The Piano Pod

Yukimi Song

...where tradition meets innovation, and together, we bring PIANO into the 21st Century.Hey, 🎹 enthusiasts out there! My name is Yukimi, a classical pianist and educator from NYC and executive producer of The Piano Pod. The Piano Pod🎙 is a one-of-a-kind podcast that delves deep into the fascinating world of classical music, with a specific focus on the 🎹 piano. In a biweekly format, the show explores intriguing discussions with guests breaking exciting new ground in the classical music industry. The Piano Pod aims to nurture a thriving community that embraces innovative approaches to ensure classical music's relevance and vitality in today's dynamic landscape."How can I present the beautiful tradition of classical music to the 21st-century audience in a fun, contemporary, and engaging way?"When I started building a piano studio in the trendy neighborhood of Downtown Manhattan in 2007 while in the NYU graduate program in piano studies, I began to ponder this question. I realized the stark difference in expectations toward classical music and music education between music professionals and the general public. Then, one of the NYU music department's professors suggested I start a podcast: the platform would allow classical musicians to address this disparity and spark conversations about audience engagement.Finally, fast forward to 10+ years later, The Piano Pod was born in the summer of 2020. Since then, I have had the privilege of interviewing A-listers in the classical music industry: international concert pianists, composers, arrangers, digital streamers/influencers, music educators, entrepreneurs, neurodiverse specialists, and performance psychologists.Through fascinating conversations, we have explored how classical music should continue to evolve to remain relevant to our lifestyle, society, and culture. Over t

  • 1 hour 34 minutes
    Bells of Nagasaki — Anli Lin Tong on Faith, Lineage, and the Artist’s Callin

    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

    🎹 THE PIANO POD

    17 December 2025, 12:45 am
  • 1 minute 3 seconds
    Official Trailer ✅: "Bells of Nagasaki" feat. Pianist/Educator, Anli Lin Tong

    The trailer for our upcoming episode is now live—and it offers a glimpse into one of the most reflective and quietly powerful conversations of this season.

    In Season 6, Episode 8 of The Piano Pod, I sit down with pianist and educator Anli Lin Tong for a deeply moving conversation about music as memory, faith, lineage, and moral witness.

    At the heart of this episode is Anli’s recent project, Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation—a concert created to honor the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. What began as a song her father used to sing, The Bells of Nagasaki, became the seed for a project shaped by history, spiritual reckoning, and the life of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a survivor who devoted his life to forgiveness and peace.

    Our conversation moves beyond repertoire and performance into questions that are rarely asked in classical music: What role can music play in healing and forgiveness? What responsibility does an artist carry when history is still unresolved?

    We also trace Anli’s artistic lineage—from early piano lessons guided by her father, to moving to the U.S. alone as a minor, to studying with legendary teachers and carrying their legacy forward through her work as a performer and educator.

    This episode is a reflection on remembrance, responsibility, and the artist’s calling—and on the quiet power of music to hold history, faith, and humanity together.

    ✨ The full episode premieres Tuesday, December 16, at 8:00 PM ET on YouTube, with the audio episode released simultaneously on all major podcast platforms.

    📝 Learn more about Anli and her work HERE

    — Yukimi

    15 December 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    Between Worlds: Mirna Lekic on Cultural Crossings, Sonic Identity, and the Art of Connection

    In this episode, I sit down with pianist and educator Mirna Lekić for a conversation that spans continents, sound worlds, and the deeper layers of what music can mean in a human life.

    Born and raised in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War and now based in New York City, Mirna brings a rare perspective to the piano — one shaped by resilience, migration, devotion, and an unshakable belief in music as a stabilizing, healing force.

    We explore her acclaimed 2023 album MIRAGE, a breathtaking collection of sonic illusions and cultural crossings that reimagines the piano as a global storyteller — moving from Azerbaijan to Spain, Armenia to Java, and beyond.

