Nathan comes from a musical family, which might have saddled him with unmanageable expectations. But his parents were careful to keep things light and fun, while making sure he had a strong foundation.

In this episode, Akiko learns about Nathan’s beginnings in the Suzuki method with Donna Wiehe, his transition to Daniel Mason (who was a Heifetz student), and that always-awkward teen period when we all have to figure things out for ourselves. For Nathan, that included his first memory slip (terrifying), his introduction to chamber music, and his lifelong habit of keeping a practice journal.

We wrap up where we did in the last episode: at the moment just before we met for the very first time!