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

Know someone who embodies Culture & Courage ? I'm currently curating Season 7 of The Piano Pod and looking for musicians, educators, composers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders who are expanding what it means to be an artist today. If someone comes to mind—or if that person is you—I would love to hear from you. Please submit your nomination here: Nominate Guest Here

How do we bring our full musical selves to the stage? In this Season 6 finale of The Piano Pod , concert pianist, composer, arranger, educator, and artistic leader David Berry joins host Yukimi Song for a rich and deeply personal conversation on virtuosity, improvisation, composition, contemporary music, artistic identity, and the connections that unite seemingly different musical worlds. A gradua...

🎙️ SEASON 6 FINALE TRAILER How do we bring our full musical selves to the stage? In the Season 6 finale of The Piano Pod 🎙 , host Yukimi Song sits down with concert pianist, composer, arranger, educator, and artistic leader David Berry for a rich and deeply personal conversation on virtuosity, improvisation, composition, contemporary music, and artistic identity. A graduate of the Eastman School o...

What does it mean to become a "Sound Liberator"? In this episode of The Piano Pod, pianist, composer, educator, filmmaker, scholar, and advocate Joe Williams joins host Yukimi Song for a wide-ranging conversation on artistry, legacy, belonging, improvisation, education, and the evolving landscape of concert music. Currently pursuing a PhD in composition at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Willi...

🎙️ NEW TRAILER: Sound Liberation What does it mean to be a Sound Liberator ? In our upcoming episode of The Piano Pod, pianist, composer, educator, and scholar Joe Williams reflects on artistry, identity, freedom, Black excellence, and the power of music to preserve histories and connect communities. “My responsibility is really to free people through my art.” A powerful conversation on belonging,...

In this episode of The Piano Pod, we are joined by Steinway Artist, pianist, and pedagogue Dr. Oscar Macchioni. Born in Argentina, shaped by years of study in Poland, and now serving as Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of North Texas, Macchioni reflects on a life in music that moves across borders — culturally, intellectually, and artistically. A central focus of this conver...

Here is the Trailer for: Season 6 Episode 18: Beyond Borders: From Argentina to Poland to Texas—Oscar Macchioni Reflects on a Life in Music In our upcoming episode, we welcome Steinway Artist and renowned piano pedagogue Dr. Oscar Macchioni. This conversation goes far beyond tango. Together, we explore: • tango as a universal concert genre • artistic labels and misconceptions • audience engagement...

In this episode of The Piano Pod , we are joined by concert pianist Anna Shelest . Her work spans major orchestral collaborations, recording projects, and repertoire advocacy — but this conversation centers on her latest album A Romantic from Kharkiv; Music of Sergei Bortkiewicz and the deeper artistic and cultural meaning behind it. Together, we explore how music becomes a form of testimony — sha...

🎬 TRAILER — Music as Witness What does it mean for music to carry memory? In this upcoming episode of The Piano Pod , concert pianist Anna Shelest traces her roots from Kharkiv, Ukraine—through forgotten voices and the music of women composers she continues to bring into focus. This is not about novelty. It is about identity, history, and a lifelong artistic search for voice. Throughout the episo...

In this episode of The Piano Pod, we welcome Joy Luck Trio — a newly formed ensemble bringing together pianist Donna Weng Friedman, pipa virtuoso Gao Hong, and erhu virtuoso Karen Han-Ottosson. Together, these three Chinese-American artists unite piano, pipa, and erhu in a rare chamber collaboration rooted in heritage and shaped by contemporary expression. In this conversation, we explore how the...

What happens when piano, pipa, and erhu come together in one ensemble? Tonight on The Piano Pod , meet Joy Luck Trio — Donna Weng Friedman, Gao Hong, and Karen Han-Ottosson — three acclaimed artists creating a bold new chamber voice rooted in heritage, virtuosity, and contemporary expression. In this powerful conversation, we explore the origins of the trio, the fascinating histories of the pipa a...

In this episode of The Piano Pod, we are joined by composer, conductor, & Music Director at Univeristy of Cologne, Michael Ostrzyga His work spans composition, conducting, editorial scholarship, and large-scale projects — but this conversation centers on his piano writing, especially his recent solo album Perseus. Together, we explore how music begins — whether from structure, memory, or sound...

Here is the trailer for Season 6, Episode 15 of The Piano Pod. Guest: Michael Ostrzyga — Composer & Conductor In this episode, we explore his piano writing, centered around his album Perseus — a body of work shaped by structure, memory, and lived experience. In our conversation, we talked about: where music begins — sound, structure, or something more intuitive how memory finds its way into co...

