"Building Artists Through Music & Mentorship" Pavlina Dokovska on Pedagogy, Leadership, and the Mannes International Piano Festival

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Hello everyone and welcome back to the PianoPod.
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Today's episode is a special bonus conversation
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created in collaboration with Manus School of
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Music at The New School. Do you remember last
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October, the PianoPod partnered with Manus Prep
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for its very first live edition? It brought together
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members of the Manus community and beyond, and
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the energy in the room was remarkable. The audience
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leaned in, asked thoughtful questions during
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the Q &A, and stayed long after the event ended
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to continue the conversation. That experience,
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rooted in live performance, dialogue, and genuine
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exchange, clearly resonated on both sides. The
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momentum opened the door to today's episode,
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one centered on artistry, pedagogy, and the long
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arc of piano study through the lens of an artist
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who has shaped generations of musicians. This
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season, we are exploring creativity and connection,
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highlighting artists and institutions who are
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building community while reimagining the future
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of classical music. Today, we explore what it
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truly means to build artists through music and
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mentorship. I am thrilled to welcome Pavlina
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Dokowska, internationally active concert pianist
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and chair of the piano department at Manus School
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of Music. For decades, she has shaped generations
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of young artists through a philosophy grounded
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in rigor, humanity, and a deeply family -centered
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approach to teaching. Her perspective, rooted
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in performance, pedagogy, and institutional leadership,
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offers a rare and valuable lens on serious piano
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study today. In our conversation, we discuss
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why sustained piano study matters now, how artists
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are formed through mentorship and community,
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and how these ideas intersect with the Menace
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International Piano Festival. an initiative that
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extends the department's spirit into an intensive
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summer gathering in the heart of downtown Manhattan,
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one of the world's great cultural centers. We
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are also joined by Jiwon Young, a current graduate
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student at Manus and recent first prize winner
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of the concerto competition. Through her perspective,
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we glimpse what it is like to study and grow
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as an artist within this vibrant musical community
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and how mentorship translates into artistic confidence
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on stage. If you are watching this episode, be
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sure to like the video. It truly helps this show
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grow and reach more listeners. If you're listening
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on audio, please subscribe and leave a review.
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Your engagement sustains this growing community
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of artists and thinkers who are reimagining what
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classical music can be today. Here is the piano
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pod with Pavlina Dakovska. Please enjoy the show.
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You are listening to The Piano Pod, where we
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talk to the brightest minds in the industry about
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how they are bringing the piano into the future
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and thriving in a complex, ever -evolving world.
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Pavlina, welcome to The Piano Pod. It's such
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a pleasure to have you today. Thank you so much
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for being here. Thank you for having me. It's
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a great pleasure for me, too. Oh, thank you.
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And so before we dive in, I want to briefly return
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to that moment last fall. You know, collaborating
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with Manus Prep at Stiefel Hall gave me a window
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into the Manus community at the new school, how
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deeply people are connected and how state of
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the art the facilities are and how uniquely situated.
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In downtown Manhattan, connecting the East, West
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Villages, and the historic Greenwich Village
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neighborhood is so wonderful. And what struck
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me most was seeing young musicians, some as young
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as five or six in the prep, sharing the same
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building and musical environment with college
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-level, postgraduate -level students from Manist,
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all learning and making music under one roof.
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And today I'm speaking with you in your role
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as... chair of the piano department at Manus
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School of Music. You've been teaching there for
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how many years? 30. Oh, wow. And I have been
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chairing the piano department since 1998. And
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since 1999, I started the now very well -known
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Manus Sounds Festival, which takes the young
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talent of Manus And later on of this, College
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of Performing Arts, School of Drama, School of
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Jazz, all over the city of New York at some of
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the most prestigious concert venues, including
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Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, many cultural centers,
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consulates, Steinway Hall, museums. So menace
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is all over. So what has kept you committed to
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this particular musical community for so long?
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I feel very, very passionate about manners. When
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I was invited to give a masterclass for the first
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time as a performing artist, you know, performing
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artists are invited to give masterclasses. And
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I was asked for a first masterclass to give in
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1996. And then again in 97, two classes in a
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row. And then... I was asked to be hired. And
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ever since I went into Manus and I met colleagues,
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I met students, I felt the whole atmosphere.
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It's a very special world. It's a very family
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-like school. Students, parents. not only parents,
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because in the college we have international
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students, but faculty, patrons, we all are feeling
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like we are a family. This is one word that always
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comes to mind when I say Manus. Wow. Beautifully
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said. So with your expansive career as a concert
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pianist and decades of experience as a pedagogue
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and chair of the piano department, I'm curious
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to hear your perspective. Why does serious piano
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study matter in our current musical and cultural
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moment? I would like to share with you a great
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quote by the writer E .T .A. Hoffman. who inspired
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many composers, including Schumann, Brahms, etc.
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He said, Music is the most romantic of all arts
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because its subject is the infinite. Music discloses
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to man an unknown realm in which he leaves behind
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all definite feelings, to surrender himself to
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inexpressible longing. So this sentence, this
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quote from Hoffman always lives with me. I always
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share it because in one sentence he describes
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the magic of music. Music indeed takes us to
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a very extraordinary place of the mind, of the
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emotions. We are, as performers, as students,
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as listeners, as audience, we're making the same
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intellectual and emotional journey as the composers
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did and we're living the life of geniuses, you
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know, to go through the emotional and intellectual
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journey of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin,
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Prokofiev, Schoenberg, and now contemporary composers.
