WEBVTT
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Music is the universal language. Well, if it's
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the universal language, we have a syntax problem
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because most of the people just don't understand
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what we do. I would say our mission as a duo
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is to bridge worlds and to make the world we
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connect to more beautiful. we come from very
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different cultures and the fact that we come
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together as a four -hand piano duo sharing one
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piano and we have to make things work and making
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music to share with people I think sends out
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the message that music truly connects people
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regardless of their background or cultures or
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I think the piano in particular is one of those
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unique instruments that has truly been able to
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bridge so many cultural barriers. This remarkable
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machine, 300 years of development, pieces of
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physics and art and engineering has come to be
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so beloved by so many different cultures and
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peoples around the world. And that it's truly
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a piece of art that helps us to find a common
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voice. Happy holidays, friends. Here's a little
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gift from me and the PianoPod. This bonus segment
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comes from Season 6, Episode 2, with the award
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-winning Mada and Hugh piano duo. Our conversation
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went longer than expected, and while this part
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didn't make it into the final episode, I knew
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I still wanted to share it with you. It's just
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too good to keep it to myself. In this excerpt,
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Mada and Hugh open up about creativity in its
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purest form, how hobbies and play, can recharge
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us and how music connects us beyond perfection,
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and how we can reclaim our humanity in a world
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increasingly shaped by technology and AI. It's
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an honest, thoughtful exchange that I think is
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the perfect reminder for this season of reflection.
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So, pour yourself a warm drink, take a pause,
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and enjoy this special bonus episode. And in
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case you missed the whole episode that aired
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in September, be sure to catch up. You really
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don't want to miss the juicy behind the scenes
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of how this incredible piano duo comes to life.
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Here's the bonus episode with Mara and Hugh Piano
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Duo. Please enjoy the show. recall exactly the
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moment that it began. I had always been curious
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about painting and about the visuals. My mom
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is a painter and architect, so I think I got
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that from her, but I never professionally pursued
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that. I chose music, right? But sometimes as
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a hobby, I do like to doodle and sketch. play
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with colors and textures. And I have found to
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do this in a creative way, in a form of journaling
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and scrapbooking. And, you know, there are so
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many people that enjoy doing that. It's a lot
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of people that are part of this community of
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art journaling that, you know, share their experiences
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online. And it's also a very recommended form
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of therapy. And this is my safe space where I
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go once in a while, sometimes maybe too much.
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And I stay there for too long. But it is a form
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of healing and it is a form of charging batteries.
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And it's also a very helpful way not just to
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be creative without any purpose. you know because
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as professionals yes we we want to be creative
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we feel the need right it's it's an intricate
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need first of all um but we kind of have to get
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to be creative because also this is our job this
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is what we have chosen to do right we we have
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to we we've transformed it into a job yeah but
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by pursuing hobbies it doesn't matter for how
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long It's just I feel liberated from that pressure
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of being good at and getting validation from
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people. Because I think that this is what stops
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a lot of folks pursuing their creative. especially
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classical music, right? Oh, don't get me started.
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Yeah, especially that. If I may jump in, you
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know, again, just kind of putting on my retail
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hat, you know, one of the things, you know, because
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I'm working at Cunningham Piano, you know, I
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see so many people coming in, you know, and we're
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there to help them bring home a piano. And I
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can't tell you how many times I see people come
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in and like, they feel ashamed to come to the
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piano. Like, Oh, you know, I haven't played in
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years or I'm not very good at this. I'm like,
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and it's, it's, it's, it's sad to see people
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judging themselves on an instrument where our
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greatest joy is you want to learn, you have to
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start. So it's wonderful, you know, and make
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mistakes, try it. But I want people to experience
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the joy of playing music, not to punish themselves
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because. They can't play such and such a lick
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quite right, or they haven't taken lessons in
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years, or they quit when they were kids. The
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judgment that many people come to art with is
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unnecessary to some degree, right? Yeah. And
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I'm talking about the general public, and I think
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we need more playground art where people are
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invited to be messy artists, play the piano,
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hit wrong notes. enjoy the process and find a
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different way to iterate from that rather than
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expecting to be perfectly, have everything before
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you. Of course, it depends on what level do you
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want to be at, right? So again, this is a very
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delicate territory. But yes, what Hugh is emphasizing
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is we need, especially in this era of technology,
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we need to allow ourselves to be creative outside
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of technology and outside of ai and which is
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great i mean you you operate with ai quite a
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lot uh but um we were reading just the other
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day we're reading some um a little bit concerning
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news about how i started creating realistic movies
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and songs. And it's so hard to tell the difference,
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you know? And the question is, which I think
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every single person should ask themselves, like,
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well, then what's going to happen with our unique
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creativity, right? Our unique voice. This is
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the authentic form of creativity, not AI. So
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what's going to happen? Like, how are we going
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to be able to tell the difference in the future?
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You know, and is it going to be even worth it?
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worth expressing, worth looking for. Yeah. Well,
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I think there's a tremendous, maybe it sounds
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really weird. I see this huge opportunity, actually,
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because I also see as AI, and I think AI is phenomenal
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as a tool, as a creative partner. So many in
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an efficiency booster. There are things that
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I can do now with AI I couldn't even dream of
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doing, which is I think is wonderful. Having
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said that, when it comes really to the creativity,
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the performing arts and things like that, one
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of the things I believe it or not, I don't think
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I ever showed you, but I was actually experimenting
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with taking some of our videos and then trying
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to work them through AI. And getting a different
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background, seeing if AI could put us to make
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us look a little bit more stylized. It failed
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miserably, miserably. For now. Well, here's the
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thing. I don't know. Yeah, here's the thing.
