From the Top — Show #460 + interview
What fun! I co-hosted NPR's "From the Top" this week alongside the inimitable Peter Dugan. Listen for the Alexis Hansen Piano Duo’s take on my Sabre Dance arrangement, as well as their hilarious account of the choreographic pitfalls they faced while performing the piece.
And a big congrats to “From the Top” on celebrating their 25th anniversary! I first appeared on the show exactly 25 years ago, and the experience was nothing short of transformational. As an 18-year-old, I hadn’t considered the skills I’d need to succeed as a professional musician beyond practicing. The “From the Top” staff taught me how to be an excellent communicator about music and helped me define my musical purpose.
Please consider supporting their mission today. Here are just a few reasons:
From the Top changed my life. I know it will change future kids’ lives, expose them to a wider world, ignite their passions, and help define their purpose.
From the Top adds beauty and goodness to the world; we can never have enough of both.
Through music, we can rise above our differences to find common ground.
Interview here: Catching Up with Alum Greg Anderson
Mozart’s Rondo in A minor + listening guide
How do you listen to music? Do you let it wash over you? Feel it viscerally? Contemplate its inner workings?
I’m endlessly fascinated by the listening experience (see: Music Listening: an Incomplete Manifesto), and for years I’ve dreamed of creating listening guides synched to music.
This is my first attempt at such—a personal tour through Mozart’s Rondo in A minor, K. 511.
Mozart’s music tends to be “absolute music.” It’s music for music’s sake and not intended to represent or illustrate something else. This quality makes it tricky to describe, as it lacks the clear narrative entry points found in program music like Debussy’s Clair de lune. And it sometimes leads to post-performance questions like, “I don’t get it... what’s it about?”
Yet there’s so much to observe, describe, and adore in Mozart’s work, from his unsurpassed craft to his profound understanding of human emotions, and this is my attempt to align my personal insights with clear, audible examples in the music.
Of course, listening is a highly personal journey, so I’ve embedded the guide in the video’s closed captions. Toggle them on and off as you like.
Please enjoy this love letter to Mozart, leave your thoughts in the video’s comments, and stay tuned for more Mozart projects to come!
Latest news
I’ve joined The Cliburn's exciting new venture, the Cliburn Agency, as a both a solo and duo pianist.
For over a decade, Liz and I have enjoyed a richly rewarding partnership with The Cliburn, appearing on their concert series and hosting their webcasts in 2015, 2017, and 2022. Our missions have been unified from the start, which has made it extra exciting to watch their organization grow and their mission succeed. We’ve seen the advent of their webcasts and their many new initiatives, including the Cliburn Junior competition, Cliburn Sessions (classical piano in bars), Cliburn in the Classroom, and Cliburn Kids, not to mention the many developments and commissions associated with the main competition itself.
And now, there’s the Cliburn Agency. Earlier this year when they invited me to join the roster as a soloist, I couldn’t have been more honored and thrilled. Their directive was simple: do what I want. That was it. I’ve spent much of the year asking myself what that might be—what do I most want to do with my love for music? The answers haven’t come easily, but it’s easily been one of the most rewarding journeys of my lifetime, and I’m thankful to The Cliburn for making it possible. I’m eager to share my discoveries, new music, and experiments over the next year and beyond!
I—and Liz and I—look forward to co-creating a powerful impact on the world of music with the Cliburn team and the other inspiring artists on the roster!
Be sure to follow my new solo social media channels on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
(And of course, don’t miss the duo’s channels, too: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.)
Amy Beach's "Dreaming" + listening guide
I’ve been obsessed with Amy Beach’s “Dreaming” (1892) for years. I first heard the piece in 2003 while listening to Alan Feinberg’s memorable album, “The American Romantic,” on a CD player in the Juilliard library (because that’s how we listened to music in 2003…). I immediately found myself intoxicated by the drifting harmonies amidst the melodic meanderings, and I’ve never forgotten the feeling.
To enhance your listening experience, I created three one-minute listening guides that articulate some of what goes through my head at the piano: