This surprise bonus episode was created in collaboration with Mannes School of Music 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 cultural moment.

We discuss serious piano study, long-term mentorship, artistic identity, and the role institutions play in shaping the next generation of musicians.

Toward the end of the episode, you will also hear from Jiwon Yang, current Mannes graduate student and First Prize winner of the George and Elizabeth Gregory Concerto Competition, sharing her experience studying in downtown Manhattan and participating in the festival.

• 🎹 Mannes International Piano Festival
• 📝 Festival Application
• 🏫 Mannes School of Music at The New School
• 📝 Meet Our Guest — Pavlina Dokovska:

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🎧 Available on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

Subscribe for more conversations on creativity, mentorship, and the future of classical music.

🚨 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 Festival — for a candid conversation on serious piano study, mentorship, and artistic formation.

We discuss:

• Why long-term training still matters • Balancing rigor and humanity in teaching • How community shapes resilient musicians • The vision behind the Mannes International Piano Festival

You’ll also hear from Jiwon Yang, a Mannes graduate student and First Prize winner of the George and Elizabeth Gregory Concerto Competition, on what it feels like to train in an environment defined by intensity and support.

🎧 Premiering tonight at 8:00 PM ET 📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/pMt6Jb-zOD4

🎙 Audio platforms: https://linktr.ee/ThePianoPodAudio

A conversation about leadership, responsibility, and how artists are formed.

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 career is defined by projects many would consider “impossible”: performing the complete solo piano works of Rachmaninoff during the composer’s 150th-anniversary year, Liszt’s 24 Études, and Bach’s complete Well-Tempered Clavier. In this conversation, Asiya reflects on what draws her to repertoire that unfolds over years rather than hours, and how long-form thinking shapes her artistic identity.

A central focus of the episode is Asiya’s work as a transcriber. She speaks candidly about transcription as a form of composition—an act she once described as “taming a wild animal”—and how her deep understanding of orchestral, vocal, and chamber music informs the way she reimagines works for solo piano. We hear excerpts from her transcriptions of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, alongside reflections on craft, risk, and responsibility.

The conversation also explores Asiya’s work beyond performance: her compositions, her multidisciplinary projects that integrate visual art and poetry, her commitment to education and access through her nonprofit Music for Minds, and her curatorial leadership at Festival Baltimore and Festival Flatiron NYC.

This episode offers a rare, unfiltered look into the inner life of an artist whose work is driven not by spectacle, but by depth, rigor, and fearless vision.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

• Asiya Korepanova — Official Website
• Asiya's Merch on Etsy
• Sounds of Inspiration — Piano Works from Season 6 (Music mentioned in this episode)
• Read the accompanying blog on Substack

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🎬 Official Trailer — Fearless Visionwith 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 for her daring piano transcriptions and for taking on extreme repertoire, including the complete solo piano works of Rachmaninoff and Liszt’s 24 Études. In this episode, she reflects on why she is drawn to projects that unfold over years rather than hours, and how imagination, rigor, and responsibility intersect in her artistic life.

📅 Episode Premiere: Tuesday, February 10 ⏰ 8:00 PM ET

• 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thepianopod
• 🎧 Audio episode drops simultaneously: https://linktr.ee/ThePianoPodAudio
• 📝 Meet Our Guest — Asiya Korepanova (Blog)

🌐 Asiya Korepanova — Official Website

Join us for a conversation that goes beyond performance — into process, scale, and artistic vision.

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’s Miroirs as its reflective core, surrounded by carefully curated piano miniatures from across cultures and centuries. Rather than treating the album as a collection of pieces, Aïda speaks about programming as experience: sequencing, resonance, and how sound can function as landscape rather than emotional narrative.

We also explore her broader artistic practice—from environmental engagement and rethinking institutional success, to her one-woman show blending stand-up comedy with solo piano performance, and her advocacy for the return of the modern impresario / creative producer in today’s classical music ecosystem.

• 🎧 Listen to Aïda's album, Mirrors and Echoes, on Spotify
• 📝 Meet Our Guest — Aïda Lahlou: Read the accompanying blog exploring Mirrors and Echoes and Aïda’s artistic vision

🎧 THE PIANO POD

• 💖 Become a VIP Member / Unlock exclusive content HERE.
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🎬 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 shaping her work today.

At the heart of our discussion is Ravel: how Miroirs functions not as a self-contained cycle, but as a reflective axis — opening pathways to sound worlds across cultures, traditions, and time.

We talk about programming as experience, sound as landscape, and why curiosity and risk are essential tools for artists working outside inherited models of success. This is a conversation about listening deeply, building artistic agency, and reframing tradition without abandoning it.

▶️ Join the premiere on Tuesday, January 27 at 8:00 pm ET

• 🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bFeSehfSUck?si=oCYgW6ciVkkf1N-u
• 🎧 Audio episode drops simultaneously https://rss.com/podcasts/the-piano-pod/

In this episode of The Piano Pod, host Yukimi Song sits down with concert pianist and recording artist Ammiel Bushakevitz for a wide-ranging conversation on Franz Schubert, the German Lied tradition, and what makes 19th-century music speak powerfully to 21st-century audiences.

Ammiel shares insights from his major long-term projects, including Schubert 200 — a multi-album Lied collaboration building toward Schubert’s bicentennial in 2028 — and his ongoing recording of Schubert’s complete solo piano works. We explore intimacy versus scale, collaboration between singer and pianist, audience-building for a new generation, and why Schubert’s music remains profoundly human and relevant today.