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Now I'm going to say something that might sound
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counterintuitive. AI is trained on the most popular
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media models. There's a reason why Disney is
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suing. a lot of the AI video generators because
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most people want to make their characters look
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like Iron Man or Superman or Bugs Bunny, you
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know, the known trademark characters, you know,
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or the scenes, they're all the specific kind
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of sci -fi action. The creativity is, you know,
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everybody's copying the creativity of giants
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that have pioneered some of those things. To
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be truly original, to be truly human, you know,
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and playing the... Being someone who plays the
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piano for a living, it's just not that economically
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viable. It has never been economically viable.
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And it's just not a field that AI is going to
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have a lot of interest in sort of analyzing to
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the degree that it's really genuinely good. The
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AI videos that I generate were so laughably bad
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because they don't have any models to generate
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from because it's just not that much out there.
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So we have this quiet little space in the piano
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world where, because we're not this global, you
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know, media empire in what we do, we are this
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beautiful little corner of genuine human art,
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you know, with still, and it still amazes me
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that we have industries that create. beautiful
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instruments that we get to play on that they
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still make and manufacture to really high degrees
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of skill and craftsmanship. We have this unique
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little oasis, this crazy little eye in the storm
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of technology where if people want the opportunity
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to experience what it means to be genuinely human,
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come play the piano, an acoustic piano. I know
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this sounds strange because... But this is what
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I said. I don't see AI generating piano players.
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It just doesn't happen. No, really. It doesn't
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really happen. AI can generate talking avatars.
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AI can generate sci -fi gunfights. AI doesn't
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generate pianists playing beautiful repertoire
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or unique compositions, contemporary compositions.
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AI is not going to start to generate George Crumb.
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It's just not. No. A lot of people have been
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influenced and inspired by George Crumb, obviously.
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But there's a sameness to the AI content that
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I see being generated. There's a similarness,
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right? The creativity is starting to shrink in
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terms of certain kinds of output. And this humble
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discipline of being disconnected and touching
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wood and metal and molding sound physically with
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your own hands and ears. There's a meditative
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quality in what we do and what we share. And
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when the audience has the patience to sit through
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a 3, 5, 10, 20 -minute song from beginning to
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end and learn what that sonic adventure actually
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is, guess what? You have just reclaimed a huge
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bit of the human experience, the genuine human
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experience where our senses and our touch. And
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our creativity is directly connecting us, the
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listener, ourselves, through real physical airwaves.
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There's a beautiful technological oasis that
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I think we create as classical pianists. Yeah,
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surprisingly, I think it's happening too, because
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I'm getting a lot of inquiries about piano lessons.
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They're all adults. beginner students and then
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they're most of them they live in around here
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brooklyn williamsburg so young uh gen z you know
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but they work in tech company so that's why they're
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looking for disconnect of course yes but you
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see so it says it's nothing quite like you know
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with your own hands and create something whether
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that is just the pressing the key down to create
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the sound but it's nothing quite like it seems
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like so they they come but they don't realize
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how difficult piano can be so it's like well
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yeah here's that's another aspect that's another
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aspect and and we've we've been noticing in kids
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i mean we we have both both taught at some point
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um you know there's Especially with kids, it's
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so hard to tell them, to prepare them for something
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that takes a lot of work for pretty much a lifetime.
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Because it's not the same as you go to law school,
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you go to medical school, you have this amount
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of years, four, five, six years, and then you
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can start a job. No, for us, yes, you get your
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diploma with master's, which is two, or bachelor's,
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that's four. But it doesn't mean that your learning
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process is over after you... graduate. And then
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it means that next day, that's it. That's done
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with school. No, I don't think so. I don't think,
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I mean, at least if we talk in the context of
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being an artist and continue to produce in terms
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of quality, not quantity. So again, big difference
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here. Let's see, there's something beautiful
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about being involved with an art that is, on
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the one hand, extremely easy to start. anybody
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can put their fingers down it sounds great yeah
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and then having an entire lifetime to always
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realize there's something more that i can improve
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there's something more that i can grow or or
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learn or another artist or another composition
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or another literally there's no end to the world
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that you can explore there's something i think
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that is very that can be exciting in other words
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you're never going to plateau you know at some
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point you know i yeah that's just my my my thinking
00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:51.600
yeah in terms of you know if if music can be
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presented in such a way where it's not so much
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it's presented a way where it's an opportunity
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to say here's a world easy to start but you will
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never run out of things to learn grow explore,
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enjoy? Well, it has to do also with the will
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of the individual, right? Of course there is.
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I mean, the potential is there. Everything, the
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world is in front of you. Do you want to take
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this trip? Do you want, are you willing to make
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this effort? It's up to you. No one is going
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to push you, right? Of course. You can present
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to a kid, you can present to an adult. You can
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say, well, this is... This is going to offer
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you a lifetime of exploring and learning and
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reward, but it also requires a lot of effort
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and frustration quite often from you. Are you
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willing to pay the price or not? I think the
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choice is the individuals. Yeah, but you have
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both chose that path, right? I only have $500
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in the pocket, but I'm going to do it. That sort
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of thing. You know what I mean? And reinventing
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yourself and reclaiming your space. And I think
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it's really beautiful. There was a period of
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time when I was very heavily involved with Airturn.
