This is an English translation of an article published in Nikkan San on July 16th, 2020, as a part of my column, “The Way of the Pianist.
“Is the glass half full or half empty?”
It can be both. If you look at the glass filled with water from the bottom, it looks full. If you look at it from the top, you see more of the space above the water. It’s all a matter of perspective.
At the onset of this pandemic back in March, I resisted the idea of moving my musical offerings to online even after my concerts were all cancelled. I did have my reasons. Piano is an acoustic instrument – digitally processed sound is partially out of my control. And I always promoted music as a communal experience, where the shared time and space enhances the shared experience of music. However, my friend helped me shift my perspective. “Just imagine how much comfort and reassurance people drew from radio broadcasting during World War II.” That’s all he needed to say.
Now that I am live-streaming regularly, I am grateful. People from all over the world get to share the time of music appreciation together: Mexico, Japan, California, New York, Netherlands… I don’t know their life circumstances, but for that 30 minutes to an hour, we get to focus on the same thing – the beauty of music, and the joy of sharing that experience. Had this pandemic happened twenty years ago, none of this would have been possible. I am grateful for the computer, the internet, and social media…all the technology that allows me to share my music even under our current circumstance.
Here is an example: “Dr. Pianist’s Weekend Live #4: Variations and Counterpoint!”
On Sunday, July 26th at 4PM (PT) /7PM (PT), I will be presented by Groupmuse for its ticketed concert. In between everyone’s piano favorites like Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Listz’s Liebestraum etc. I will talk about how to incorporate the practice of music in your everyday life to benefit most effectively from music’s power to enhance our well-being. Please help me spread the word about this event with your friends! Only 100 spots are available, so I recommend you to reserve your spot at your earliest convenience. For more details and to make your reservation, please go to https://www.groupmuse.com/events/10822/early-access/BAhpAkYq–d0d2cbed5b6392aa5c59fbb7fa2e2fb24563054e