The Piano Pod - a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music

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Yukimi and Clara had a wonderful conversation with the sensational Piano/Saxophone duo, Liana Pailodze Harron and Thomas A. Giles, for this season's 7th episode.

Clara met the duo in the fall of 2021, and she introduced Yukimi to the video clip of their performance (https://youtu.be/rbB_Qz4L0Cs)  -- we've been obsessed with Liana and Thomas! So, we felt so lucky to be able to invite them for an interview...and we had a blast!

This Brooklynite piano/sax duo never came across one another though they have been residing only one subway station away for years till the fateful day of Sept 2021. Liana and Thomas finally met through their mutual friend. A year later, they produced an album, Mysteries of the Macabre, with music by prolific composers such as Gyögy Ligeti, Olivier Messiaen, and more!

In this special episode, the duo will share: 

• ✅ About their fun collaboration, Album "Mysteries of the Macabre"
• ✅ Their solo careers
• ✅ Impact of the pandemic

and more!

[About Guests] 

• Dr. Liana Pailodze Harron: https://www.lianapailodzeharron.com/
• Dr. Thomas A. Giles: https://www.thomasgilessax.com/

[This episode is brought to you by Forte -- a free alternative to Zoom purpose-built for music teachers] 

Dear fellow music educators, join Forte’s waitlist to connect with more potential music students!

👉 https://share.hsforms.com/1HPYudyjDQqGouiUYDC056Qc033x

[The Piano Pod 🎙- Bringing PIANO into the 21st Century] podcast show about 🎹 for ALL pianists 

Hey, 🎹 lovers out there! We are The Piano Pod, a bi-monthly podcast🎙 show hosted by Yukimi Song and Clara Zhang--classical pianists & educators from NYC. Our podcast show is for anyone who plays the piano for fun, loves listening to piano music, is currently pursuing a career in piano, or works professionally in the music industry. 

Twice a month, we interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the music industry. Started during the coronavirus pandemic as a way to adjust to the new musical reality, the goals of The Piano Pod are to examine the traditions of the piano, adapt them, and expand its capabilities in this modern era. 

• 🌐 Website: https://thepianopod.com 
• 📱Social Media: https://linktr.ee/thepianopodnyc 
• 📬 Email: [email protected] 

[TPP Team]

• Executive Producer: Yukimi Song 
• Writer: Yukimi Song 
• Audio/Video Editor: Yukimi Song 
• Co-hosts: Clara Zhang/Yukimi Song 
• Social Media: Yukimi Song
• Social Media Asia: Clara Zhang (https://www.rationalmusic.com/)

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

We had a great conversation with Kyle P. Walker: Activist Concert Pianist and Educator as our guest of Season 3 Episode 6.

Kyle, a strong advocate for social equality, believes music can speak to social issues better than verbal language. Having extensive experience both as a performing artist and journalist, he feels a strong responsibility and passion for raising awareness of social justice issues through music in an accessible and engaging way.

In this episode, you will hear Kyle’s thoughts on how music can speak towards current social issues, how he brings awareness to influential Black music through his innovative and inclusive programs, and more.

[Kyle P. Walker – Activist Concert Pianist]

A strong advocate for social equality, critically acclaimed pianist Kyle P. Walker believes music can speak to social issues better than verbal language can, the understanding of which he brings to both traditional Western repertoire and that of the living worldwide composers with whom he collaborates.

His performances have been featured on media broadcasts, including The Green Space at WNYC, WQXR’s Mcgraw-Hill Financial Young Artists Showcase, Sunday Baroque, NPR’s Public Radio East, CNN, and PBS. He has been featured in recitals at New York’s Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and with an orchestra in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Walker was featured in residency alongside the Boston-based Castle of Our Skins ensemble at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The online series of free digital programs explores how some Black American composers have found inspiration in the rich tradition of spirituals.

Walker is a pianist of DARA + KYLE, an innovative piano/cello duo, and 2021 recipient of the Chamber Music America “Ensemble Forward” career grant. The award-winning duo is committed to bringing excellence and respect to all under-represented composers in the canon. Walker also performs with The Harlem Chamber Players, an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable, and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond.

As an advocate of social justice, Walker is a founding member and chamber musician of The Dream Unfinished, an activist orchestra that supports NYC-based civil rights and community organizations through concerts and presentations. As a teaching artist and educator, he has co-presented at the Human Rights Center, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and the Brooklyn Public Library.