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My whole mind and concentration was on building
00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:19.679
the small tech company. For three years. It's
00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.000
a 24 -hour -a -day, nonstop job, really. When
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you are an entrepreneur at that level, you cannot
00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:29.679
think of anything else. And everything I was
00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.799
doing was just poured into trying to make Airturn
00:16:31.799 --> 00:16:36.600
survive and successful. So for three years, I
00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:39.940
didn't play the piano. I just didn't have time.
00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:44.299
Completely devoted myself to Airturn. My time
00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:46.940
at Airturn, I decided to leave, sell my shares.
00:16:47.059 --> 00:16:49.600
And the company's still going on, but I left,
00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:54.100
got a payout, and it helped give me some time
00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:57.039
to think about what to do next. Curiously, as
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:00.799
soon as I quit, Curtis had given me a call and
00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.700
asked, could you help us out just to do some
00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:07.359
accompanying? And just help us out a few hours
00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.279
a week or whatever, because we have an overflow
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:11.240
of some students that we can't find a pianist
00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.140
for. I hadn't played for three years. I'm like,
00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.660
am I going to remember how to do this? I remember
00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:22.319
coming and sitting in at the first lesson, you
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.460
know, and I think it was Mozart, you know, or
00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:27.400
I don't remember how I was playing. I'm like,
00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:30.940
okay, I'll put my hands in the keys. It was like
00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:36.480
no time had passed. The music was just, everything
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.039
just came. I almost had tears in my eyes. I'm
00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:44.869
like. Why did I stop? I remember once thinking
00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:46.869
that I was so sick and tired of music because
00:17:46.869 --> 00:17:49.109
I was just nonstop playing everyday concerts
00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:51.569
four or five times a week and just rehearsals
00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:57.269
all day long. But now coming back to it, I realized
00:17:57.269 --> 00:18:01.930
I can't let this go. This was foolish of me to
00:18:01.930 --> 00:18:06.819
have almost lost the music that's me. I remember
00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:09.420
coming back from that couple of lessons and I
00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:12.500
had tears in my eyes. I'm like, I never want
00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:15.619
to lose that love again. And ever since that
00:18:15.619 --> 00:18:17.759
moment, it's just like any opportunity. I don't
00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.720
care. Even if it's just a simple opportunity
00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:23.099
to play with some kid, I don't care. It's music.
00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:25.579
I get to play it. I get to do something beautiful.
00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.759
And this wonderful opportunity I have to do something
00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:34.799
unique and creative. It's just like, I remember.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.880
I was at a certain company and was meeting with
00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:43.559
one of the co -founders. And this gentleman was
00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:47.940
very impressive. If I mentioned his name to some
00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:50.079
people, they would be like, oh, you got to work
00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:55.660
with him? He was of that level. And I, you know,
00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:59.750
being... new to entrepreneurship and business.
00:19:00.069 --> 00:19:01.930
And it was like peppering him with questions
00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:03.769
about how do you do this? How did you get started?
00:19:04.049 --> 00:19:06.009
How do you make money? Blah, blah, blah. And
00:19:06.009 --> 00:19:08.410
all this. And remember him looking at me like,
00:19:08.630 --> 00:19:13.329
you know, you can learn business. Anybody can
00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:16.970
learn business. But not anybody can play the
00:19:16.970 --> 00:19:20.309
way you play. I would give it all up if I could
00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:24.250
do what you do. I hope you realize what you really
00:19:24.250 --> 00:19:26.650
have. It's not the money. It's not the business.
00:19:26.950 --> 00:19:31.289
You have music. You can play. And to see from
00:19:31.289 --> 00:19:36.369
this giant of a man actually yearning to do what
00:19:36.369 --> 00:19:41.509
I do, at the time, I dismissed it. Many years
00:19:41.509 --> 00:19:44.170
after that, I realized I think he was right.
00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:49.750
What we do as musicians, that's precious. Very,
00:19:49.849 --> 00:19:52.309
very precious. And something that I want to share
00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:55.009
with other people and even other students to
00:19:55.009 --> 00:19:57.670
help them at least understand the joy of making
00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:00.809
music. It's not about being successful, but it's
00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:03.910
about having the joy of knowing that I can sit
00:20:03.910 --> 00:20:07.109
down and music is in me. And music is, even if
00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:10.430
I just sit and listen, music is something I can
00:20:10.430 --> 00:20:13.289
deeply, deeply enjoy. And not just that, but
00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:19.420
also it's scientifically proved that music shapes
00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:22.920
the character and personality of people. Is that
00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.400
why I'm so crazy? Is that why I'm so crazy? In
00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:32.039
terms of empathy, social connection, it helps
00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:34.259
a lot, especially people that play together.
00:20:34.619 --> 00:20:39.200
We explained this to the kids that were part
00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:43.980
of four -hand duets. There were kids and teenagers
00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:49.069
up to 16, 17 years old. I mean, they were going
00:20:49.069 --> 00:20:52.529
through clearly the most delicate period of their
00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:57.450
lifetime. And it was a time when they should
00:20:57.450 --> 00:21:01.089
learn right now, they should figure out or start
00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:03.250
figuring out their role in society, their role,
00:21:03.450 --> 00:21:06.410
you know, what's going on with them in this world,
00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:11.509
right? So I think music can have a very impactful
00:21:11.509 --> 00:21:16.329
role in people's life. Yeah, it really shaped
00:21:16.329 --> 00:21:20.309
that. I remember that when I started performing
00:21:20.309 --> 00:21:24.609
chamber music seriously, and that was probably
00:21:24.609 --> 00:21:29.069
after 17, 18, because before it was just in high
00:21:29.069 --> 00:21:30.950
school, just before, you know, people would ask
00:21:30.950 --> 00:21:32.809
me like, do you want to play? Like, yeah, I need
00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:35.109
accompanist. Okay, fine. But then professionally
00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:40.309
in terms of, you know, heavier works and in a
00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:45.650
more professional way, I realized, boy, This
00:21:45.650 --> 00:21:48.450
person is difficult to work with, or I'm difficult
00:21:48.450 --> 00:21:54.650
to work with. It was this awareness on relationships
00:21:54.650 --> 00:21:59.630
between people. And that's also transferable
00:21:59.630 --> 00:22:01.730
outside the practice room or outside the concert
00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:06.470
hall, in interpersonal relationships. And I think
00:22:06.470 --> 00:22:12.170
music has a quietly but strongly major role.