🎧 Note: This video episode concludes around the 51-minute mark. The audio version continues further, with additional reflections on collaboration, teaching, empathy, and artistic legacy. Find the full episode wherever you listen to podcasts.🎹 Meet Our Guest — Ammiel Bushakevitz

• 📝 Read the blog post exploring Ammiel’s artistry and his approach to Schubert

About Ammiel: Concert pianist, recording artist, and one of today’s leading interpreters of Schubert and the German Lied tradition. Ammiel performs internationally across six continents and is also the Artistic Director of Les Voix d’Orphée, an organization dedicated to song, education, and cultural exchange.

• 🔗 Learn more about Ammiel Bushakevitz
• 🎧 Listen to all the pieces mentioned during the episode here

🎧 THE PIANO POD

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🎬 OFFICIAL TRAILER

Season 6, Episode 9 Schubert Now — Concert Pianist, Ammiel Bushakevitz on Storytelling, Connection, and the Road to the 2028 Bicentennial

Why does Schubert still matter today?

In our first episode of 2026, I sit down with concert pianist and recording artist Ammiel Bushakevitz for a wide-ranging conversation on Schubert, the German Lied tradition, and why intimacy — not scale — may shape the future of classical music.

From his bold Schubert 200 project and the journey toward recording Schubert’s complete piano works by 2028, to the return of Schubertiaden and the power of music in small, human spaces, this episode explores what it means to listen deeply in the 21st century.

This is a conversation about storytelling, connection, and why 19th-century music continues to speak with urgency today.

▶️ Join the premiere here on Tuesday, January 13:

https://youtu.be/uWoq0paUvCc?si=ePQCYgqFTY361VOK

🎧 Audio episode drops simultaneously: https://rss.com/podcasts/the-piano-pod/

To close out 2025, The Piano Pod brings you a special year-end bonus episode featuring composer and storyteller Stefania De Kenessey. Earlier this season, we explored her MICROVIDS project; today, Stefania takes us behind the scenes of another major undertaking: her opera The Bonfire of the Vanities, based on Tom Wolfe’s iconic novel.

In this conversation, Stefania reflects on the creative risks, structural challenges, and artistic values behind adapting a 700-page book for the operatic stage. She shares insights on distillation, libretti, character reimagining, and the emotional stakes of composing—offering a rare look at how large-scale musical works take shape.

You’ll hear Stefania discuss:

• Transforming a sprawling novel into a cohesive opera
• The unique demands of crafting a focused, effective libretto
• Reimagining characters and narrative power dynamics
• What music can unveil that prose alone cannot
• Choosing a darker, more pointed ending
• The exhilarating—and sometimes brutal—reality of composing

ICYMI: Revisit our full episode on MICROVIDS in Season 6, Episode 3

This episode is a thoughtful reminder that music is not only a craft, but a conviction. Stefania’s perspective highlights how storytelling, ethics, and imagination intersect in contemporary composition.

Thank you for being part of The Piano Pod community this year. We return on January 13, 2026, with a brand-new episode to kick off the new year.

✨ Happy Holidays, friends!

This extra segment comes from Season 6, Episode 2 with the award-winning Mada & Hugh Piano Duo. Our conversation ran longer than expected, and while this part didn’t make it into the final episode, I couldn’t keep it from you — it’s just too good.

In this excerpt, Mada & Hugh open up about creativity in its purest form:

• How hobbies and play can recharge us
• Why music connects us beyond perfection
• What it means to reclaim our humanity in an age of technology and AI
• The joy of making music without judgment or pressure

Their reflections feel like the perfect reminder for this season: creativity is not about perfection, but about presence, freedom, and connection.

🎧 Enjoy this bonus episode with Mada and Hugh!

Explore More from Mada & Hugh

📖 Read my blog about their YouTube vlogs: Meet Our Guest: Mada & Hugh Website: madahugh.com YouTube: @madahughpianoduo

🎬 Listen to the original episode released in September 2025: Four Hands, Boundless Creativity — Mada & Hugh Piano Duo here.

💖 Support The Piano Pod

• Subscribe to our Sounds of Inspiration – Piano Works from Season 6 playlist: Click here
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• Website: thepianopod.com
• Social Media: linktr.ee/thepianopod
• Listen on all podcast platforms: linktr.ee/ThePianoPodAudio

What does a piano recital have to do with war, faith, and forgiveness?

In this episode of The Piano Pod, pianist and educator Anli Lin Tong shares the story behind Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation—a profoundly moving concert created for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

What began as a single song her father used to sing—The Bells of Nagasaki—became a powerful act of remembrance, shaped by the legacy of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a survivor who transformed unimaginable loss into a life devoted to peace.

This conversation moves beyond repertoire and performance into questions rarely asked in classical music:

• What responsibility does an artist carry when history is still unresolved? • How does sound hold memory when words fail?

From the history of Urakami Cathedral’s bells, silenced for decades, to Anli’s own journey—moving to the U.S. alone as a child, studying with legendary teachers, and carrying artistic lineage forward—this episode reveals how music can become a moral witness.

It’s a conversation about remembrance, responsibility, and the quiet power of sound to hold history—and humanity—together.

Learn More About Anli Lin Tong

• 📝 Read my blog exploring Anli’s artistry and work
• 📰 Press Coverage: Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation
• 🎓 Juilliard Feature The Juilliard School highlights Anli’s writing on her teacher Mieczysław Munz:

🎹 THE PIANO POD

• 🎵 Subscribe to the Season 6 Piano Playlist — a collection of every piano work mentioned throughout the episodes:
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