a babysitter and it captivated me. She let me keep the tape as I wanted to hear it constantly.
- Gotta Start Somewhere by Nathan May. This stunning song forms the basis of a string quartet that Nathan created with Julian Ferraretto for Adelaide Baroque, commissioned by Chamber Music Adelaide. It will be heard again on tour in Port Augusta later this year as well as with a performance at Nexus Arts on October 4.
- Vissi d’arte, from Tosca by Puccini. This is opera at its most powerful and pretty much inspired me to study singing.
- Advice to a Girl – Music by Anne Cawrse. We are so lucky to have Anne is South Australia and this album is particularly special as it features so many talented South Australian chamber musicians.
- Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil. Music for change.
My life philosophy is…
Be kind, curious, and notice those things that you are grateful for and what you can learn from. I try (not always successfully) to live by the Serenity prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.
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Chamber Music Adelaide’s 2025 commissioning program opens for submissions from composers in early July.