00:22:13.509 --> 00:22:18.490
if incorporated in people's lives. I hope you
00:22:18.490 --> 00:22:21.990
enjoyed this extra holiday episode with the incredible
00:22:21.990 --> 00:22:26.430
Mata and Hugh Piano Duo. Their honesty and creativity
00:22:26.430 --> 00:22:30.470
are such an inspiration, a reminder of how art
00:22:30.470 --> 00:22:33.670
can ground us, recharge us, and connect us in
00:22:33.670 --> 00:22:37.329
meaningful ways. If you enjoyed this bonus episode,
00:22:37.509 --> 00:22:40.759
please don't forget to hit the thumbs up. Subscribe
00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.740
to the PianoPod on YouTube and share it with
00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:46.920
a friend who loves music. And if you missed the
00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:49.940
full episode with Mada and Hugh that aired back
00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:53.900
in September, be sure to watch or listen. It's
00:22:53.900 --> 00:22:56.740
packed with stories, behind -the -scenes insights,
00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.799
and unforgettable performances. Thank you so
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.900
much for joining me for this holiday bonus. Wishing
00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:05.779
you a joyful season of music, reflection, and
00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:08.819
connection. And I'll see you in 2026.
00:00:03.529 --> 00:00:06.129
Music is the universal language. Well, if it's
00:00:06.129 --> 00:00:08.449
the universal language, we have a syntax problem
00:00:08.449 --> 00:00:10.769
because most of the people just don't understand
00:00:10.769 --> 00:00:16.030
what we do. I would say our mission as a duo
00:00:16.030 --> 00:00:18.609
is to bridge worlds and to make the world we
00:00:18.609 --> 00:00:38.509
connect to more beautiful. we come from very
00:00:38.509 --> 00:00:42.869
different cultures and the fact that we come
00:00:42.869 --> 00:00:46.210
together as a four -hand piano duo sharing one
00:00:46.210 --> 00:00:49.869
piano and we have to make things work and making
00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:53.090
music to share with people I think sends out
00:00:53.090 --> 00:00:56.710
the message that music truly connects people
00:00:56.710 --> 00:00:59.929
regardless of their background or cultures or
00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:02.890
I think the piano in particular is one of those
00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:06.090
unique instruments that has truly been able to
00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:09.930
bridge so many cultural barriers. This remarkable
00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:14.269
machine, 300 years of development, pieces of
00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:18.209
physics and art and engineering has come to be
00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:22.349
so beloved by so many different cultures and
00:01:22.349 --> 00:01:25.409
peoples around the world. And that it's truly
00:01:25.409 --> 00:01:28.730
a piece of art that helps us to find a common
00:01:28.730 --> 00:01:34.060
voice. Happy holidays, friends. Here's a little
00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:37.000
gift from me and the PianoPod. This bonus segment
00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:40.260
comes from Season 6, Episode 2, with the award
00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:43.739
-winning Mada and Hugh piano duo. Our conversation
00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:46.599
went longer than expected, and while this part
00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.739
didn't make it into the final episode, I knew
00:01:49.739 --> 00:01:52.760
I still wanted to share it with you. It's just
00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:56.260
too good to keep it to myself. In this excerpt,
00:01:56.340 --> 00:02:00.019
Mada and Hugh open up about creativity in its
00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:03.700
purest form, how hobbies and play, can recharge
00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:07.040
us and how music connects us beyond perfection,
00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.039
and how we can reclaim our humanity in a world
00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:15.659
increasingly shaped by technology and AI. It's
00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:19.340
an honest, thoughtful exchange that I think is
00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:22.080
the perfect reminder for this season of reflection.
00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:26.400
So, pour yourself a warm drink, take a pause,
00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:30.449
and enjoy this special bonus episode. And in
00:02:30.449 --> 00:02:32.889
case you missed the whole episode that aired
00:02:32.889 --> 00:02:36.129
in September, be sure to catch up. You really
00:02:36.129 --> 00:02:38.750
don't want to miss the juicy behind the scenes
00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:41.610
of how this incredible piano duo comes to life.
00:02:42.229 --> 00:02:44.889
Here's the bonus episode with Mara and Hugh Piano
00:02:44.889 --> 00:03:00.099
Duo. Please enjoy the show. recall exactly the
00:03:00.099 --> 00:03:05.300
moment that it began. I had always been curious
00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:09.740
about painting and about the visuals. My mom
00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:14.219
is a painter and architect, so I think I got
00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:18.219
that from her, but I never professionally pursued
00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:23.719
that. I chose music, right? But sometimes as
00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:27.180
a hobby, I do like to doodle and sketch. play
00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:31.860
with colors and textures. And I have found to
00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:35.080
do this in a creative way, in a form of journaling
00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.680
and scrapbooking. And, you know, there are so
00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:44.020
many people that enjoy doing that. It's a lot
00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:46.860
of people that are part of this community of
00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:50.740
art journaling that, you know, share their experiences
00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:53.960
online. And it's also a very recommended form
00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:59.620
of therapy. And this is my safe space where I
00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:04.180
go once in a while, sometimes maybe too much.
