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

Yukimi Song

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...where tradition meets innovation. Together, we bring PIANO into the FUTURE. a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music Hey, šŸŽ¹ enthusiasts out there! My name is Yukimi, a classical pianist and educator from NYC and executive producer of The Piano Pod. The Piano PodšŸŽ™ is a one-of-a-kind podcast that delves deep into the fascinating world of classical music, with a specific focus on the šŸŽ¹ 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 the past three seasons, The Piano Pod has achieved remarkable success by reaching faithful listeners on audio platforms and viewers via YouTube. As the show is celebrating the past season's achievements and gearing toward the new season in the fall, my mission as the Executive Producer is crystal clear: to provide a platform for classical musicians and educators to reflect and discuss ways to keep our industry robust and meaningful in this ever-changing world and move it forward in the post-pandemic era. šŸ”—Follow TPP on social media accounts to get the latest news about šŸŽ¹. Thanks for listeningā™„ļøšŸŽ¹

Recent Episodes

NOV 11, 2026
Schumann Beyond the Myths: Jarred Dunn on Poetry & Schumann Daydreams
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! šŸ“© Subscribe to The Piano Pod newsletter and receive our free PDF, 12 Lessons from Season 6 HERE. 🌐 Visit The Piano Pod If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the show, share the episode, and tell us in the comments what stayed with you. Yamaha Artist, pianist, and researcher Jarred Dunn returns to The Piano Pod for our second Season 7 alumni conversation. Two seasons ago, Jarred appeared with his teacher and collaborator, pianist Anna Górecka—the daughter of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki—to discuss their landmark recording, Górecki’s World of the Piano. The album later became a Prix Opus finalist in the Contemporary Album of the Year category. This time, Jarred joins us to explore his latest album, Schumann Daydreams, released by Lexicon Classics. What if one of classical music’s most renowned composers has been reduced to a diagnosis—his distinctive musical language too often explained away as a symptom of mental illness—and we have been missing both the poetry in his music and the extraordinary imagination behind it? In this conversation, Jarred invites us to reconsider Robert Schumann beyond the familiar myths surrounding his mental and emotional life. We discuss daydreaming, poetry, trauma, spontaneity, and the abrupt changes of direction that make Schumann’s music feel so deeply human. Jarred also takes us inside the album, piece by piece, as we explore the emotional journey of Schumann’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 11, and shares what happened behind the scenes during the recording sessions at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. We also discuss his recently published book, Górecki’s Solo Piano Music, and the Kallmünz Summer Piano Festival in Germany, where he serves as Artistic Director. CORRECTION During the introduction, Górecki’s World of the Piano is mistakenly described as Jarred’s first album. It is his fourth album. šŸŽ§ LISTEN TO SCHUMANN DAYDREAMS: HERE. šŸŽ„ WATCH THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES FILMS: The Making of Schumann Daydreams Jarred’s behind-the-scenes series explores the album’s conception, his evolving relationship with Schumann, the F-sharp-minor Sonata, and the roles of poetry, spontaneity, and surprise in interpreting this music. šŸ“– READ JARRED’S BOOK: Górecki’s Solo Piano Music MUSIC PLAYLISTS Explore music connected to our Season 7 conversations: YouTube Playlist Spotify Playlist: LEARN MORE šŸŽ¹ Jarred Dunn šŸŽ¼ Kallmünz Summer Piano Festival
47 MIN
NOV 8, 2026
Official Trailer: Schumann Beyond Myths - Jarred Dunn on Poetry & Schumann Dayreams
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! šŸŽ„ JOIN THE PREMIERE Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET https://thepianopod.com/schumann-beyond-the-myths-feat-jarred-dunn-yamaha-tonebase-artist-scholar/ Yamaha Artist, pianist, and researcher Jarred Dunn returns to The Piano Pod for a Season 7 alumni conversation about his latest album, Schumann Daydreams, released by Lexicon Classics. What if one of classical music’s most iconic composers has been reduced to a diagnosis—his distinctive musical language too often explained away as a symptom of mental illness? In Schumann Beyond the Myths, Jarred invites us to reconsider Robert Schumann through poetry, imagination, trauma, daydreaming, and the spontaneity that makes his music feel so deeply human. We also explore Schumann Daydreams piece by piece, enter the emotional world of the Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, and go behind the scenes of the album’s recording sessions. ⭐ LISTEN ONE DAY EARLY Become a VIP member on Substack for early, uninterrupted access to the complete audio episode on Monday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET: https://thepianopod.substack.com/subscribe šŸŽ¶ LISTEN TO SCHUMANN DAYDREAMS https://sym.ffm.to/schumanndaydreams šŸŽ„ WATCH THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES FILMS The Making of Schumann Daydreams: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcKHEJiyu64I&si=hWeFH3LFLOa53XEY šŸŽ¹ MEET JARRED DUNN Website: https://www.jarreddunn.com/ Kallmünz Summer Piano Festival: https://kspianofestival.com/ Jarred’s book, Górecki’s Solo Piano Music: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/g%C3%B3reckis-solo-piano-music-9781666947786/ šŸŽ§ HEAR JARRED’S PREVIOUS PIANO POD CONVERSATION Jarred Dunn and Anna Górecka on Górecki’s World of the Piano: https://thepianopod.com/season-5-episode-17-inside-the-world-of-gorecki-exploring-goreckis-piano-music-feat-jarred-dunn-anna-gorecka/ FOLLOW THE PIANO POD šŸ“© Subscribe to The Piano Pod newsletter and receive our free PDF, 12 Lessons from Season 6: https://the-piano-pod-with-yukimi-song.kit.com/b24ee970d9 🌐 Visit The Piano Pod: https://thepianopod.com If this conversation speaks to you, please subscribe, share the trailer, and join us for the premiere on Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET. #RobertSchumann #JarredDunn #SchumannDaydreams #ClassicalPiano #ThePianoPod