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This is an extraordinary privilege and it makes
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our own life richer because we are involved with
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their rich world. And when we speak about the
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importance of young people to study music, this
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is one very strong and important point. Their
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life becomes richer. Their values become different.
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Their knowledge becomes very broad. Why? Because
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you cannot be performing the music of, let's
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say, Chopin or the music of Prokofiev, unless
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you understand the world they lived in, unless
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you understand the history, the culture, the
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arts of that period. So anyone who studies music
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and studies it in the right way becomes a very
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well -rounded person. And because of that, also
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becomes a better person. I strongly believe that
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music is extremely important when we educate
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the young people. It also trains concentration,
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discipline, the ability to express yourself the
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ability to connect to audience and not only audience
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it makes you a freer person because it teaches
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communication and these skills can serve you
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very well regardless what your profession later
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on will be music and arts have to be part of
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the education The same way, you know, math, it's
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not a matter of choice. Students have to study
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math. They have to study English. They have to
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study other languages. They have to study music.
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They have to study arts, humanities. It's actually
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a beautiful word which we say about humanities,
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that it's part of studying humanities, music.
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brings out our humanity. There is a reason why
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it's called humanity. Yes, absolutely. Wow, that's
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a really powerful statement. Thank you so much.
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So, you know, I think my audience should get
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to know you better. And I've been listening to
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your album, Music of Tributes, Debussy O'Morning.
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And it's a, you know, homage to Debussy. And
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then I heard several different composers, pieces
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by composers as well. And then your performance
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was just so incredible. But so how your musical
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journey began and the path that led you to an
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international performing career, I would like
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to know. You grew up in Bulgaria, right? I grew
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up in Bulgaria. I had extraordinary teachers.
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My first teachers. I will be always very, very
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grateful. Lydia Kuteva was the one who really
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put me on a path of professional career because
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I started performing at the age of 11. My first
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performance with orchestra. Then I started in
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the conservatory with Julia Konstantin Ganev,
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who were... Very privileged to study with Henrik
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Neuhaus, one of the greatest teachers of all
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time in Moscow. I also spent several summers
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with a great performer and teacher Yvonne Lefebvre.
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And I worked with her on French music. I won
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the Debussy competition there. And then I came
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on a Fulbright scholarship to the United States.
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Studied with Beverly Webster at the Juilliard
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School where I got my master's degree. In the
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meantime, I also won a competition in Senegal.
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And while I was actually already a Juilliard,
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I had a management. I was performing already
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in Europe. And then I started performing in the
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United States through another manager. So I would
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spend six months in Europe touring, six months
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in the United States touring. in Asia, Mexico,
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etc. So I was very fortunate to experience that.
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And I was very lucky also to collaborate with
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extraordinary musicians, instrumentalists, great
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singers from whom I learned a lot. One of them
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was Nikolai Giarov, one of the greatest bassists
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in the world, Nerella Freire. I have worked with
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Nathaniel Rosen. the great cellist, recorded
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with him, Robert McDuffie, the great violinist.
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So this is briefly what my life as a performer
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was. And being fortunate to study with great
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teachers, I knew that I have a calling for that.
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I felt I had a calling for that because I I really
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connected and learned from them, not only about
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music and playing the piano, but also how to
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communicate your knowledge to people. And as
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a performer, I was many times invited to give
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masterclasses. So for me, this was a calling.
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And when I started working at Manus, it became
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one of my missions. And I'm very happy and I'm
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very grateful that I had this opportunity to
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start sharing my knowledge in a very big, consistent,
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profound way with the future generation of pianists.
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And we have real stars. who followed the path
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of graduates of Manus, like Mari Piraj, as you
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know, Richard Wood. So we have extraordinary
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musicians who came from Manus and alums of Manus.
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And they are performing, whether it's Natasha
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Paremsky, whether it's Reid Tetzeloff, whether
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it's Daria Rabotkina, Angelina Gadelia, Vladimir
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Rumyantsev. The list is very long. I actually,
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today, I just got a text message from my former
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student, Reid Tetzlaff, who has a wonderful career
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and at the same time doing his doctoral degree
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at Peabody with Richard Goode. He just texted
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me with a program from his performance in Florida.
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big, big concert series. And he said, and guess
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what? Natasha Paramsky, your student also performed
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there. And so I saw the list of these two students
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of mine, former students, and I was so, so proud
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to see them performing actually on the same series.
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So Menace is all over. Wow. So with the decades
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of teaching there and you've seen it all, you
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know, you've experienced it all, I'm sure. But
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so from that point of view, what does it mean
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to train pianists, young pianists as complete
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artists in this modern world? It is an interesting
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question because on one hand, we as teachers
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need to follow. the tradition of great teaching
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of the past. Because these teachers were truly
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phenomenal. When we go back all the way, Clara
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Schumann, Leschetizky, the list is very long.
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At the same time, we live in very different times.
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We live in stressful times and it is very important
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to provide all the support the students need
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in order to continue pursuing music, not to be
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discouraged, not to be distracted by the many
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distractions in the world today. to really approach
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every single student for his or her uniqueness.