00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:07.939
And I stay there for too long. But it is a form
00:04:07.939 --> 00:04:11.620
of healing and it is a form of charging batteries.
00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:17.779
And it's also a very helpful way not just to
00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:21.589
be creative without any purpose. you know because
00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:25.230
as professionals yes we we want to be creative
00:04:25.230 --> 00:04:27.449
we feel the need right it's it's an intricate
00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:32.569
need first of all um but we kind of have to get
00:04:32.569 --> 00:04:34.829
to be creative because also this is our job this
00:04:34.829 --> 00:04:37.750
is what we have chosen to do right we we have
00:04:37.750 --> 00:04:41.410
to we we've transformed it into a job yeah but
00:04:41.410 --> 00:04:46.529
by pursuing hobbies it doesn't matter for how
00:04:46.529 --> 00:04:50.810
long It's just I feel liberated from that pressure
00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:54.129
of being good at and getting validation from
00:04:54.129 --> 00:04:58.769
people. Because I think that this is what stops
00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:05.569
a lot of folks pursuing their creative. especially
00:05:05.569 --> 00:05:08.430
classical music, right? Oh, don't get me started.
00:05:08.449 --> 00:05:11.550
Yeah, especially that. If I may jump in, you
00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:13.649
know, again, just kind of putting on my retail
00:05:13.649 --> 00:05:15.930
hat, you know, one of the things, you know, because
00:05:15.930 --> 00:05:18.170
I'm working at Cunningham Piano, you know, I
00:05:18.170 --> 00:05:20.550
see so many people coming in, you know, and we're
00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:24.449
there to help them bring home a piano. And I
00:05:24.449 --> 00:05:26.689
can't tell you how many times I see people come
00:05:26.689 --> 00:05:28.930
in and like, they feel ashamed to come to the
00:05:28.930 --> 00:05:31.069
piano. Like, Oh, you know, I haven't played in
00:05:31.069 --> 00:05:33.290
years or I'm not very good at this. I'm like,
00:05:33.290 --> 00:05:37.370
and it's, it's, it's, it's sad to see people
00:05:37.370 --> 00:05:40.810
judging themselves on an instrument where our
00:05:40.810 --> 00:05:43.410
greatest joy is you want to learn, you have to
00:05:43.410 --> 00:05:46.389
start. So it's wonderful, you know, and make
00:05:46.389 --> 00:05:49.769
mistakes, try it. But I want people to experience
00:05:49.769 --> 00:05:52.709
the joy of playing music, not to punish themselves
00:05:52.709 --> 00:05:55.220
because. They can't play such and such a lick
00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:57.480
quite right, or they haven't taken lessons in
00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.439
years, or they quit when they were kids. The
00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:03.920
judgment that many people come to art with is
00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:08.220
unnecessary to some degree, right? Yeah. And
00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.019
I'm talking about the general public, and I think
00:06:10.019 --> 00:06:13.540
we need more playground art where people are
00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:16.259
invited to be messy artists, play the piano,
00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:20.689
hit wrong notes. enjoy the process and find a
00:06:20.689 --> 00:06:23.170
different way to iterate from that rather than
00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:26.990
expecting to be perfectly, have everything before
00:06:26.990 --> 00:06:30.110
you. Of course, it depends on what level do you
00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:33.970
want to be at, right? So again, this is a very
00:06:33.970 --> 00:06:39.790
delicate territory. But yes, what Hugh is emphasizing
00:06:39.790 --> 00:06:43.449
is we need, especially in this era of technology,
00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:50.199
we need to allow ourselves to be creative outside
00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:53.459
of technology and outside of ai and which is
00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:56.100
great i mean you you operate with ai quite a
00:06:56.100 --> 00:07:00.420
lot uh but um we were reading just the other
00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:04.720
day we're reading some um a little bit concerning
00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:08.990
news about how i started creating realistic movies
00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:12.110
and songs. And it's so hard to tell the difference,
00:07:12.350 --> 00:07:14.589
you know? And the question is, which I think
00:07:14.589 --> 00:07:16.889
every single person should ask themselves, like,
00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:21.610
well, then what's going to happen with our unique
00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:25.250
creativity, right? Our unique voice. This is
00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:29.790
the authentic form of creativity, not AI. So
00:07:29.790 --> 00:07:31.610
what's going to happen? Like, how are we going
00:07:31.610 --> 00:07:33.910
to be able to tell the difference in the future?
00:07:34.529 --> 00:07:37.129
You know, and is it going to be even worth it?
00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:43.000
worth expressing, worth looking for. Yeah. Well,
00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:46.879
I think there's a tremendous, maybe it sounds
00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.480
really weird. I see this huge opportunity, actually,
00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:58.879
because I also see as AI, and I think AI is phenomenal
00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:03.839
as a tool, as a creative partner. So many in
00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:06.620
an efficiency booster. There are things that
00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:09.019
I can do now with AI I couldn't even dream of
00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:11.839
doing, which is I think is wonderful. Having
00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.879
said that, when it comes really to the creativity,
00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.740
the performing arts and things like that, one
00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.160
of the things I believe it or not, I don't think
00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:21.959
I ever showed you, but I was actually experimenting
00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.639
with taking some of our videos and then trying
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.720
to work them through AI. And getting a different
00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.279
background, seeing if AI could put us to make
00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:32.659
us look a little bit more stylized. It failed
00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:37.059
miserably, miserably. For now. Well, here's the
00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:39.000
thing. I don't know. Yeah, here's the thing.