    This episode dives into:

    • how early musical experiences during war shaped Mirna’s artistic identity
    • the healing and stabilizing role music played during her family’s resettlement
    • the depth of Bosnian and Balkan musical influences
    • how cultural diversity becomes musical philosophy, not performance
    • MIRAGE and its groundbreaking approach to sound, resonance, and identity
    • collaborative work with living composers, shadow puppeteers, and multidisciplinary artists
    • how educators can guide young musicians toward authenticity in a rapidly changing world

    It’s a conversation about healing, devotion, heritage, and the power of sound to help us make sense of where we come from — and where we’re going.

    🌟 SOUND BITES

    “Music was a healing presence.” “Music study demands devotion.” “Music can be a lifeline.”

    🎧 FEATURED LINKS FROM MIRNA'S WORK

    From the album Masks:

    From MIRAGE:

    From Eastern Currents: Ramin Heydarbeygi — Aramesh

    Mirna’s Shadow Puppetry Collaborations:

    Read my review on Mirna's Album, MIRAGE on Substack

    10 December 2025, 12:40 am
  • 1 minute 18 seconds
    Official Trailer ✅ "Between Worlds" Mirna Lekić on Cultural Crossings, Sonic Identity, and the Art of Connection

    Here is the TRAILER — Between Worlds: From Sarajevo to New York: A Conversation on Cultural Crossings, Sonic Identity, and the Art of Connection feat. Mirna Lekić

    This week on The Piano Pod, I sit down with pianist and champion of new music Mirna Lekić for a conversation that moves between cultures, sound worlds, and the deeper layers of artistic identity. From Sarajevo to New York, we explore cultural crossings, sonic imagination, and the power of music to connect and ground us.

    ✨ The full episode drops this Tuesday, December 9 at 8pm ET — and I’d love for you to join us.

    📺 Set Reminder for the YouTube Premiere

    🎧 Audio episode will be available everywhere simultaneously

    📝 Learn more about Mirna and her album MIRAGE on Substack

    See you on Tuesday for a powerful conversation on cultural crossings, sonic identity, and the art of connection.

    7 December 2025, 4:45 pm
  • 6 minutes 48 seconds
    Bonus Episode: Introducing the Zainichi Music Project

    Happy Thanksgiving! In this bonus episode, I’m sharing something deeply personal — a part of my identity I’ve rarely spoken about publicly. I am a third-generation Zainichi Korean, born and raised in Japan, and I’m finally stepping into that history through a new creative initiative called The Zainichi Music Project, now sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts.

    This episode marks the beginning of that journey — a project that will grow into a living archive of research, new music commissions, recordings, interviews, and documentary work.

    In this episode, I talk about:

    • What the word Zainichi actually means,
    • How Japanese colonial rule — not immigration — brought our community into Japan,
    • How postwar restructuring and the San Francisco Peace Treaty left Zainichi Koreans stateless,
    • What it meant to be born and raised in a country that never fully recognized us as citizens,
    • And why this project is my way of honoring our history, resilience, and creative legacy.

    For those who want to go deeper, please read my Substack essay, “Behind the Mic: Reclaiming Voice Through Sound,” where I share more about my experience growing up Zainichi.

    Thank you for listening — and for being part of The Piano Pod community. If you’d like to follow this new project, you can subscribe to Substack and follow @zainichimusicproject on Instagram and TikTok.

    More soon, and thank you for supporting this next chapter.

    23 November 2025, 2:17 pm
  • 1 hour 32 minutes
    The Embodied Pianist: Elena Riu on Presence, Breath, and Artistic Freedom

    In this episode of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Elena Riu — pianist, groundbreaking recording artist, educator, and yoga/mindfulness teacher — whose work has reshaped how we think about artistry, embodiment, and the future of piano performance. Elena has long been a force of quiet revolution.

    Long before conversations about inclusivity and expanded repertoire entered the mainstream, she was commissioning bold new works, centering Latin-American and women composers, and exploring how breath, movement, and somatic awareness can transform the way we play and teach music.

    This conversation travels across the full spectrum of her artistry — from embodied performance to cultural identity, from the menstrual cycle as a source of creativity to breaking nineteenth-century norms about who pianists should be and what they should play. If you’ve ever wondered how breath shapes sound, how identity shapes expression, or how artists can create courageously beyond convention, this is a conversation you won’t forget.