1 MIN
OCT 20, 2026
Art Song, Human Connection: Blair Boone-Migura on Culture, Courage, and the Next Chapter of ASPSNY
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Blair Boone-Migura, founder and executive director of The Art Song Preservation Society of New York, joins The Piano Pod for a conversation about art song, human connection, preservation, transmission, and the next chapter of ASPSNY. A voice teacher, vocal coach, pianist, arts leader, former public radio host, and cultural commentator, Blair has spent 17 years building ASPSNY into a home for singers, pianists, teachers, and audiences devoted to the art song tradition. In this episode, Blair reflects on the founding of ASPSNY, the influence of his mentor Mary Trueman, the Summer of Song Festival, and why art song is not merely repertoire but a meeting place for language, poetry, culture, family, mentorship, and artistic courage. We also discuss ASPSNY’s 10-year chapter at Manhattan School of Music, the exciting next chapter Blair reveals in the episode, his upcoming Henri Duparc project, the role of the pianist in art song, and what it means to preserve music by transmitting it to the next generation. MUSIC PLAYLISTS Explore music connected to Season 7 conversations: YouTube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQF8HfwotO3k&si=snVvR8HG76HjmBYs Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6eSQjDR7tMVdeicHO23FwV?si=G_M4LAofTfiADhy9foe8Cg LEARN MORE šŸŽ¶ The Art Song Preservation Society of New York https://www.artsongpreservationsocietyny.org/ šŸŽ¤ Blair Boone-Migura https://www.blairboone-migura.com/ šŸ“· ASPSNY on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/artsongpreservationsocietyny/ šŸ“· Blair Boone-Migura on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blairboonenyc/ FOLLOW THE PIANO POD šŸ“© Subscribe to The Piano Pod newsletter and receive our free PDF, 12 Lessons from Season 6: https://the-piano-pod-with-yukimi-song.kit.com/b24ee970d9 🌐 Visit The Piano Pod: https://thepianopod.com If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the channel, share the episode, and tell us what stayed with you in the comments. #ThePianoPod #ArtSong #ASPSNY #BlairBooneMigura #ArtSongPreservationSociety #ClassicalMusic #VocalMusic #CollaborativePiano #CultureAndCourage
98 MIN
OCT 6, 2026
Steel, Violet, Rage at Carnegie Hall - SEASON 7 ALUMNI EPISODE 1
Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! This episode is brought to you by the Alexander & Buono Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising classical musicians launch and sustain their careers while cultivating new audiences for classical music. Learn more Pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest of the Shelest Piano Duo join Maestro Michael Hall, Artistic Director of the Brandywine Valley Symphony, for a conversation about music, collaboration, and the upcoming U.S. premiere of Ukrainian composer Oleh Bezborodko’s Steel, Violet, Rage. On October 18, the Shelest Piano Duo will perform with the Brandywine Valley Symphony Chamber Orchestra at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The concert opens Razom for Ukraine’s fourth annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival, taking place across New York City from October 18 through November 6. The program also features Valentyn Silvestrov’s The Messenger, Philip Glass’s Tirol Concerto, and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. In this episode, Anna, Dmitri, and Maestro Hall discuss the ideas connecting these works, the unusual demands of performing a concerto for piano four hands and orchestra, and what music can preserve and communicate during a time of war. This episode is presented with the support of the Alexander & Buono Foundation. CONCERT INFORMATION Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall šŸŽŸļø Get Your Tickets PERFORMANCE EXCERPTS • Leonard Bernstein: Overture to Candide, arranged for piano four hands by Charlie Harmon — Anna and Dmitri Shelest • Valentyn Silvestrov: The Messenger, piano solo version — Anna Shelest • Oleh Bezborodko: ā€œSteelā€ from Steel, Violet, Rage — Anna and Dmitri Shelest • Philip Glass: Truman Sleeps from The Truman Show — Anna Shelest Please note: Truman Sleeps is included as an additional performance excerpt and is not part of the October 18 concert program. LEARN MORE šŸŽ¹ Anna Shelest and the Shelest Piano Duo: HERE šŸŽ» Brandywine Valley Symphony: HERE šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡¦ Ukrainian Cultural Festival 2026: HERE šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡¦ Razom for Ukraine: HERE FOLLOW THE PIANO POD šŸ“© Subscribe to The Piano Pod newsletter and receive our free PDF, 12 Lessons from Season 6: HERE 🌐 Visit The Piano Pod: HERE If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the channel, share the episode, and tell us what stayed with you in the comments. #ThePianoPod #ShelestPianoDuo #UkrainianMusic
45 MIN