Clement Power: new face - Telegraph When did he get the idea of being a conductor? It was the thrill of hearing an orchestra that did it. I couldn't believe all these magical sounds could come out of this weird-looking bunch of instruments. As a kid I played violin and piano and in my teens I wanted to be a composer. When that didn't work out I thought about being a player, then eventually turned to conducting. You could say I've graduated down the scale of musical importance. How did he start? By persuading fellow students (at Cambridge University, where he got a double starred First in music) to play for him. We would play Mahler symphonies on almost no rehearsal, where the entire budget for the concert was a few quid for photocopying a poster. It was mad, but I certainly learnt a lot of repertoire. What was his first big break? Landing the coveted post of assistant conductor to the chic contemporary music group, the Ensemble Intercontemporain. It was the best finishing school you could imagine, as it was very hands-on. I learnt from all the best people, like Susanna Mälkki and Pierre Boulez. What's in his diary? Concerts at the Avanti Festival in Finland, a visit to the Lucerne Festival to conduct Manuel de Falla's puppet opera El retablo de maese Pedro, plus invitations back to the London Philharmonic Orchestra.