A dedicated educator, Walker is a piano faculty member at NYU Steinhardt’s program in Piano Studies. In addition, he is also on the faculty of the Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center and the chamber music faculty of The Artist Program at Suzuki on the Island. He has presented recitals, residencies, and masterclasses at various institutions such as The University of Dayton, The University of Virginia, Belmont University, Allen University, The Harlem School of the Arts, and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He has also co-presented extensive workshops alongside The Dream Unfinished, including the Carnegie Hall Music Educator Workshop, speaking about arts activism and building diverse curriculums for students to include composers that reflect the communities they serve.

📺 Watch his performance of “Troubled Water” by Margaret Bonds: https://youtu.be/nPeLOYc3pNA

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

TPP Team had a wonderful conversation with Mr. Geroge Ko: Young Steinway Artist/Composer/Improviser for this episode. 

George is a concert pianist pushing classical music forward by blending "Chopin-like virtuosity with the vast soundscapes of cinema." His music revolves around improvisation - a practice typically confined to jazz music - which he's brought into the realm of classical music. Many of his songs are one-take improvs, allowing maximum creativity and spontaneity. 

George has appeared on stages worldwide, from 2000-seat auditoriums to Carnegie Hall. In addition, his music has been heard at film festivals, television broadcasts, and music festivals in Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and China. 

George is also a successful entrepreneur, having founded several companies and nonprofits. He received the CES Innovation Award in Robotics in 2019, the Harvard Gov 2.0 Award for innovation in politics, and a patent in data management. During the pandemic, despite his success in the tech and media sector, he realized his true calling was playing the piano, so he left his job and began focusing on playing piano professionally for the first time. 

He's now a Young Steinway artist. And Steinway has described him as "making classical music accessible and exciting for the masses.” 

In this episode, you will hear about George’s complicated yet fulfilling relationship with the performing arts world, his discovery of his mission – entertaining his wide-range audience with his improvisatory skills on the piano as a classical pianist, his candid views about the trajectory of the classical music industry and more. 

[George Ko] Young Steinway Artist/Composer/Improviser 

• 🌐 Website: https://www.georgeko.co/
• 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Y9xt...
• 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/georgekocreative
• 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_georgeko/

[Join the waitlist to connect with more potential music students!] 

👉 Tap HERE to connect.

[The Piano Pod 🎙- Bringing PIANO into the 21st Century] podcast show about 🎹 for ALL pianists 

Hey, 🎹 lovers out there! We are The Piano Pod, a bi-monthly podcast🎙 show hosted by Yukimi Song and Clara Zhang--classical pianists & educators from NYC. Our podcast show is for anyone who plays the piano for fun, loves listening to piano music, is currently pursuing a career in piano, or works professionally in the music industry. Twice a month, we interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the music industry. Started during the coronavirus pandemic as a way to adjust to the new musical reality, the goals of The Piano Pod are to examine the traditions of the piano, adapt th

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

We had the opportunity to connect with Mark Murtagh and Hunter McGranahan, the co-founders of the video conferencing platform, Forte. They co-founded Forte because they believe there should be a free platform built specifically for online music lessons.

Forte radically improves online education with audio quality far superior to existing platforms. Mark worked for years as a trusted advisor to some of the top music institutions in the world, including Juilliard, The Royal College of Music, and Berklee, helping them expand access to high-quality music instruction across the globe. And before Forte, Hunter helped build the Virtual Reality initiative at the Creative Artists Agency and led the development of Magic Leap's music education platform.

In this latest episode, Mark and Hunter shared the story behind Forte, why Forte is (and will remain!) free, and how Forte's mission focuses on expanding access to quality music teachers anywhere in the world.

[Forte] 🌐 https://fortelessons.com/

Mark and Hunter are the co-founders of Forte, a free alternative to Zoom that has become the first choice for top music teachers everywhere. Forte offers features optimized for classical music lessons, including audio quality far superior to existing platforms and allowing you to hear every nuance of your student's instrument.

Their colleagues at The Royal College of Music, Aspen Music Festival, Curtis Institute, and Berklee College of Music have even used Forte in their own programs. Nothing to download. It's easy to use. And FREE.

😍 Dear fellow music teachers, looking for online music students? Join Forte's waitlist HERE!