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Teaching piano is about connecting to individual
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students. You don't teach the same piece the
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same way to every student. Otherwise you make
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recordings about how to teach a piece. Every
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student has their own knowledge, broad or limited,
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imagination, and you have to reach out to them
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depending on it. And while communicating the
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necessary knowledge about the composer, you go
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to the student. depending on their needs, also
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pianistic. Some students have not only different
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hands, but different level of pianistic technical
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abilities. So you have to address that. And therefore,
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teaching is something which requires tremendous
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sense of responsibility. Tremendous understanding
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about giving and real love for the student. You
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have to love your student. Because if you don't
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connect with love, there is always a barrier.
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The students feel where they're welcomed, where
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they're embraced with appreciation. Always say
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to my students, the purpose is to, I mean, perfection
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is not possible. We just try to do the best we
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can at the given moment. And there is no place
00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:04.859
for frustration or anger with yourself. You just
00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:11.259
love music, give what music is needed, and appreciate
00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:15.160
every little progress you're making, whether...
00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:20.569
At three o 'clock, you were able to master four
00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:24.349
measures of something. You have to be happy.
00:20:25.569 --> 00:20:36.450
So, music making is about being very happy within
00:20:36.450 --> 00:20:39.990
the process of making music. If you don't have
00:20:39.990 --> 00:20:45.759
that state of mind, you cannot... enter the world
00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:50.099
of these great composers because music was born
00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:56.259
out of love, passion, and sense of liberation.
00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.539
You are being liberated when you put down on
00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:06.839
the piece of paper the music. Therefore, we as
00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:11.680
performers have to experience that passion, that
00:21:12.329 --> 00:21:16.250
sense of liberation, the happiness that we can
00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:20.990
make music. Well, thank you. Well, that's powerful.
00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:26.150
Now, so you've been telling me the word community
00:21:26.150 --> 00:21:30.529
quite a bit today. So what role does community
00:21:30.529 --> 00:21:34.029
play in supporting artistic growth and long -term
00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:37.890
development? Community is very important. Family
00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:40.890
is very important. Your friends are very important.
00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:46.009
The audience that you try to also cultivate your
00:21:46.009 --> 00:21:50.490
own audience is what today also the artists have
00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:58.750
to develop. Ability to promote themselves, to
00:21:58.750 --> 00:22:01.690
attract audiences. This is something that also
00:22:01.690 --> 00:22:05.829
at Manus is being taught. Entrepreneurship. Yeah,
00:22:05.849 --> 00:22:10.950
that's wonderful. You have to be able to market.
00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:16.650
who you are because we live with the technology
00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:21.269
in the world that makes it possible. Before the
00:22:21.269 --> 00:22:24.890
artist was counting only on a manager. What the
00:22:24.890 --> 00:22:27.130
manager was able, the impresario was able to
00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:32.430
do to get you performances. Now the young people
00:22:32.430 --> 00:22:36.130
have the ability to promote themselves and they
00:22:36.130 --> 00:22:39.920
should. Let's talk about Manus, right? So can
00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:42.619
you give us a brief overview of the School of
00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:45.799
Music at the New School, so Manus, and the role
00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:49.180
that piano department plays within it? Well,
00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:56.700
as we know, the piano is an instrument that everyone,
00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:01.660
whether you play violin or cello or winds or
00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:05.900
singer, you need to know to play somehow piano.
00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:14.900
And also the piano department is involved in
00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:18.420
supporting the other instrumentalists and the
00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:24.039
singers. So we have chamber music, we have classes
00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:30.019
which teach our students how to work with singers,
00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:35.369
how to work with instrumentalists. The piano
00:23:35.369 --> 00:23:39.150
department is very, very strong. And I'm very
00:23:39.150 --> 00:23:47.630
proud that Manus, as of 2024, became the only
00:23:47.630 --> 00:23:50.069
conservatory in New York to meet the criteria
00:23:50.069 --> 00:23:58.529
for an all -Steinway school. So we have extraordinary
00:23:58.529 --> 00:24:06.660
pianos. the students have the opportunity to
00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:10.920
play on great instruments. The piano department,
00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:14.920
because of the prominence of the piano department
00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:19.720
and the success that Manus Sounds Festival has
00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:24.480
had during the 27 years, this led to my idea
00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:29.160
to start the Manus International Piano Festival,
00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:35.839
which we started in 2020. at the year when we
00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:41.119
became an old Steinway school. So this is another
00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:45.539
important contribution that the Menace Piano
00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:50.519
Department is giving to the world of music because
00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:52.799
it's an international piano festival. We bring
00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.940
in students from all over the world. We have
00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:57.579
international faculty in addition to the Menace
00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:01.940
faculty. So the month of July is a wonderful
00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:08.750
month. which spotlights the great accomplishments
00:25:08.750 --> 00:25:14.109
of the piano department. Wonderful. So the Manus
00:25:14.109 --> 00:25:15.730
International Piano Festival that you mentioned,
00:25:15.829 --> 00:25:18.490
so let's talk more about that. So it takes place
00:25:18.490 --> 00:25:23.910
exactly where you are, at Manus School of Music.
00:25:24.150 --> 00:25:29.440
Also, and also at... We are part of the new school.