00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:40.059
Now I'm going to say something that might sound
00:08:40.059 --> 00:08:45.940
counterintuitive. AI is trained on the most popular
00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:49.919
media models. There's a reason why Disney is
00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.960
suing. a lot of the AI video generators because
00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:56.500
most people want to make their characters look
00:08:56.500 --> 00:08:58.879
like Iron Man or Superman or Bugs Bunny, you
00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:02.440
know, the known trademark characters, you know,
00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:05.759
or the scenes, they're all the specific kind
00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.360
of sci -fi action. The creativity is, you know,
00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:12.399
everybody's copying the creativity of giants
00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.259
that have pioneered some of those things. To
00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:19.620
be truly original, to be truly human, you know,
00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:21.779
and playing the... Being someone who plays the
00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:25.600
piano for a living, it's just not that economically
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.519
viable. It has never been economically viable.
00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.399
And it's just not a field that AI is going to
00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:34.659
have a lot of interest in sort of analyzing to
00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:38.200
the degree that it's really genuinely good. The
00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:41.240
AI videos that I generate were so laughably bad
00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.779
because they don't have any models to generate
00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:45.940
from because it's just not that much out there.
00:09:46.379 --> 00:09:49.480
So we have this quiet little space in the piano
00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:54.399
world where, because we're not this global, you
00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:58.279
know, media empire in what we do, we are this
00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:01.340
beautiful little corner of genuine human art,
00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:05.379
you know, with still, and it still amazes me
00:10:05.379 --> 00:10:08.559
that we have industries that create. beautiful
00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:10.659
instruments that we get to play on that they
00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:14.840
still make and manufacture to really high degrees
00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:19.039
of skill and craftsmanship. We have this unique
00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:23.820
little oasis, this crazy little eye in the storm
00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:27.139
of technology where if people want the opportunity
00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:30.360
to experience what it means to be genuinely human,
00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:34.860
come play the piano, an acoustic piano. I know
00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:38.980
this sounds strange because... But this is what
00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:42.159
I said. I don't see AI generating piano players.
00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:45.919
It just doesn't happen. No, really. It doesn't
00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:49.340
really happen. AI can generate talking avatars.
00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:53.899
AI can generate sci -fi gunfights. AI doesn't
00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:57.980
generate pianists playing beautiful repertoire
00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:01.960
or unique compositions, contemporary compositions.
00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:05.039
AI is not going to start to generate George Crumb.
00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:08.669
It's just not. No. A lot of people have been
00:11:08.669 --> 00:11:10.889
influenced and inspired by George Crumb, obviously.
00:11:11.350 --> 00:11:15.850
But there's a sameness to the AI content that
00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:18.590
I see being generated. There's a similarness,
00:11:18.690 --> 00:11:21.970
right? The creativity is starting to shrink in
00:11:21.970 --> 00:11:26.309
terms of certain kinds of output. And this humble
00:11:26.309 --> 00:11:29.149
discipline of being disconnected and touching
00:11:29.149 --> 00:11:33.490
wood and metal and molding sound physically with
00:11:33.490 --> 00:11:36.889
your own hands and ears. There's a meditative
00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:40.070
quality in what we do and what we share. And
00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:43.169
when the audience has the patience to sit through
00:11:43.169 --> 00:11:47.070
a 3, 5, 10, 20 -minute song from beginning to
00:11:47.070 --> 00:11:52.070
end and learn what that sonic adventure actually
00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:57.470
is, guess what? You have just reclaimed a huge
00:11:57.470 --> 00:11:59.830
bit of the human experience, the genuine human
00:11:59.830 --> 00:12:03.289
experience where our senses and our touch. And
00:12:03.289 --> 00:12:06.429
our creativity is directly connecting us, the
00:12:06.429 --> 00:12:11.029
listener, ourselves, through real physical airwaves.
00:12:11.350 --> 00:12:14.970
There's a beautiful technological oasis that
00:12:14.970 --> 00:12:18.990
I think we create as classical pianists. Yeah,
00:12:19.049 --> 00:12:22.090
surprisingly, I think it's happening too, because
00:12:22.090 --> 00:12:25.269
I'm getting a lot of inquiries about piano lessons.
00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:28.639
They're all adults. beginner students and then
00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.620
they're most of them they live in around here
00:12:30.620 --> 00:12:35.639
brooklyn williamsburg so young uh gen z you know
00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.679
but they work in tech company so that's why they're
00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:42.490
looking for disconnect of course yes but you
00:12:42.490 --> 00:12:45.870
see so it says it's nothing quite like you know
00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:48.090
with your own hands and create something whether
00:12:48.090 --> 00:12:50.850
that is just the pressing the key down to create
00:12:50.850 --> 00:12:53.190
the sound but it's nothing quite like it seems
00:12:53.190 --> 00:12:55.710
like so they they come but they don't realize
00:12:55.710 --> 00:12:58.289
how difficult piano can be so it's like well
00:12:58.289 --> 00:13:00.789
yeah here's that's another aspect that's another
00:13:00.789 --> 00:13:03.870
aspect and and we've we've been noticing in kids
00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:07.269
i mean we we have both both taught at some point
00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:12.139
um you know there's Especially with kids, it's
00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:16.799
so hard to tell them, to prepare them for something
00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:20.340
that takes a lot of work for pretty much a lifetime.
