Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier

Freelance Writer & Reviewer | Content Creator | TEDx Speaker

Australia

A highly skilled interviewer, columnist, and public speaker with work experience across Australia, Germany, the US and the UK. Diverse body of content for print and digital since 2010, with strong focus on classical music and LGBTQ+ voices.

Having interviewed authors, film composers, drag queens and queer activists, I have refined the ability to distil complex and challenging life experiences into written features that are compelling, insightful, and wholly original.

I am always open to collaborations and freelance assignments. If you feel yours is a story worth sharing, please contact me via email: [email protected]

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Portfolio

Showcase Pieces

CutCommon | the new generation of classical music
05/04/2023
Hubris, hypocrisy, and Mahler's Fifth: How TÁR makes classical music cool

"You cannot start without me." So asserts the eponymous Lydia Tár in the opening scene of Todd Fields' austere psychological drama set within the world of classical music, spearheaded by a thunderous lead performance from Cate Blanchett.

LIMELIGHT - Australian Arts & Culture

LIMELIGHT: Music, Arts & Culture
07/07/2024
MSO: Ryman Healthcare Winter Gala ★★★½

A strong performance of overly familiar work ultimately overshadowed by the smaller, far more compelling pieces in Winter Gala's first half.

Beat Magazine - Classical Music Reviews

Public Speaking Videos

INTERVIEW: Film Composers

CutCommon | the new generation of classical music
01/30/2021
Could your favourite film score have been composed by your local councillor?

Artists can undergo an entire evolutionary cycle of job roles throughout the course of their film career, in front of and behind the camera. As in the case of Australian composer Christopher Gordon, music makers might dip their toes into completely different waters, too.

CutCommon | the new generation of classical music
01/14/2021
Film composer Antony Partos discusses his life in Australian music

It was on an aeroplane in June, 2010 that I first heard the music of Antony Partos. I was 13, flying from the United Kingdom back home to Western Australia with my older brother to spend the summer holiday with our dad.

Prism & Pen
11/21/2020
Hey, Barracuda! Queer TV in Australia, with Composer Bryony Marks

AUSTRALIA, BOTH AS COUNTRY AND CONCEPT, is something of a paradox. An enormous sunburnt landmass dumped at the bottom of the planet, a million miles from anything else, one would be forgiven for presuming the disconnected nature of its inhabitants.

INTERVIEW: Artists and Creatives

FUSE Magazine
06/13/2024
Face Value: The Unattainable Beauty Standards of Gay Culture

Unattainable beauty standards are nothing strange in the western world, but they are uniquely heightened within gay culture. To find out why body beauty is so prized in gay spaces, Liam Heitmann-Ryce-LeMercier speaks with two young queer men for their perspectives.

Western Australian Charity Orchestra
07/03/2023
Breath of the West: WA Oboist Leanne Glover on a Life in Music and Australian Arts

For Australian classical performer Leanne Glover, there are strong links between the musicality of the human voice and the oboe, the chosen instrument of her professional life in music. It is the ties between these two forms of expression which afford her an even deeper understanding of the music she plays onstage for a living.

Chapter Z
11/17/2021
Three Queens, One Castle: The Life of East London Drag Queens

A sneak peak into the home of trans drag artists Margo Marshall, Cazeleon, and SueGivesAFuck. As much as it may sound like the elevator pitch for a sitcom, 'three trans drag artists share North London house share' is in fact the day-to-day reality of three very special ladies.

Prism & Pen
02/18/2021
Hornet CEO Harnesses Purchasing Power of LGBTQ+ Community

The loudest voices and strongest changemakers often emerge from the sidelines. In their efforts to be recognised and represented, and by dint of their diminished population, minority groups are required to surmount far greater hardships than most.

Prism & Pen
01/31/2021
Shamelessly Queer: Tom Allen on Bromley, Berlin, and His New Book

For Bromley-born comedian Tom Allen, the fantasy world inside his head was always much more appealing place than the suburban "middle place" where he grew up. Tom spent much of the mid-90s buried in his diaries and the celluloid dreamscape of Fred Astaire movies.

Queertopia
09/30/2020
Growing Up Gay, with BBC Journalist Simon O'Leary

The best way to get somebody to do something is by telling them they can't. Instruct a five-year-old to have only two of those chocolate chunk cookies on the table and you can be sure, the instant you leave the room to answer the door, the entire packet will have been devoured.

