A gin bar in the hallowed space of a synagogue? Beanbag seating for classical recitals? Vladimir Fanshil’s Live at Yours venture has never been interested in doing things the conventional way. 

Fanshil speaks to Limelight from his home in Vienna. The weather in the Austrian capital is appalling, he says. “Seriously, it is the worst most of us can remember, weeks and weeks of grey and cold,” he says. “I can’t wait to get back to Australia.”

Over the next half hour of conversation, Fanshil – a conductor, entrepreneur and tireless impresario – unpacks his most ambitious Live at Yours season to date, one that feels less like traditional touring concert series and more like act of reinvention.

Live At Yours at the Great Synagogue, Sydney. Photo supplied

Live at Yours was born from an instinct to innovate, he says. “In Australia, if you want something to happen, you have to make it happen yourself. There isn’t any government support for the promotion of excellence. I’ve even stopped applying for grants,” Fanshil says bluntly. “We have to rely on private sponsorship and box office. We get by, but we always have...