00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.399
Because it's not the same as you go to law school,
00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.539
you go to medical school, you have this amount
00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:28.840
of years, four, five, six years, and then you
00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:31.940
can start a job. No, for us, yes, you get your
00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:34.059
diploma with master's, which is two, or bachelor's,
00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:36.360
that's four. But it doesn't mean that your learning
00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:41.149
process is over after you... graduate. And then
00:13:41.149 --> 00:13:43.909
it means that next day, that's it. That's done
00:13:43.909 --> 00:13:48.389
with school. No, I don't think so. I don't think,
00:13:48.429 --> 00:13:50.990
I mean, at least if we talk in the context of
00:13:50.990 --> 00:13:57.509
being an artist and continue to produce in terms
00:13:57.509 --> 00:14:00.429
of quality, not quantity. So again, big difference
00:14:00.429 --> 00:14:02.350
here. Let's see, there's something beautiful
00:14:02.350 --> 00:14:06.250
about being involved with an art that is, on
00:14:06.250 --> 00:14:09.289
the one hand, extremely easy to start. anybody
00:14:09.289 --> 00:14:13.250
can put their fingers down it sounds great yeah
00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:19.049
and then having an entire lifetime to always
00:14:19.049 --> 00:14:21.610
realize there's something more that i can improve
00:14:21.610 --> 00:14:25.549
there's something more that i can grow or or
00:14:25.549 --> 00:14:28.490
learn or another artist or another composition
00:14:28.490 --> 00:14:32.230
or another literally there's no end to the world
00:14:32.230 --> 00:14:35.590
that you can explore there's something i think
00:14:35.590 --> 00:14:39.659
that is very that can be exciting in other words
00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:41.600
you're never going to plateau you know at some
00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:48.080
point you know i yeah that's just my my my thinking
00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:51.600
yeah in terms of you know if if music can be
00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:53.759
presented in such a way where it's not so much
00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:56.700
it's presented a way where it's an opportunity
00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:59.679
to say here's a world easy to start but you will
00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.799
never run out of things to learn grow explore,
00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:06.559
enjoy? Well, it has to do also with the will
00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:09.179
of the individual, right? Of course there is.
00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:12.399
I mean, the potential is there. Everything, the
00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.980
world is in front of you. Do you want to take
00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:18.639
this trip? Do you want, are you willing to make
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.440
this effort? It's up to you. No one is going
00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.360
to push you, right? Of course. You can present
00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:27.879
to a kid, you can present to an adult. You can
00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:30.460
say, well, this is... This is going to offer
00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:33.519
you a lifetime of exploring and learning and
00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.320
reward, but it also requires a lot of effort
00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:40.620
and frustration quite often from you. Are you
00:15:40.620 --> 00:15:43.279
willing to pay the price or not? I think the
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:48.100
choice is the individuals. Yeah, but you have
00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:53.899
both chose that path, right? I only have $500
00:15:53.899 --> 00:15:56.620
in the pocket, but I'm going to do it. That sort
00:15:56.620 --> 00:16:00.279
of thing. You know what I mean? And reinventing
00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:05.639
yourself and reclaiming your space. And I think
00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:08.320
it's really beautiful. There was a period of
00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:10.879
time when I was very heavily involved with Airturn.
00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:15.740
My whole mind and concentration was on building
00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:19.679
the small tech company. For three years. It's
00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.000
a 24 -hour -a -day, nonstop job, really. When
00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.580
you are an entrepreneur at that level, you cannot
00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:29.679
think of anything else. And everything I was
00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.799
doing was just poured into trying to make Airturn
00:16:31.799 --> 00:16:36.600
survive and successful. So for three years, I
00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:39.940
didn't play the piano. I just didn't have time.
00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:44.299
Completely devoted myself to Airturn. My time
00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:46.940
at Airturn, I decided to leave, sell my shares.
00:16:47.059 --> 00:16:49.600
And the company's still going on, but I left,
00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:54.100
got a payout, and it helped give me some time
00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:57.039
to think about what to do next. Curiously, as
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:00.799
soon as I quit, Curtis had given me a call and
00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.700
asked, could you help us out just to do some
00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:07.359
accompanying? And just help us out a few hours
00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.279
a week or whatever, because we have an overflow
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:11.240
of some students that we can't find a pianist
00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.140
for. I hadn't played for three years. I'm like,
00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.660
am I going to remember how to do this? I remember
00:17:17.660 --> 00:17:22.319
coming and sitting in at the first lesson, you
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.460
know, and I think it was Mozart, you know, or
00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:27.400
I don't remember how I was playing. I'm like,
00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:30.940
okay, I'll put my hands in the keys. It was like
00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:36.480
no time had passed. The music was just, everything
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.039
just came. I almost had tears in my eyes. I'm
00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:44.869
like. Why did I stop? I remember once thinking
00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:46.869
that I was so sick and tired of music because
00:17:46.869 --> 00:17:49.109
I was just nonstop playing everyday concerts
00:17:49.109 --> 00:17:51.569
four or five times a week and just rehearsals
00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:57.269
all day long. But now coming back to it, I realized
00:17:57.269 --> 00:18:01.930
I can't let this go. This was foolish of me to
00:18:01.930 --> 00:18:06.819
have almost lost the music that's me. I remember
00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:09.420
coming back from that couple of lessons and I
00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:12.500
had tears in my eyes. I'm like, I never want
00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:15.619
to lose that love again. And ever since that
00:18:15.619 --> 00:18:17.759
moment, it's just like any opportunity. I don't
00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.720
care. Even if it's just a simple opportunity
00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:23.099
to play with some kid, I don't care. It's music.