    [Explore Elena’s Work]

    Salsa Nueva — Score (16-piece anthology):

    Salsa Nueva — Album (with Latin percussionist Wilmer Sifontes):

    Out of the Blues / R&B Collection — Score:

    Piano Icons for the 21st Century (Linn Records):

    🌐 Elena’s Website

    ✨ If you enjoyed this episode…

    • Please like, comment, and subscribe — it truly helps our community grow.
    • Follow The Piano Pod on social media for more conversations at the intersection of creativity, connection, and the evolving world of classical music.
    • 📝 My blog on Elena & her album Salsa Nueva:
    • 🎵 Listen to our Sounds of Inspiration – Piano Works from Season 6 Playlist

    Thank you for listening — and for supporting a space where artists can be fully themselves.

    #ThePianoPod #Season6 #ElenaRiu #EmbodiedMusician #EmbodiedPianist #ClassicalMusic #Piano #SalsaNueva #MindfulnessForMusicians #Somatics #YogaForMusicians #NewMusic #LatinAmericanComposers #CreativeCourage #PianistLife

    19 November 2025, 12:45 am
  • 1 minute 25 seconds
    Official Trailer ✅: "The Embodied Pianist" Pianist Elena Riu on Presence, Breath, and Artistic Freedom

    Get ready for our next episode of The Piano Pod: The Embodied Pianist with Elena Riu — pianist, groundbreaking recording artist, educator, and yoga/mindfulness teacher.

    In this powerful conversation, we explore embodied performance, somatics, breath, creativity, cultural identity, and even the menstrual cycle as a source of artistic insight. Elena’s work challenges long-held assumptions about what pianists should play, how they should train, and how the body shapes sound.

    In this episode, Elena and I talk about:

    • ✅ Her journey from Venezuela to the UK — and how navigating multiple identities shaped her artistry
    • ✅ The creation of Salsa Nueva and the importance of commissioning new works
    • ✅ What it means to challenge 19th-century biases about repertoire and artistic identity
    • ✅ Her work as an embodied pianist and how somatics, breath, and movement transform playing
    • ✅ Collaboration with dancers, visual artists, poets, and composers
    • ✅ Why she opens taboo conversations like creativity and the menstrual cycle among biologically female performers

    🎬 Set a reminder for the premiere tomorrow at 8 pm ET: https://youtu.be/exIQxYGbQw8

    🎧 Prefer audio? Listen to the audio episode (Spotify, Apple, Amazon & more) available tomorrow, November 18 at 8:00pm ET: https://rss.com/podcasts/the-piano-pod/

    📝 Read my full review of Elena’s groundbreaking album Salsa Nueva on Substack

    #ThePianoPod #Season6 #ElenaRiu #EmbodiedPianist #SalsaNueva #LatinAmericanMusic #NewMusic #ContemporaryPiano #SteinwayArtist #WomenInMusic #Somatics #MusiciansHealth #ClassicalMusicReimagined

    17 November 2025, 12:23 pm
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    "This Is Jazz" 🎹 Pianist & Educator Quentin Walston on Jazz for Everyone

    🎶✨ What if jazz could be taught as naturally as language—where freedom, creativity, and collaboration drive learning?

    Welcome to Season 6, Episode 5 of The Piano Pod, featuring Quentin Walston — pianist, composer, educator, and founder of This Is Jazz™. In this conversation, we explore how Quentin bridges performance, pedagogy, and entrepreneurship through his acclaimed book How to Teach Jazz & Improvisation and his growing online platform empowering educators worldwide.

    In our talk, Quentin shares:

    • ✅ His mission to make jazz approachable for every student
    • ✅ How his book helps teachers with little or no jazz background start confidently
    • ✅ Turning small classroom moments into creative breakthroughs
    • ✅ Building a thriving online community for jazz educators
    • ✅ Balancing artistry and business as a modern musician
    • ✅ His personal journey — from discovering jazz as a child to releasing his album Retro Future

    👉 Stay tuned until the end for rapid-fire fun and key insights on creativity, confidence, and cultivating joy through improvisation.

    🎼 Explore Quentin’s Work

    🎧 The Piano Pod 💖 Subscribe or unlock exclusive content: thepianopod.substack.com 🎵 Listen to our Sounds of Inspiration – Piano Works from Season 6 playlist: YouTube Playlist 📫 Join our newsletter: Sign Up

    Stay Connected:

    12 November 2025, 12:45 am
  • 1 minute 49 seconds
    Official Trailer ✅: This Is Jazz, Season 6 Episode 5, feat. Quentin Walston

    In this trailer, get a glimpse into my upcoming conversation with Quentin Walston — a pianist, composer, and educator known for his joyful fusion of jazz, improvisation, and storytelling. In this episode, we dive into creativity, connection, and the spirit of collaboration that defines his work and the evolving world of modern musicianship.

    🎹 The Piano Pod is an award-winning podcast and YouTube show reimagining classical and contemporary music through authentic conversations with artists, educators, and cultural innovators shaping the future of the art form.

    #ThePianoPod #QuentinWalston #Jazz #Podcast #Season6 #CreativityAndConnection #Trailer

    10 November 2025, 12:44 pm
  • 1 hour 36 minutes
    🎬 TPP LIVE IN CONCERT REPRISE | Recorded Live at Mannes Prep, The New School

    The Piano Pod Live in Concert: A Bold New Chapter in Classical Music marked the first-ever live event for the award-winning podcast and YouTube show The Piano Pod, conceived and hosted by Executive Producer Yukimi Song. Presented in collaboration with Mannes Prep, a pre-college music program offering comprehensive and nurturing pre-professional training at The New School, this milestone concert brought the show’s signature format — music performance, interview, and panel discussion — from the digital space to the stage.

    🎹 Featured Artists

    🎙️ About the Event Filmed live at Ernst C. Stiefel Hall at The New School, this 90-minute event blended world-class performances with an engaging interview session and audience panel discussion. The artists shared personal stories, insights on collaboration, and visions for keeping classical music vibrant and relevant today. 💬 Special Guests Caroline Sonett-Assor, Director of Mannes Prep, The New School Audience members and artists in conversation

    ✨ Presented by: The Piano Pod — Where tradition meets innovation. In Collaboration with: Mannes Prep, The New School Produced by: Yukimi Song Studio LLC

    #ThePianoPod #MannesPrep #LiveConcert #ClassicalMusic #PianoPodcast #ConcertAndConversation #PanelDiscussion #CreativityAndConnection #DonnaWengFriedman #NnennaOgwo #EleonorBindman #JeeHoonKrska #YukimiSong #TheNewSchool

    28 October 2025, 11:40 pm
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    The World of MICROVIDS 🎶 Composer, Stefania de Kenessey on Music, Poetry & Love

    🎶✨ How can nineteen tiny piano miniatures blossom into one of the most expansive, collaborative, and award-winning projects of our time?

    Welcome to Season 6 Episode 3: The World of MICROVIDS — Composer & Advocate for Women in Music, Stefania de Kenessey. In this episode of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Stefania de Kenessey, a composer whose works have been heard at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, La MaMa, and around the world.

    Her latest project, Microvids, began as nineteen piano miniatures written during the pandemic — and has since grown into a global tapestry of music, poetry, improvisation, orchestral performance, and film.

    In our conversation, Stefania opens up about:

    • ✅ The surprising origins of MICROVIDS and how “tiny nothings” became her richest work
    • ✅ Collaborations with pianist Donna Weng Friedman, violinist Curtis Stewart, narrator Krystal Joy Brown, and the New Jersey Youth Symphony under Helen Cha-Pyo
    • ✅ Award-winning films inspired by MICROVIDS, including Silent Cry
    • ✅ How MICROVIDS can connect with youth orchestras and piano students around the world
    • ✅ Her advocacy for women in music, her Hungarian roots, and her expansive multi-genre style — from opera to dance to provocative video works like Menstrual Rosary

    👉 Stay tuned until the end for rapid-fire fun, candid reflections, and exclusive performance excerpts from MICROVIDS, Unorthodox, and Menstrual Rosary.

    https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6751/

    [The Piano Pod]

    14 October 2025, 11:50 pm
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