[The Piano Pod 🎙- Bringing PIANO into the 21st Century] podcast show about 🎹 for ALL pianists

Hey, 🎹 lovers out there! We are The Piano Pod, a bi-monthly podcast🎙 show, hosted by Yukimi Song and Clara Zhang--classical pianists & educators from NYC. Our podcast show is for anyone who plays the piano for fun, loves listening to piano music, is currently pursuing a career in piano, or works professionally in the music industry.

Twice a month, we interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the music industry. Started during the coronavirus pandemic as a way to adjust to the new musical reality, the goals of The Piano Pod are to examine the traditions of the piano, adapt them, and expand its capabilities in this modern era.

• 🌐 Website: https://thepianopod.com
• 📱Social Media: https://linktr.ee/thepianopodnyc
• 📬 Email: [email protected]
• Executive Producer: Yukimi Song
• Writer: Yukimi Song
• Audio/Video Editor: Yukimi Song
• Co-hosts: Clara Zhang/Yukimi Song
• Social Media: Yukimi Song

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

The TPP🎙 team had a wonderful conversation with Jolynn J Chin, an award-winning Electronic Dance Music crossover pianist and participant of America's Got Talent Season 16, during the interview for Season 3 Episode 3!

The topics of the conversation include:

• ✅ Her discovery of music technology
• ✅ Journey of becoming a touring artist while working as a music teacher at a local school
• ✅ Experience while on America's Got Talent season 16
• ✅ Her latest original music, "LOST"

and more!

👉 If you are a piano student or a musician who needs more inspiration to get to the next level of musicianship, you do not want to miss this episode! Her stories will spark your curiosity and inspire you to see the magical world of music you never knew existed.

#podcast #podcastlife #podcastshow #podcasting #podcastersofinstagram #podcasters #podcastaddict #podcastlove #pianists #podcastcommunity #podcast #podcastinglife #podcastjunkie #podcastlifestyle #podcastlovers #podcastsofinstagram #piano #pianocover #pianoplayer #pianopractice #pianocovers #piano #pianoconcert #classicalpiano #pianoworldwide

😎 Executive Producer/writer @yukimisongstudio

🕹Audio/Video Editor @yukimisong

👯‍♀️ Co-hosts @clara_pianistica@rationalmusicstudios_c & Yukimi Song

📱Social Media: Yukimi Song

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

This episode starts out a bit differently than others--you hear an excerpt of Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata Op.106 (allegro) performed by our guest.

🎹TPP team had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Halim - Steinway Artis, Sascha Gorodnitzki Music Professor of Piano Studies at New York University, and the "Last Pupil" of Vladimir Horowitz. We were so blown away by all the incredible stories and insights he shared and the name-dropping 🤯!

Mr. Halim shared such in-depth & personal stories with the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz while Mr. Halim was studying with the maestro in the late 1980s. You might have read Mr. Horowitz's biography, Horowitz: His Life and Music, written by Harold C. Schonberg…one of the chapters of the book was titled "Last Pupil," which was about Mr. Halim! 

In the chapter, the author Schonberg describes what led Mr. Halim to become the last student of the Master, what his first lesson was like with the Master, and how their student-mentor relationship became complicated. Their encounter was in the late 1980s, and this biography was written in the 1990s by someone else besides Mr. Halim himself.

So, in 2022, Mr. Halim is ready to share his genuine and authentic perspectives after 2-3 decades and intimate memories about Mr. Horowitz...even at the Master's funeral.

In this episode, you will hear a few TPP-exclusive 💣 stories about Mr. Horowitz you've never heard from anywhere else, and 👏 YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT!

[Mr. Halim's In-Person & Livestream Concert on 9/22/2022!]

🎉🎉🎉JOIN THE LIVESTREAM OF MR. HALIM's LIVE PERFORMANCE THIS THURSDAY (9/22/2022) at 7:30 pm ET🎉🎉🎉 

👉 He will be performing 🎹 all-Liszt program hosted by the American Liszt Society at Yamaha Artist Services Inc, in Mid-town, Manhattan, which will be live-streamed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/quwAOohNqGg

[Eduardus Halim]

📍 Website: http://www.eduardushalim.com/

📍 NYU Profile: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/eduardus-halim

📍 Watch his performance of "Hammerklavier": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7F-XegfC38

[Time Stamp]

[Season 3 Episode 2] 