00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:32.000
We collaborate, as I mentioned, with the Menna
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.519
Sounds Festival. We collaborate with the School
00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:37.599
of Jazz, School of Drama, with Parsons School
00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:40.819
of Design. I have created fantastic events with
00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:45.880
Parsons also, including Parsons. So now we have
00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:47.759
an event which also includes some students from
00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:52.319
Milan. It's Leo Tolstoy and Music on February
00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:57.410
24th. So... The campus of the new school is wonderful,
00:25:57.609 --> 00:26:03.049
and we use some of the great facilities and great
00:26:03.049 --> 00:26:06.369
halls of the new school because we are part of
00:26:06.369 --> 00:26:11.750
it. That's wonderful. So how long is the festival
00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:14.750
for, especially for this year? When is the start
00:26:14.750 --> 00:26:19.890
date? The festival since we started in 2024 is
00:26:19.890 --> 00:26:25.549
two weeks. Students this year will arrive on
00:26:25.549 --> 00:26:32.289
the 12th of July and through July 26th and this
00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:37.569
is a very intense period when they have private
00:26:37.569 --> 00:26:41.230
lessons, when they have daily performance workshops,
00:26:41.710 --> 00:26:45.049
there are lectures, there are presentations,
00:26:45.670 --> 00:26:52.390
there are showcases where all pianists play at
00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:57.769
the end of each week. We have a wonderful competition
00:26:57.769 --> 00:27:03.230
which gives cash prizes, first, second, third
00:27:03.230 --> 00:27:12.769
prize and honorary mentions. And we have a great
00:27:12.769 --> 00:27:17.730
concert series featuring the new generation of
00:27:17.730 --> 00:27:20.869
outstanding pianists. Wonderful. And so what
00:27:20.869 --> 00:27:26.670
are the age group for this festival? We welcome
00:27:26.670 --> 00:27:33.150
anybody from the age of 16 on. And exceptions
00:27:33.150 --> 00:27:36.289
are being made for exceptionally talented students
00:27:36.289 --> 00:27:39.029
under the age of 16. Of course, they have to
00:27:39.029 --> 00:27:44.690
be accompanied by parents. There is a process,
00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:48.450
you know, they have to apply. They have to send
00:27:48.450 --> 00:27:51.930
their recordings. We listen to these recordings.
00:27:51.970 --> 00:27:56.329
We make decisions. We also are very generous
00:27:56.329 --> 00:28:01.750
about scholarships. For the last two years, we
00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:06.509
have given about $30 ,000 in scholarships. Wonderful.
00:28:08.650 --> 00:28:13.609
Everyone who has been part of this festival has
00:28:13.609 --> 00:28:18.460
left very happy. Great. Now, can you introduce
00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:21.240
us some of the core faculty members or maybe
00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:25.720
guest artists for this year's? Of our international
00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:30.380
piano faculty, Hyunjun Chung, one of the leading
00:28:30.380 --> 00:28:35.079
pedagogues and performers of Korea, South Korea.
00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:41.299
Yoon Soon, a professor in Shanghai, who happens
00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:46.579
to be also an alumna of Manus. wonderful pianist
00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:50.900
and great teacher, very well known in China,
00:28:51.000 --> 00:29:03.500
not only. We have Ronan O 'Hara from the United
00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:10.880
Kingdom and Graham Scott from the United Kingdom,
00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:17.640
both prominent pianists and and teachers. So,
00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:25.480
as far as men's faculty, we have great stars
00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:30.259
who are joining the faculty. Anne Schein, legendary
00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:37.740
Anne Schein, Eterion Giapparidze, Vladimir Valyarevich,
00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:45.240
Irina Morozova, Simona Dinerstein, We have about
00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:49.259
Thomas Sauer, Jerome Rose. I mean, the list is
00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:55.940
like 15 people. Each and every one of our faculty
00:29:55.940 --> 00:30:02.720
are recognized worldwide. Amazing. So what do
00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:05.140
you hope participants carry forward beyond the
00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:09.279
festival, both artistically and personally, by
00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:13.539
participating in this festival? We hope that
00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:22.859
they learn a lot, that they enjoy their stay
00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:26.839
in New York City. I must say that this festival
00:30:26.839 --> 00:30:31.640
is the only large -scale piano festival in New
00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:37.500
York City. And so when you come and you study
00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:41.859
piano, you also have the ability to go to the
00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:45.359
Metropolitan Museum, to the Frick Museum, to
00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:49.319
the Museum of Modern Art. There are so many museums.
00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:51.700
There are so many things happening in New York
00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:56.220
City. I also would like to mention another very
00:30:56.220 --> 00:31:01.920
important aspect that we're very proud of. We
00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:05.680
are providing for the students unlimited number
00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:12.019
of hours for practicing. Many festivals internationally
00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:15.460
and U .S. festivals, you know, they give you
00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:18.779
three hours to practice because facilities are
00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:26.500
limited. Our students can practice. Really? Yes.
00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:30.700
So we won't limit the number of hours. Of course,
00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:35.359
at night they have to sleep. Right. That's right.
00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:40.430
Wonderful. Now we'd like to hear from Jiwon Yang,
00:31:40.630 --> 00:31:43.150
a past Manus International Piano Festival participant
00:31:43.150 --> 00:31:46.990
and a current Manus graduate student. And before
00:31:46.990 --> 00:31:50.529
we hear from her, her perspective, Pavlina, could
00:31:50.529 --> 00:31:52.950
you tell us a bit about Jiwon? What qualities
00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:57.529
stood out to you as a developing artist? Jiwon
00:31:57.529 --> 00:32:04.109
is absolutely an exceptional pianist. And she
00:32:04.109 --> 00:32:10.359
auditioned only at Manus. She felt that this
00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:13.259
is the place she wants to be. She studies with
00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:20.900
me and with Richard Goode. And she won the third
00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:26.420
prize in Van Cliburn Junior. She has a large
00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:30.799
list of competitions. And the last one was the
00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:34.279
third prize at the ARD Munich International Piano
00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:36.480
Competition, which is one of the biggest one.