00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:25.579
I get to play it. I get to do something beautiful.
00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.759
And this wonderful opportunity I have to do something
00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:34.799
unique and creative. It's just like, I remember.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.880
I was at a certain company and was meeting with
00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:43.559
one of the co -founders. And this gentleman was
00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:47.940
very impressive. If I mentioned his name to some
00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:50.079
people, they would be like, oh, you got to work
00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:55.660
with him? He was of that level. And I, you know,
00:18:55.660 --> 00:18:59.750
being... new to entrepreneurship and business.
00:19:00.069 --> 00:19:01.930
And it was like peppering him with questions
00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:03.769
about how do you do this? How did you get started?
00:19:04.049 --> 00:19:06.009
How do you make money? Blah, blah, blah. And
00:19:06.009 --> 00:19:08.410
all this. And remember him looking at me like,
00:19:08.630 --> 00:19:13.329
you know, you can learn business. Anybody can
00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:16.970
learn business. But not anybody can play the
00:19:16.970 --> 00:19:20.309
way you play. I would give it all up if I could
00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:24.250
do what you do. I hope you realize what you really
00:19:24.250 --> 00:19:26.650
have. It's not the money. It's not the business.
00:19:26.950 --> 00:19:31.289
You have music. You can play. And to see from
00:19:31.289 --> 00:19:36.369
this giant of a man actually yearning to do what
00:19:36.369 --> 00:19:41.509
I do, at the time, I dismissed it. Many years
00:19:41.509 --> 00:19:44.170
after that, I realized I think he was right.
00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:49.750
What we do as musicians, that's precious. Very,
00:19:49.849 --> 00:19:52.309
very precious. And something that I want to share
00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:55.009
with other people and even other students to
00:19:55.009 --> 00:19:57.670
help them at least understand the joy of making
00:19:57.670 --> 00:20:00.809
music. It's not about being successful, but it's
00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:03.910
about having the joy of knowing that I can sit
00:20:03.910 --> 00:20:07.109
down and music is in me. And music is, even if
00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:10.430
I just sit and listen, music is something I can
00:20:10.430 --> 00:20:13.289
deeply, deeply enjoy. And not just that, but
00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:19.420
also it's scientifically proved that music shapes
00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:22.920
the character and personality of people. Is that
00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.400
why I'm so crazy? Is that why I'm so crazy? In
00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:32.039
terms of empathy, social connection, it helps
00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:34.259
a lot, especially people that play together.
00:20:34.619 --> 00:20:39.200
We explained this to the kids that were part
00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:43.980
of four -hand duets. There were kids and teenagers
00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:49.069
up to 16, 17 years old. I mean, they were going
00:20:49.069 --> 00:20:52.529
through clearly the most delicate period of their
00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:57.450
lifetime. And it was a time when they should
00:20:57.450 --> 00:21:01.089
learn right now, they should figure out or start
00:21:01.089 --> 00:21:03.250
figuring out their role in society, their role,
00:21:03.450 --> 00:21:06.410
you know, what's going on with them in this world,
00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:11.509
right? So I think music can have a very impactful
00:21:11.509 --> 00:21:16.329
role in people's life. Yeah, it really shaped
00:21:16.329 --> 00:21:20.309
that. I remember that when I started performing
00:21:20.309 --> 00:21:24.609
chamber music seriously, and that was probably
00:21:24.609 --> 00:21:29.069
after 17, 18, because before it was just in high
00:21:29.069 --> 00:21:30.950
school, just before, you know, people would ask
00:21:30.950 --> 00:21:32.809
me like, do you want to play? Like, yeah, I need
00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:35.109
accompanist. Okay, fine. But then professionally
00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:40.309
in terms of, you know, heavier works and in a
00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:45.650
more professional way, I realized, boy, This
00:21:45.650 --> 00:21:48.450
person is difficult to work with, or I'm difficult
00:21:48.450 --> 00:21:54.650
to work with. It was this awareness on relationships
00:21:54.650 --> 00:21:59.630
between people. And that's also transferable
00:21:59.630 --> 00:22:01.730
outside the practice room or outside the concert
00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:06.470
hall, in interpersonal relationships. And I think
00:22:06.470 --> 00:22:12.170
music has a quietly but strongly major role.
00:22:13.509 --> 00:22:18.490
if incorporated in people's lives. I hope you
00:22:18.490 --> 00:22:21.990
enjoyed this extra holiday episode with the incredible
00:22:21.990 --> 00:22:26.430
Mata and Hugh Piano Duo. Their honesty and creativity
00:22:26.430 --> 00:22:30.470
are such an inspiration, a reminder of how art
00:22:30.470 --> 00:22:33.670
can ground us, recharge us, and connect us in
00:22:33.670 --> 00:22:37.329
meaningful ways. If you enjoyed this bonus episode,
00:22:37.509 --> 00:22:40.759
please don't forget to hit the thumbs up. Subscribe
00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.740
to the PianoPod on YouTube and share it with
00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:46.920
a friend who loves music. And if you missed the
00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:49.940
full episode with Mada and Hugh that aired back
00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:53.900
in September, be sure to watch or listen. It's
00:22:53.900 --> 00:22:56.740
packed with stories, behind -the -scenes insights,
00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.799
and unforgettable performances. Thank you so
00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:02.900
much for joining me for this holiday bonus. Wishing
00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:05.779
you a joyful season of music, reflection, and
00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:08.819
connection. And I'll see you in 2026.