INTERVIEW: German Startup Community

Medium
08/03/2018
"What's Your Footprint?" - Tom Celig

An idea is a campfire: the initial spark of creativity will burn out into smoke if it isn't nourished with fuel. In the same way, an incredible idea will never be able fully grow without the input of others

Medium
08/01/2018
"What's Your Footprint?" - Daniel Zoll

With every step we take, towards long-term ambitions or short-term goals, we leave behind our own personal mark on the world. These footprints serve as the lasting legacy to those around us, the people we share our lives and passions with

Medium
07/19/2018
"What's Your Footprint?" - Matthias Koch

The path to career success is one formed of millions of different footprints. The journey towards our professional ambitions is one that involves crossing the paths of so many others, each of them trying to leave behind their own mark

Medium
07/09/2018
Moments That Matter: Robert Milost

At networking events, there is always the potential to find new ideas and those promising flickers of creativity - we want to share with you these moments that matter, and why events can be so meaningful for those who attend them

LGBTQ+ Writings

Prism & Pen
10/18/2022
I Met a Guy in a Gay Sauna in Berlin and Now I'm Going to Canada

Opening up to new opportunities - - I was asleep when he first saw me, passed out on a massage bed in the Ruheraum of the Boiler men's sauna. The room is no bigger than a train station Starbucks, housing two parallel rows of about ten beds, as seen through a glass wall allowing visitors to seek out a potential resting buddy.

Medium
10/11/2020
I Met My (First Ever) Boyfriend in a Pandemic

Remember when everyone wanted to do a ctrl+alt+dlt on 2016? Britain left the EU, a load of musicians died, the Australian postal service raised their flat-rate handling fee from 70 cents to a dollar (unforgivable), and some fat guy with crap hair became president. I don't think we knew how good we had it.

Medium
07/22/2020
Gay New World: I Came Out at 16, Over Email

In July 2005, my Mum married my stepdad, and in October we moved to England. My birth parents were never married and so this made our relocation a little bit easier. Being eight-years-old at the time, I didn't register what was going on and remember only saying something like Oh wow, that's Stonehenge

Medium
07/15/2020
Why I'm Still Self-Conscious About Kissing Guys in Public

I recently went on a date with a guy, my first since the world broke in March. After four months of isolation, I was delighted by the chance to flirt outrageously with the pretty, talkative person with whom I'd matched on Tinder.

Medium
06/13/2020
I Had Sex with a Woman, Despite Knowing I was Gay

Between the age of 18 and 19, I travelled along the eastern and western coasts of Australia for eight months. I had only really explored southwest Australia by that point, and I wanted to see more of where I'd come from.

Medium
05/25/2020
Fuck That: The Problem of Promiscuity in Queer Culture

If you are a man within the LGBTQ community, I propose that the image above is a fairly common sight. Getting a guy into your bed is as easy as opening up Grindr, pinging a "hey" to the first acceptably attractive face you find, and providing the necessary data.

Delivered. - Deutsche Post DHL Global Customer Magazine

Buffalo Market (San Francisco) - Organic Produce Supply and Delivery

Buffalo Market
04/19/2021
How to Run a Successful Organic Restaurant

The idea of buying organic produce once seemed a very novel idea, with few consumers prepared to pay the extra premium for higher-quality ingredients. But now buying organic has become one of the leading food trends of the past few years, with sales of organic food in the US exceeding $55,000,000 in 2019.

Buffalo Market
04/02/2021
These 12 Chain Restaurants are Saving the Planet with Plant-Based Menus

Supported the world over since its 2003 inception, Meatless Monday is a movement dedicated to reducing the consumption of meat, with benefits ranging from the personal to the global. With animal livestock accounting for almost 15% of greenhouse emissions worldwide, changing your diet really could change the world.

Buffalo Market
03/26/2021
Explained: Restaurant Slang and Food Service Terminology

Restaurants are fast-paced and challenging environments, with a countless number of issues that may arise at any moment: the quickest way to get a point across is with specific food service terminology. Communication is key, for a strong team that can work together is just as important as the food being served.

Buffalo Market
03/23/2021
What Every Restaurant Owner Needs to Know About COVID Relief Bill

One year after the COVID-19 outbreak was officially recognised as a pandemic, US President Joe Biden has signed the American Rescue Plan into law, with many businesses and restaurants set to benefit from this $1.9 trillion relief fund. A total of $28.6 bn will reportedly come to the aid of struggling restaurants.

Buffalo Market
03/15/2021
Creating Restaurant Menus to Maximize Your Turnover

With so many of them out of action in this pandemic, most restaurants are likely to be closed for business or operating on a delivery-only basis. That means the only part of the dining experience open to your customers is the food on offer: now more than ever, your menu has become the face of your business.

Buffalo Market
03/03/2021
Independent Restaurant Coalition Lead Q&A Web Event

On the one-year anniversary of US restaurant closures, leading members of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and the Golden Gate Restaurant Association came together last night for a public Q&A over Zoom, providing insights into how US restauranteurs are set to benefit from the recently signed American Rescue Plan

Moment Bulletin - German News & Culture

Moment Bulletin
01/04/2021
Top 10: German cars

There is plenty to be said for the elegance of marques such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, all of which have produced some real gems over the past century. Here's a round-up of the ten best...

Moment Bulletin
11/29/2020
Mercedes-Benz releases ultra-luxe Maybach S-Class

Following the September release of their newest generation of S-Class, the W223 facelift, Mercedes-Benz has given their high-end luxury saloon the millionaire's Pimp My Ride treatment in the form of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

Moment Bulletin
11/22/2020
BMW unveils flagship electric iX SUV

Earlier this month, BMW released details of their new all-electric iX SUV which is due to hit UK showrooms at the end of 2021 - and estimated to leave a £100,000 hole in your pocket.

Moment Bulletin
11/01/2020
Building a mood: Berlin on film

In the Berlin of old, citizens fared well to remember that rooms had ears. Before the fall of the Wall in November 1989, hundreds of thousands of spies and two-faced friends harboured tip-offs pertaining to any suspected dissident behaviour.

MXDWN UK - All That Matters in Music

MXDWN
06/03/2020
Mura Masa Speaks up to Platform BAME Women in Music

Guernsey-born artist Mura Masa went against the curve yesterday, by remaining active on his social media platforms while many artists remained silent or posted black tiles on their feeds in observance of #BlackOutTuesday.

Norwich Evening News - Columnist

Norwich Evening News
06/03/2019
Enjoy the brilliant benefits of travel - while we still have time

Day-to-day life resembles walking along a familiar pavement in thick sandals. It is very comfortable and you know where you're going. Travel, however, is more akin to walking across sand in bare feet: it feels lovely between your toes, but isn't particularly stable...

Norwich Evening News
05/07/2018
Mastering the art of persistence

At the risk of sounding like a Hallmark card, if something is not difficult then it probably isn't worth fretting over. It's quite easy to ride the London Eye or swim with dolphins, and I don't think high-fiving Mickey at Disneyland is going to change your life

Norwich Evening News
11/20/2017
Mum and stepfather - I see them as two pianos riffing together

I recently saw the film Call Me By Your Name, whose opening credits burst onto the screen with a piano composition by John Adams. Its title is "Hallelujah Junction" and immediately sets the tone of the film: a joyous dance of notes played by two instruments, out of sync yet beautifully in-key

Norwich Evening News
08/07/2017
Gay, for lack of a better word, is good

It is a secret to no-one that I am gay. I do not hide in closets, I am not quiet, and I do not convenience anyone's expectations. I am, however, still young and do not quite know who I am, and I do not expect I ever shall really know until I die, when I stop changing

Norwich Evening News
04/24/2017
Social pressure can make university life frightening

On the face of it, university is the most exciting time in a person's life - the parties, the clubbing, the laughter, the chatter, the banter, the friends you make and the memories you share...

Writings on Music

Medium
02/22/2023
Australia and Classical Music: Returning Home to Chase a Dream

I have loved classical music for as long as I can remember. There is no specific reason for this, as I neither had musical parents nor any zealous teachers to push piano keys under my fingernails. Certainly, my family enjoyed music, but my childhood home was not occupied by radios in every room to stimulate my brainwaves

Medium
06/27/2020
Berlin, Symphony City: An Analysis in Three Movements

Following the drug-clumsy misadventures of a young Australian who has recently moved to the German capital, this explores everything from casual sex, comedowns and the musical characteristics of urban rhythm.

Medium
04/13/2020
What Colour is Music?

Every day, at almost every waking hour, I am listening to music. Buzzing in my ears or burbling out of a portable speaker, it is always there to lift my high spirits or soothe my frazzled mind. But it was while cooking dinner one evening that I asked myself: does music have a colour?

Berlin Stories

Medium
06/23/2020
A Boy in Berlin: "Welcome Home, I Guess"

Arriving at Matt's apartment, Jonas realises his door is the same dark blue colour as Felix's, though this glossy coating far outshines the sun-scarred lacquer Jonas left behind this morning. Matt holds the door open, its surface reflecting onto Jonas the...

Medium
06/21/2020
A Boy in Berlin: The City as Orchestra Pit

The train rattles appallingly and the scream of its wheels pierce Jonas's ear drums. Jonas is coming down. There is no perfume of voices here, no confetti sentences, only sweat. Jonas is no longer buzzing. The drugs are not fun anymore.

Medium
06/19/2020
A Boy in Berlin: Sex, Drugs and Orange Juice

Jonas is buzzing. His fingertips sing with feeling, his feet are electric. The door crackles on his hand as it closes; he can feel the paint fizz in the canals of his fingerprints. Jonas is wired. He is dancing to the music in his head.