00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:45.579
in the piano world. So she's a very accomplished
00:32:45.579 --> 00:32:51.220
pianist and she's also a great collaborator.
00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:58.900
She plays a lot of chamber music. She is a wonderful
00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:07.299
person and she felt really in love. She felt
00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:10.980
really in love with Manus. So when she finished
00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:13.960
her undergraduate study, it was time to apply
00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:17.660
for graduate studies. And I asked her, where
00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:19.900
are you going to apply? She said, I don't want
00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:22.099
to go anywhere else. I'm going to stay at Manus.
00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.599
And now she's going to be auditioning also for
00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:28.740
professional studies diploma. So she'll be eight
00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:37.879
years at Manus, nurtured by a wonderful atmosphere,
00:33:37.879 --> 00:33:43.640
her colleagues, great teachers. She takes collaborative
00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:49.900
piano classes with Professor Stanesco, Professor
00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:53.559
Novacek, she studies chamber music. She studies
00:33:53.559 --> 00:33:59.680
with many people, Brandon Mayers. She is spreading
00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:07.630
her wings. I'm very, very happy with what she
00:34:07.630 --> 00:34:10.489
has accomplished and the kind of person she has
00:34:10.489 --> 00:34:52.250
become. Now, we're joined by Jiwon Young, a graduate
00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:55.210
student at Manus School of Music and a participant
00:34:55.210 --> 00:34:58.230
in last year's Manus International Piano Festival.
00:34:58.469 --> 00:35:03.210
And before we begin, welcome, Jiwon. Thank you.
00:35:03.210 --> 00:35:05.730
Thank you for having me. Thank you. And I want
00:35:05.730 --> 00:35:08.590
to start with a huge congratulations. You just
00:35:08.590 --> 00:35:12.949
won first prize in the George and Elizabeth Gregory
00:35:12.949 --> 00:35:17.449
Concerto Competition at Manus. Last night. Wow.
00:35:19.489 --> 00:35:23.150
So, so it was a final round last night. Yes.
00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:27.960
So we had the three different rounds for this
00:35:27.960 --> 00:35:31.119
whole year. It started in the fall semester of
00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:34.539
2025. We started the pre -screening round with
00:35:34.539 --> 00:35:37.360
the videos. And then to the semifinal round,
00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:41.179
which happened last November. Then five finalists
00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:45.400
got to play last night with a second piano accompanist.
00:35:45.539 --> 00:35:48.480
We had three pianists, one percussionist, and
00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:54.360
one violinist. So it was a very huge night. Wow.
00:35:55.159 --> 00:35:58.119
Really, I'm very, very happy for you. And what
00:35:58.119 --> 00:36:01.480
a great achievement. So as a first prize winner,
00:36:02.019 --> 00:36:09.000
what will you receive? So, well, I got an opportunity
00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:11.860
to perform with our school orchestra soon. The
00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:14.539
date will be released soon. And also the cash
00:36:14.539 --> 00:36:19.199
prize. How much? It's a list of 4 ,000 cash prize.
00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:23.789
And also the very... like I would say personal
00:36:23.789 --> 00:36:27.230
growth by playing in front of the audience I
00:36:27.230 --> 00:36:30.050
mean it's a very like a big privilege to play
00:36:30.050 --> 00:36:34.150
in front of the audience the whole concerto as
00:36:34.150 --> 00:36:37.050
I played Tchaikovsky first piano concerto it
00:36:37.050 --> 00:36:39.690
was actually like the length of 40 minutes so
00:36:39.690 --> 00:36:42.650
it was actually huge so it itself was already
00:36:42.650 --> 00:36:46.210
a great experience for myself and also my pianist
00:36:46.210 --> 00:36:50.210
who accompanied me was And well, himself, I would
00:36:50.210 --> 00:36:53.289
identify him as an orchestra. He was amazing
00:36:53.289 --> 00:36:57.409
playing with me. With him, I was very confident
00:36:57.409 --> 00:37:02.329
on playing. Wonderful. Congratulations once again.
00:37:02.670 --> 00:37:05.150
So for our viewers and listeners who are just
00:37:05.150 --> 00:37:08.750
discovering you, you know, could you briefly
00:37:08.750 --> 00:37:10.909
introduce yourself? Where are you originally
00:37:10.909 --> 00:37:14.190
from? What you are focusing on in your graduate
00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:16.989
studies? And then what has shaped you artistically?
00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:21.019
So, well basically first I'm based on South Korea,
00:37:21.219 --> 00:37:25.239
Seoul. I just moved to New York City and it's
00:37:25.239 --> 00:37:28.260
my first time living in the States abroad alone.
00:37:30.349 --> 00:37:33.030
It's been six years already. So I kind of feel
00:37:33.030 --> 00:37:35.949
like this is my second home. And as I'm a student
00:37:35.949 --> 00:37:38.829
at Madison for six years already, because right
00:37:38.829 --> 00:37:41.389
now I'm pursuing my last semester, final semester
00:37:41.389 --> 00:37:45.170
as a master degree student. But I was a graduate
00:37:45.170 --> 00:37:50.949
of undergraduate here as well. So my most focus
00:37:50.949 --> 00:37:56.530
is obviously a solo pianist. I really perform
00:37:56.530 --> 00:38:00.869
everywhere since I was like. young girl I was
00:38:00.869 --> 00:38:03.409
traveling a lot for international competitions
00:38:03.409 --> 00:38:09.050
and performances. By that I try to expand my
00:38:09.050 --> 00:38:13.389
perspectives and my growth as a musician which
00:38:13.389 --> 00:38:19.550
one of my goal at last it's to be able to travel
00:38:19.550 --> 00:38:23.969
everywhere to perform, share my music with people
00:38:23.969 --> 00:38:27.210
around the world. So that's what I am working
00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:31.599
currently now. Okay. I'm just curious, what has
00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:35.820
kept you at Manus from your undergraduate till
00:38:35.820 --> 00:38:41.460
now? What kept you for a long time? So it might
00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:44.119
sound very obvious, but really one of the only,
00:38:44.219 --> 00:38:47.599
even the only reason is my professors. I currently
00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:50.780
study with Richard Good and Pavlina Dukovska.
00:38:51.599 --> 00:38:58.250
They are wonderful people. I'm always honored
00:38:58.250 --> 00:39:03.949
to be their students. And it was the major reason
00:39:03.949 --> 00:39:07.769
I also came to Madness. But not only the professors,
00:39:07.829 --> 00:39:11.010
but the community here at Madness are really
00:39:11.010 --> 00:39:16.309
amazing. As I'm staying here for almost six years,
00:39:16.730 --> 00:39:22.320
it's actually one -fourth of my whole life. All
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:24.559
the communities, all the other professors, all
00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:26.679
the other community. I mean, all the faculty
00:39:26.679 --> 00:39:30.380
members, my friends, peers. They're all really
00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:33.619
amazing, I would say. I kind of imagine, like,
00:39:33.739 --> 00:39:37.579
if this is going to be the same if I was in other
00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:42.500
place, that it really means a lot to me. It's
00:39:42.500 --> 00:39:47.530
a wonderful, really tight community there. Today
00:39:47.530 --> 00:39:50.409
you're here with us because you participated
00:39:50.409 --> 00:39:53.369
in the Manus International Piano Festival, I
00:39:53.369 --> 00:39:57.670
believe last year. And now in its upcoming summer
00:39:57.670 --> 00:40:01.530
would be the third year. And so I'm just curious
00:40:01.530 --> 00:40:05.050
what attracted you to apply last summer and then
00:40:05.050 --> 00:40:08.889
what specifically drew you in? Yeah. So first
00:40:08.889 --> 00:40:12.230
of all, I actually attended both first and second
00:40:12.230 --> 00:40:16.960
year of Manus Piano Festival. When I first heard
00:40:16.960 --> 00:40:20.420
that this was going to happen, I was very excited.
00:40:20.579 --> 00:40:23.159
Not because it's going to happen in our school,
00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:27.340
but I believed my professor, Pavlina Dukovska,
00:40:27.460 --> 00:40:29.400
who's actually in charge of everything. She's
00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:32.840
the chair of everything. And not only that, but
00:40:32.840 --> 00:40:36.539
because even during the school years, she has
00:40:36.539 --> 00:40:39.900
been in charge of an event called Manus Sounds
00:40:39.900 --> 00:40:44.500
Festival, which happens every year. She curates.
00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:48.039
All the performances, not only in our school,
00:40:48.219 --> 00:40:51.320
but everywhere around New York City. So students
00:40:51.320 --> 00:40:57.159
have an opportunity to perform in many big venues,
00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:01.780
including Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in
00:41:01.780 --> 00:41:05.699
New York City. So when I first heard about this
00:41:05.699 --> 00:41:08.699
news that this new festival is going to open
00:41:08.699 --> 00:41:11.639
up, I had no doubt that this is going to be a
00:41:11.639 --> 00:41:15.389
really great privilege. to all of the pianists
00:41:15.389 --> 00:41:20.650
in the world to be able to achieve a great opportunity.
00:41:21.150 --> 00:41:25.369
So as I expected, the first year, even it was
00:41:25.369 --> 00:41:28.130
the first year, the festival was very successful.
00:41:29.750 --> 00:41:34.010
It includes lessons, private lessons with all
00:41:34.010 --> 00:41:36.489
the faculty members from Venice, but not only,
00:41:36.590 --> 00:41:41.880
but also from international. a pianist, a great
00:41:41.880 --> 00:41:46.119
well -known pianist from international and we
00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:51.340
have a masterclass going on and also what really
00:41:51.340 --> 00:41:55.440
stood out to me is that all the students get
00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:58.900
to get their own practice room for a whole time
00:41:58.900 --> 00:42:02.199
they participate. For me, I quite feel that this
00:42:02.199 --> 00:42:06.230
is very rare thing because as i've been traveling
00:42:06.230 --> 00:42:09.949
a lot to all the other competitions and festivals
00:42:09.949 --> 00:42:15.489
getting their own practice room for as much as
00:42:15.489 --> 00:42:20.070
they can it's quite rare so you always have to
00:42:20.070 --> 00:42:23.190
fight for it right yes i i thought it was a very
00:42:23.190 --> 00:42:28.090
great thing to not be limited to the space for
00:42:28.090 --> 00:42:32.670
using and also we provide the housing and also
00:42:33.630 --> 00:42:36.949
The second week, which is the last week, we hold
00:42:36.949 --> 00:42:40.929
a competition itself to fight over the cash prize
00:42:40.929 --> 00:42:45.309
also. And I also participated in the first year
00:42:45.309 --> 00:42:49.769
competition, which I won a second prize. So all
00:42:49.769 --> 00:42:52.329
these things. And also we have a weekly showcase
00:42:52.329 --> 00:42:55.889
that students get to play whatever they want
00:42:55.889 --> 00:43:01.440
to play. All the other things. One of the main
00:43:01.440 --> 00:43:03.420
attractive things is that it's New York City.
