Nick Mitzevich

My Music: Nick Mitzevich

The Director of the National Gallery of Australia tells us about his mother’s inspiring passion for music, his own eclectic tastes from classical to electronic, and his love of vintage vinyl.

I grew up on a farm so you wouldn’t think there would be much music in the house, but my mother loved music. On Sunday mornings she would put on her favourite Greek or Macedonian folk-­dancing music or Macedonian bands, and we’d make pancakes for breakfast, and she would dance around the kitchen. My mum loved Nana Mouskouri, and so I learnt the whole Nana Mouskouri songbook. When my mother passed away we had to play Nana Mouskouri because it was just synonymous...