Who I Am Before the Title: Prof. Paul Kelly on Music, Family and a Life Well-Lived.

Before he became Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly was a child who loved music. A son. A husband. A keen-fisherman. Someone who felt most alive in particular moments that had nothing to do with a title.

In this first conversation of Crescendo Conversations, Prof. Paul Kelly shares four pieces of music that trace the full arc of a life — where he came from, what lit him up, what the weight of the pandemic revealed about him, and what music he is walking toward now.

What emerges isn't a career retrospective. It's something far more interesting: a portrait of a person who has held enormous responsibility and remained, quietly, himself.

This is a conversation about family, belonging, courage and hope, told through the only language that bypasses everything we've learned to perform.

"Zen is a great conversationalist. I didn't know what to expect before the interview, and now I feel grounded, elated and honoured." — Prof. Paul Kelly

Music credits:
Clarinet Concerto in A, K622, Mov.II.  

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Reginald Kell (clarinet), Zimbler Sinfonietta

American Decca, recorded in 1950.

 

Mdidi

Faith Mussa

Used with permission

 

Spiegel im Spiegel (for violin and piano)

Arvo Pärt

George Vi (violin) & Zen Zeng (piano)

Used with permission

 

Ave Maria

Franz Schubert

Claire Dux (soprano & piano)

Parlophone Odeon Series, recorded in 1933.

What is Crescendo Conversations?

Titles describe, music reveals.
Crescendo Conversations is an interview series hosted by concert pianist and space-curator Zen Zeng, in which senior leaders share four pieces of music that shaped their identity, career, and life. In choosing four pieces, guests reveal something no CV or keynote ever could: the fear behind a decision, the doubt before a breakthrough, the ordinary humanity inside an extraordinary life. Each conversation moves through four territories: origins, interior moments of change, core values, and present direction. What emerges is not a leadership masterclass. It is something rarer: honest, unhurried conversation that reduces the distance between people and inspires listeners to step forward in their own lives.

Season One features a former Chief Medical Officer, a Global Senior Partner at KPMG, a former Australian Ambassador, a former WHO Director, a leader of global energy sector, and an award-winning Australian conductor. For high-functioning professionals who value depth, joy, and purpose, and who have outgrown ordinary content.