00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:09.159
Manhattan. So, I mean, I believe people in this
00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:13.019
world always kind of wish or dream about traveling
00:43:13.019 --> 00:43:15.739
to New York City once in their life, I assume.
00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:21.380
So all of these things come and it's truly attractive,
00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:25.840
I would say. Was there any particular moment
00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:29.809
that... maybe musical or even personal that stayed
00:43:29.809 --> 00:43:34.230
with you from the past festival experiences?
00:43:34.889 --> 00:43:40.130
Well, yes, of course, faculty members. It was
00:43:40.130 --> 00:43:44.449
my great privilege to be able to work with all
00:43:44.449 --> 00:43:48.989
the international faculties. It's a very nice
00:43:48.989 --> 00:43:57.789
thing that we got to share our passion. to the
00:43:57.789 --> 00:44:00.849
faculty members and we learn a lot from them
00:44:00.849 --> 00:44:08.230
and also friends like we had a very big portion
00:44:08.230 --> 00:44:12.750
of applicants since the first year so we have
00:44:12.750 --> 00:44:16.989
two weeks some people get to choose to join either
00:44:16.989 --> 00:44:21.090
only one week they can choose both weeks The
00:44:21.090 --> 00:44:23.690
way you get to meet people from these festivals.
00:44:23.969 --> 00:44:30.010
I think it's very Very meaningful. I still be
00:44:30.010 --> 00:44:34.590
in touch with a lot of friends I've met and They
00:44:34.590 --> 00:44:38.070
come around from everywhere like from Asia from
00:44:38.070 --> 00:44:41.769
Europe and other states and you get to know them
00:44:41.769 --> 00:44:47.920
because We get to know all the pianists community
00:44:47.920 --> 00:44:52.059
and like we know we have something inside to
00:44:52.059 --> 00:44:55.860
share in common so i think it's a very great
00:44:55.860 --> 00:44:59.860
chance to meet people and also the staff members
00:44:59.860 --> 00:45:04.219
i i still remember from the the very first year
00:45:04.219 --> 00:45:08.980
um without them it wasn't really possible i would
00:45:08.980 --> 00:45:13.239
say the the staff members were really nice they
00:45:13.239 --> 00:45:17.360
were very supportive um They were everywhere
00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:21.719
that we needed them. And I think because of them,
00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:25.239
the festival was even able to be more successful
00:45:25.239 --> 00:45:29.800
and fluent. So I will be coming back for this
00:45:29.800 --> 00:45:32.900
summer festival as well as I will be opening
00:45:32.900 --> 00:45:37.440
the concert. Oh, and as I'm saying this, I kind
00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:39.980
of forgot to mention about it. In our festival
00:45:39.980 --> 00:45:44.980
also, we have a very... important guest artists
00:45:44.980 --> 00:45:48.719
to come and perform their solo recitals. We always
00:45:48.719 --> 00:45:51.539
had like about five great pianists including
00:45:51.539 --> 00:45:55.199
Ye Kwon Sun who was the very first one to open
00:45:55.199 --> 00:46:01.179
the concert on our first festival and yeah we
00:46:01.179 --> 00:46:07.039
get to watch and share also their music and to
00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:11.070
see their passion over the music as well. So
00:46:11.070 --> 00:46:15.190
I'm also honored to be able to perform as a guest
00:46:15.190 --> 00:46:20.309
artist this year. I'm looking forward. Wow, that's
00:46:20.309 --> 00:46:23.849
incredible. What an incredible opportunity. So
00:46:23.849 --> 00:46:28.670
how did this festival shape you as a developing
00:46:28.670 --> 00:46:33.230
artist? Maybe in your practice habits or performance
00:46:33.230 --> 00:46:36.130
mindset or sense of artistic community? What
00:46:36.130 --> 00:46:39.480
do you think? I think the most thing I learned
00:46:39.480 --> 00:46:42.800
and I noticed after having this festival was
00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:47.380
in a very short time of period I was able to
00:46:47.380 --> 00:46:52.219
build my confidence over my own music like sometimes
00:46:52.219 --> 00:46:55.969
like as we're still in a learning process You
00:46:55.969 --> 00:46:58.909
might be not sure enough with your own thing.
00:46:59.030 --> 00:47:01.449
Like you might be stuck on something. But by
00:47:01.449 --> 00:47:05.469
meeting all the other faculty members and like
00:47:05.469 --> 00:47:08.889
getting to talk with them and from like learning
00:47:08.889 --> 00:47:14.030
from them, it really helped me to go forward
00:47:14.030 --> 00:47:17.769
as a musician and also kind of expand and build
00:47:17.769 --> 00:47:24.510
my perspective on music, like how to like consume.
00:47:25.389 --> 00:47:29.809
in a different way of interpretations and things,
00:47:30.030 --> 00:47:34.829
and also by performing. I mean, as a pianist,
00:47:34.849 --> 00:47:37.070
and not only pianist, but as a stage artist,
00:47:37.329 --> 00:47:41.070
I think it's very crucial to have an experience,
00:47:41.190 --> 00:47:44.510
to be able to perform on stage in order to build
00:47:44.510 --> 00:47:48.329
your ability as a stage artist. And I think Manus
00:47:48.329 --> 00:47:51.230
Summer Festival is one of the things that will
00:47:51.230 --> 00:47:58.200
really help you to grow as a musician. Wonderful.
00:47:58.200 --> 00:48:02.340
So this would be the last question. So if a young
00:48:02.340 --> 00:48:06.519
pianist is listening to this episode and wondering,
00:48:06.659 --> 00:48:11.260
you know, whether they should go to summer festival
00:48:11.260 --> 00:48:15.179
anywhere or whether they should apply, what would
00:48:15.179 --> 00:48:18.579
you tell them? If you're hesitating or if you're
00:48:18.579 --> 00:48:21.159
wondering whether I should apply, just go and
00:48:21.159 --> 00:48:26.150
apply. It won't be a regret. Well, I myself haven't
00:48:26.150 --> 00:48:29.510
been to like thousands of festivals in this world,
00:48:29.590 --> 00:48:32.349
but I can still guarantee that Manasema Festival
00:48:32.349 --> 00:48:35.710
is one of the best experience I think you could
00:48:35.710 --> 00:48:41.789
get. So why not? Why don't you apply? Wonderful.
00:48:42.329 --> 00:48:46.110
So for those who are listening right now or watching,
00:48:46.349 --> 00:48:49.030
all the links are in the show notes or description.
00:48:49.190 --> 00:48:52.570
So be sure to check them out. Jiwon, thank you
00:48:52.570 --> 00:48:54.989
so much once again for sharing your experience
00:48:54.989 --> 00:48:58.329
with us and congratulations once again. Thank
00:48:58.329 --> 00:49:05.150
you so much and thank you for having me. Can
00:49:05.150 --> 00:49:07.789
you quickly share a bit about the current application
00:49:07.789 --> 00:49:10.190
process for students joining from around the
00:49:10.190 --> 00:49:13.269
world? I believe it's international, so you're
00:49:13.269 --> 00:49:17.530
accepting students globally. So including key
00:49:17.530 --> 00:49:21.420
dates, for example, deadlines and so on. Well,
00:49:21.440 --> 00:49:25.940
there is an early application. I believe it's
00:49:25.940 --> 00:49:31.659
March, sometime in March. Then it's end of April,
00:49:31.659 --> 00:49:39.099
May. Students can reach out to us through email.
00:49:39.260 --> 00:49:41.659
They can also reach out to me directly if they
00:49:41.659 --> 00:49:46.380
have questions. We are a very friendly team.
00:49:47.949 --> 00:49:51.829
we would answer any questions the applicants
00:49:51.829 --> 00:49:55.289
may have. So to learn more about the Manus International
00:49:55.289 --> 00:49:58.150
Piano Festival, please visit the Manus website.
00:49:58.349 --> 00:50:01.789
You can find a link on screen right now, or you
00:50:01.789 --> 00:50:05.829
can find a QR code also appearing on the screen.
00:50:06.130 --> 00:50:08.369
For those who are listening to this episode,
00:50:08.510 --> 00:50:11.820
the link is available in the show notes. Pavlina,
00:50:11.880 --> 00:50:13.980
thank you so much for participating today. What
00:50:13.980 --> 00:50:15.599
a wonderful conversation. But before I let you
00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:17.980
go, what gives you hope about the next generation
00:50:17.980 --> 00:50:26.519
of pianists? I see how passionate the new generation
00:50:26.519 --> 00:50:31.380
of pianists is. And I see the passion of the
00:50:31.380 --> 00:50:36.059
students. And I also believe that something as
00:50:36.059 --> 00:50:44.469
great as music cannot disappear. Because people
00:50:44.469 --> 00:50:50.849
feel, once they're in touch with music, they
00:50:50.849 --> 00:50:55.789
feel the necessity to have music in their lives,
00:50:56.010 --> 00:51:04.170
one way or another. So I'm very hopeful. You
00:51:04.170 --> 00:51:07.150
have to be hopeful. Yes, absolutely. Well, thank
00:51:07.150 --> 00:51:09.889
you, Pavlina. What a great way to end our conversations
00:51:09.889 --> 00:51:12.409
for sharing your time and insight in art history.
00:51:12.590 --> 00:51:14.690
It's been a really wonderful conversation and
00:51:14.690 --> 00:51:16.670
I hope that you'll come back to the piano part
00:51:16.670 --> 00:51:19.750
and then we can talk more about piano. Yeah.
00:51:20.130 --> 00:51:23.190
Great pleasure. Thank you. So thank you to our
00:51:23.190 --> 00:51:25.409
listeners as well. If you enjoyed this episode,
00:51:25.489 --> 00:51:28.269
please like it and leave a comment. Your engagement
00:51:28.269 --> 00:51:30.969
truly helps the show grow and keeps this work
00:51:30.969 --> 00:51:33.489
going. We'll see you in the next episode. Thank
00:51:33.489 --> 00:51:39.469
you once again, Pavlina. Thank you. Bye. Thanks
00:51:39.469 --> 00:51:40.070
for watching!