• 00:00:00 Excerpt of Mr. Halim's 2021 performance of Beethoven "Hammerklavier" Sonata Op.106 
• 00:01:00 Intro 
• 00:09:20 Eduardus' early years in Indonesia – from his discovery of love for piano, debut concert, and training 
• 00:22:34 Eduardus' Juilliard years under Sasha Gorodnitzki and Rudolf Firkushny 
• 00:35:06 Memorable Concerts Eduardus attended as a student in NYC given by notorious pianists in the 1980s 
• 00:37:23 Eduardus' Concert Career 
• 00:43:35 Eduardus' recording projects 
• 00:52:48 VLADIMIR HOROWITZ 
• 01:29:55 Carrying Horowitz's legacy through his performance and passing it down to Eduardus' students at New York University 
• 01:34:12 Eduardus' upcoming all-Liszt concert on 9/22/2022, live-streamed on YouTube at 7:30 pm ET, hosted by the American Liszt Society 
• 01:44:20 Advice for Young Artists 
• 01:49:05 TPP Rapid Fire Question

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

The Piano Pod team had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Edna Golandsky, Founder and Artistic Director of the Golandsky Institute, for the opening episode of Season 3! 

During the show, we got to hear her personal stories:

✅ her youth and training
✅ her relationship/training with Mrs. Taubman
✅ how the Taubman Approach/Technique can solve most common pianists' problems
✅ how she developed The Golandsky Institute.
and more!

If you are a pianist or serious piano student, who would like to have a long, injury-free career in performing arts,
OR
If you are a piano teacher whose students deal with issues of tension while playing/practicing piano, THIS EPISODE IS JUST FOR YOU.

[Ms. Edna Golandsky]

Ms. Golandsky is a world-renowned piano pedagogue and the leading exponent of the Taubman Approach. She has earned wide acclaim throughout the United States and abroad for her pedagogical expertise and for using the Taubman piano technique. She is also known for her extraordinary ability to solve technical problems and her penetrating musical insight. 

Ms. Golandsky started the piano study in Israel at the age of eight. As a gifted pianist, she played recitals at age ten and performed with orchestras by twelve. Ms. Golandsky came to the United States when she was sixteen years old and was immediately accepted to the Juilliard School in their Preparatory Division. She remained at Juilliard for the next eight years, studying with Jane Carlson, Rosina Lhevinne, and Adele Marcus and graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees in piano performance. 

She has been featured in The New York Times, Classical Music UK, Authority Magazine, Piano & Keyboard Magazine, The Clavier Companion, New Work Weekly, Thrive Global, and has written for The Strad, Interlude, TopMusic, Piano Marvel, and The Cross-Eyed Pianist among others.

 For more information about Edna, please visit ednagolandsky.com. You can also learn more about The Golandsky Institute by visiting golandskyinstitute.org. 

[The Taubman Approach] 

The Taubman Approach is a groundbreaking analysis of the mostly invisible motions that function underneath a virtuoso technique. The resulting knowledge makes it possible to help pianists overcome technical limitations and cure playing-related injuries. It is also how tone production and other components of expressive playing can be understood and taught. 

Edna Golandsky is the person with whom Dorothy Taubman worked most closely. In 1976 Ms. Golandsky conceived the idea of establishing an Institute where people could come together during the summer and pursue an intensive investigation of the Taubman Approach. She encouraged Mrs. Taubman to establish the Taubman Institute, which they ran together as co-founders. Mrs. Taubman was Executive Director, and Ms. Golandsky served as Artistic Director. 

Almost from the beginning, Mrs. Taubman entrusted Ms. Golandsky with the planning and programming of the annual summer session. She gave daily lectures on the Taubman Approach and later conducted master classes as well. As the face of the Taubman Approach, Ms. Golandsky discusses each of its elements in a ten-volume video series. Mrs. Taubman has written, "I consider her the leading authority on the Taubman Approach to instrumental playing.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

TPP Team, Yukimi Song and Clara Zhang, took a 3-month summer hiatus, and we are back! We missed you–hope you had a wonderful summer being able to rest up, take a trip, work on new projects, spend some time in nature, and/or, of course, practice piano.

Now we are back and excited to launch the new season, Season 3! In this introductory episode, we will cover: 

👉 Why we wanted to start a podcast show 

👉 What we learned from the past seasons 

👉 What we expect in Season 3: guests and patronage 

and more! 

