As a musician, it is good for your health to be in the company of other good musicians. I don’t think I could really exist as a musician without it. And pianist Shai Wosner practices what he preaches! He is currently on a European tour, playing in trios of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert with good…
Alessandro Deljavan
Meet Italian pianist Alessandro Deljavan and cook. Yes, I said cook! When the documentary for the last Van Cliburn competition was shot, he cooked for the filmmakers and they seriously wanted to make a cooking show with him. You can read more about it and watch videos here. We chatted via email. How fun it…
Catherine Gordeladze
I’m so glad I brought you this interview with pianist Catherine Gordeladze. His latest album, Dance Fantasies, takes the student on a journey from the Baroque to the 20th century and is already receiving worldwide acclaim. Inspired by an unofficial comment from a journalist that suggests his playing style is ideal for energetic and agile…
Charles Szczepanek
Meet pianist Charles Szczlused – performer, record performer, artistic director, composer, church musician and producer. You’ve probably watched his awesome Star Trek and other transcripts on YouTube. As many hats as he wears, I am very grateful that he took the time to do this interview. We chatted in an email about her music growing…
Unexpected Results
Victoria Bell was my student. He has been involved in piano activities around our country and has participated in numerous master classes, competitions, concerts and ensembles. I remember a rehearsal where the conductor of the piano ensemble asked all the students to introduce themselves and tell me what school they went to. We heard, “I’m…
Gershwin, Lecuona and Messiaen meet the artistic process
A preambulumbekezdésem 5 darabot tartalmazott Messiaen 20 szemlélődéséről a csecsemő Jézusban. Mindegyikhez kivetítettem egy-egy művet. (Itt megtekintheti a műalkotást) Nagyon szerettem Messiaen és az évszázados művészet ellentétét – azt is, ahogyan kifejezte a karácsonyi történet örökkévalóságát. Az egyetlen kortárs mű, amelyet választottam, egy Chagall volt az utolsó válogatásomhoz, az Alszom, de a szívem figyel. Az…
Why thank you again (… or maybe cosmic)
Do you have a piece that has crossed your path several times over the years? I am thinking of a piece that you unexpectedly play multiple times, not one that you play for yourself, standards or encyclicals. I recently realized I have a piece like this and have been appearing in interesting situations in my…
Stories, Images, Colors, & Characters
To make it happen? Me, myself, and me? I was in no one’s land. Lost. It seemed to me that none of my previous teachers had helped here. We spent a rather disappointed year with the piano. When I was still a college student, my teacher had a lot of work to do, just to…
Playing with Wolfgang: How Messiaen taught the law of opposites
I dived into 5 pieces from Messiaen’s Infant Jesus Reflection. It’s not hard once you step through the rabbit hole and start working on them. The contemplation part somehow takes control. The drums of the overture of the prophets, the shepherds, and the kings turned into arrogant goose-going Nazis. I was amazed that a man…
Baroque dolphins and sharks
My 7-year-old student, Gini, grinned at me as Dolphins Play Everyday came to an end. Suddenly, a huge handful played a low bass guitar and shook his eyebrows. – Big wave? – I asked. “No,” she replied, “Shark.” What did we do next? I’ll get there in a minute. So how have I ever mixed…