In this episode of The Piano Pod, concert pianist Han Chen joins TPP for a deep conversation about virtuosity, vision, and what it means to build something meaningful in today’s classical music landscape. Han Chen is a GRAMMY Award–nominated pianist known for his fearless approach to some of the most demanding repertoire in the piano canon — from György Ligeti’s Complete Piano Études to Beethoven’...

Here is the trailer for our upcoming episode with GRAMMY-nominated pianist Han Chen. From mastering Ligeti to building Infinite Staircase, this conversation goes beyond performance — into vision, risk, and creating something that lasts. 🎥 Premieres tonight at 8 PM ET: https://youtu.be/2JqDeHYSk58?si=QgFPTfWf0ch_7WBl 🎧 Audio: https://linktr.ee/thepianopodaudio Read Our Blog: https://open.substack...

Accents of Love: Vivian Fang Liu on Artistry, Belonging, and Music for the Next Generation The Piano Pod — Season 6, Episode 13 In this episode of The Piano Pod , pianist, singer-songwriter, composer, educator, and music researcher Vivian Fang Liu joins host Yukimi Song for a powerful conversation about identity, creativity, and the role of music in shaping the next generation. Vivian Fang Liu is...

Here is the trailer for our upcoming episode of The Piano Pod. Concert pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer Vivian Fang Liu joins us for a powerful conversation about music, identity, and belonging. From her award-winning children’s albums to cross-genre artistry shaped by classical piano, Vivian shares how her work brings together performance, storytelling, and education to empower the next g...

Composer Sean Hickey joins The Piano Pod to discuss Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind — his monumental piano cycle inspired by Yuval Noah Harari’s bestselling book. From imagined orders and human cooperation to empire, biology, AI, and the future of artistic sustainability, this episode explores what it means to create — and remain human — in a rapidly changing world. Performed by pianist Vlad...

🎥 Here is the trailer for our new eps featuring Sean Hickey , Composer/Record Label Executive Composer Sean Hickey joins The Piano Pod to discuss Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind for the Piano — his monumental piano cycle inspired by Yuval Noah Harari’s bestselling book. From imagined orders and human cooperation to empire, biology, AI, and the future of artistic sustainability, this convers...

This surprise bonus episode was created in collaboration with Mannes School of Musi c at The New School. In this conversation, I sit down with Pavlina Dokovska — internationally active concert pianist, Chair of the Piano Department at Mannes School of Music, and Artistic Director of the Mannes International Piano Festival — to explore what it truly means to build artists in today’s musical and cul...

🚨 Bonus Episode Drops Tonight Here’s the trailer. Building Artists Through Music & Mentorship with Pavlina Dokovska What does it really take to build an artist? In this special collaboration, The Piano Pod sits down with Pavlina Dokovska — internationally active concert pianist, Chair of the Piano Department at Mannes School of Music, and Artistic Director of the Mannes International Piano Fe...

In this episode of The Piano Pod , host Yukimi Song sits down with pianist, composer, visual artist, and poet Asiya Korepanova for a wide-ranging conversation on extreme repertoire, transcription as a creative act, long-form artistic commitment, and what it means to think at scale as a musician today. Born into a deeply musical family in Izhevsk, Russia, and now based in the United States, Asiya’s...

🎬 Official Trailer — Fearless Vision with Asiya Korepanova For our upcoming episode of The Piano Pod , host Yukimi Song sits down with Asiya Korepanova — pianist, composer, visual artist, and poet — for a deep conversation on long-form artistic commitment, transcription as a creative act, and what it means to build a life in music shaped by depth, curiosity, and fearless vision. Asiya is known fo...

In this episode of The Piano Pod, host Yukimi Song sits down with pianist, recording artist, and multidisciplinary creator Aïda Lahlou for an in-depth conversation on Ravel’s Miroirs, sound as physical reality, and what it means to build an artistic life through curiosity, risk, and purpose. At the center of the conversation is Aïda’s debut album, Mirrors and Echoes —a recording that places Ravel’...

🎬 OFFICIAL TRAILER Season 6, Episode 10 Mirrors and Echoes — Ravel, Resonance, and Reframing Tradition What happens when Ravel’s Miroirs becomes the center of a much larger listening journey? In this episode of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Aïda Lahlou — UK-based, award-winning pianist and multidisciplinary artist — for an in-depth conversation on her debut album Mirrors and Echoes and the ideas...