😍 This introductory episode is so monumental for us--for the first time in the 2-year history of The Piano Pod, our team met at Yukimi's home and taped the show! Prior to this episode, we were taping the show via Zoom--so co-hosts were in two separate locations. 

Guess what? We are now on Patreon--now more than ever TPP needs your support! Please go to our Patreon's site at 🔗www.patreon.com/thepianopod. We want to create excellent content for YOU, but without your support, it's impossible. 

You can also help us by visiting 🌴 https://linktr.ee/thepianopod so that you know who will be on our show for the next 3 episode in Season 3! We love you and want to bring the latest news on piano music to you! 

Hope you enjoyed this episode. Please tell us what you think via [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. 

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

The TPP team had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Nicholas McCarthy – One-handed International Concert Pianist, Yamaha Artist, and Motivational Speaker — for our season 2 finale episode!   

Born without a right hand, Mr. McCarthy was told he would never succeed as a concert pianist, yet he refused to be discouraged and went on to study at one of the world’s most prestigious music schools, the Royal College of Music in London where he became the first one-handed pianist to graduate in its 135-year history.   

Mr. McCarthy has performed extensively in the UK as well as internationally.  His concert performances, recordings, and press coverage have drawn critical acclaim, and he continues to encourage young people through his work in music education.   

As a speaker, Mr. McCarthy has created and delivered high-impact keynote talks for the world’s most dynamic brands. He has helped companies motivate their workforce, improving profitability and loyalty by sharing his truly unique and inspiring story and teaching them how to operate at a level of peak performance. 

During the interview, Nicholas shared stories: 

• ✅ How he beat the odds to be accepted by the RCM 
• ✅ His incredible international career as a concert pianist 
• ✅ The history of the left-hand piano literature 
• ✅ The source of his positive mindset 

[Nicholas McCarthy] 

• 🌐Website: https://nicholasmccarthy.co.uk/ 
• 📚Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichola...) 
• 🎙Nicholas’ appearance on the Tim Ferriss Show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 
• 🗣TED Talk: https://youtu.be/m9dNZKNVqrw 
• 🎊NO Limits Festival with Nicholas McCarthy: https://manchestercamerata.co.uk/perf... 
• 🏅2012 Paralympic Games Anthem: https://youtu.be/0a4_cJ2q4hs 
• 🏆2012 Paralympic Games: Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” supported by The British Paraorchestra Paralympics closing ceremony: https://youtu.be/Pu9CvbGJmss 
• 🎹Chopin Etude Op.25 no.12 arr Godowsky: https://youtu.be/UoLE31Y83LM 📗Duet for Three Hands by Cyril Smith and Joyce Egginton:

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we invited Donna Weng Friedman— Award-winning pianist, chamber musician, producer, and educator -- for this upcoming episode. 

Clara & Yukimi had a wonderful conversation with Donna this morning. She is such a great storyteller--we all got choked up during the show hearing her incredible stories! During the interview, we covered topics such as: 

• Donna's upbringing/training at Princeton and Juilliard, and with Nadia Boulanger.
• Her international performance career
• Her Heritage and Harmony programs
• Her creation of "The Music Bee Club" -- interactive classical music apps for children.

[Donna Weng Friedman] 

Ms. Friedman created the Heritage and Harmony programs - including the video series in collaboration with WQXR, and the education program Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice in collaboration with the National Women’s History Museum – with the aim of promoting empathy, understanding, and tolerance among people of all backgrounds. 

Ms. Friedman has performed in concert halls as a soloist with major symphony orchestras internationally and as a chamber musician, collaborating with world-renowned musicians. As a recording artist, she released an EP during the pandemic, named Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, which was recently honored with two silver medals at the 2022 Global Music Awards. 

Ms. Friedman currently serves as a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music while conducting master classes worldwide including at the Shanghai and Beijing Conservatories. She is also the creator/developer of “The Music Bee Club”—an interactive classical music app for children, which was produced by multiple Grammy-Award winner, David Frost. 

[Links] 

• WQXR Her/Music Her/Story: https://www.wqxr.org/shows/her-music-...
• Heritage and Harmony: https://www.wqxr.org/story/heritage-h...
• About Quiet Poems: https://icareifyoulisten.com/2022/03/...
• Listen to Quiet Poems: https://youtu.be/qLWQJXyAldo
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iJ84K...
• Mannes: