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Welcome back to another episode of the PianoPod.
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I am Eric Hunter.
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I'm Yukimi Song.
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I'm Clara Zhao.
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The PianoPod is a monthly podcast where we interview some of the brightest talent in
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the industry.
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Each episode features a guest speaker who's making bold new innovations that may change
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the way we play or teach piano.
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Our guest of last episode was Mike Grande, who is a creator of the pioneering video conferencing
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platform called Rock Out Loud Live, which could reshape the way virtual music lessons
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are taught.
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If you're teaching or taking music lessons online right now, you should definitely check
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it out and let us know what you think.
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If you want to find out more about us and why we started this podcast, we have an extra
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introductory video on our YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel, where you can also
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catch up on the previous episodes.
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The links are in the description below.
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Today our guest is Chantal Balestri, a performer, teacher and organizer extraordinaire.
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Chantal, how are you doing today?
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Hello, Eric.
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Hello, everyone.
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Thank you.
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Hi.
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Thank you so much for joining.
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Hi.
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So nice to have you.
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So Chantal is zooming in today all the way from Italy, where she has been living since
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the beginning of the pandemic.
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Well, beginning for Americans, basically since March, right?
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Prior to that, she was in New York City here with the rest of us.
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And we will get to the story of how she ended up back in Italy a little bit later.
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But first, Chantal, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
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Yes.
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It's all everyone again.
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So I'm a pianist, so I have a career as a performer.
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I am a teacher.
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I teach in different institutions, even now in New York, but also in Italy right now.
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And I am also an organizer, promoter, manager of musical events.
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In fact, I have my own festival.
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Wonderful.
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Wonderful.
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Thanks.
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So now that you're back in Italy, what's life like there?
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I'm sure it's a big change, right?
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That's a very good question.
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I mean, things are changing all the time.
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And I'm not just saying that because of the situation, but because it's really like that.
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Actually a few days ago, we were having again a normal life, kind of normal life, of course,
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with masks, paying attention to all the measures we need to do now, right now.
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But the thing that changed a lot is the closed theaters.
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So again, we are in the situation like in the United States in which we cannot have
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concerts anymore.
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And we were like, you know, people were already going back to have concert or going to concerts
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like before now.
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No, anymore.
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So we are not in a lockdown, but still for artists, it's a very difficult time because
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things are changing all the time and it's unpredictable and it's hard to plan and to
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do things.
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Yeah.
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I think all of us are feeling the pinch of it right now.
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I don't know if it's true or not, but I saw a statistic the other day that I think 62
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percent of performers may be leaving the industry because there's just no performances, live
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performances right now.
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But we'll get to that a little bit more later.
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Let's maybe we'll focus on happier times a little bit.
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Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started as a pianist and what it was like
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growing up?
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Yeah, I want just to say one thing about what you said, we need to be positive.
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Let's look at statistics, please.
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That's right.
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Yeah.
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So we will see and we can find a way.
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And as we said later on, I'm going to speak about that.
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So briefly about my life.
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Well, I mean, like many other musicians, I started when I was a kid.
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I started in Italy.
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I mean, I'm half Italian, I'm Swiss, but I grew up in Italy.
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I started like many private lessons.
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I started in conservatory very early.
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I was 10 years old and I started like I was practicing a lot solo repertoire.
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I was focusing a lot like in Italy, there is a lot of pressure.
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Like when you go to conservatory, you need to be a big soloist.
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But then, of course, I always continue to think like it's important to practice and
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to work on my solo repertoire.
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But I start opening a little bit, broadening a little bit my mind and trying different
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things.
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So I started music when I was 18, which is kind of late actually, but I didn't get an
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opportunity before because of this mentality.
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And because of a festival and then I graduated, I started doing other experiences and with
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other musicians.
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And then I also moved to later on to another country, moved to Germany.
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And this actually really helped me to realize that there were so many opportunities to start
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working with singers, for example, other instrumentalists.
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There was the Department of Contemporary Music.
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So I discovered a new world there.
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And after all, I came back here and finished my second degree when I was pretty young,
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let's say because in Italy was allowed to take a degree very early, like when you were
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still in high school.
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So I could take my master's degree when I was already 21, I mean, or just 21.
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And then I was like, well, what do I do?
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I like being in Italy, but I want to explore more.
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And so I decided to go to New York.
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And this was five years ago now, it was 2015.
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So I did, of course, like many of the applications and I got in school there.
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I was in New York University and New York, I got to have a lot of experiences, which
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led me also later on to have more experience in the organizational side.
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So to work as a promoter first and then later on, like myself creating something new.
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Can I ask you, how did you choose New York?
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And were there any other cities or countries that you considered at the time when you were
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looking to make a change?
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Well, I actually was considered first to go back to Germany because I really loved the
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experience and being Swiss myself, I felt my culture was close to the German one.
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And so this was my first thing.
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But then something happened in my life, which made me realize that maybe another way would
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have been better for me.
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So basically, long story, I tried to make it a little bit short, is like I had some
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friends who moved there and they start asking me why you don't want to go to New York as
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well.
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And I was like, no, I don't think this is something I want to do.
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But then a lot of incidents happened in my personal life and knowing people also, but
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we were moving to New York, also in a sentimental life, I met a person who was moving to New
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York.
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And then I met also in Italy, a professor from the New York University who became later
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on my own professor.
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So there was a lot of things which made me feel, well, maybe I should really go to New
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York.
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So it sounds like things were converging on New York as the most logical destination for
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you.
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Yes, I mean, it's just I saw that life was giving me signals and I was like just listening
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to them and say, well, maybe I should go overseas and not just stay here in Europe.
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So I did that.
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You know what?
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All the coincidences happened and then that led you to New York.
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It's not necessarily you were looking into, I am in the future, I'm going to go to New
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York.
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Some people have that desire, but not for your case.
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I didn't have that strong desire to live in New York either, but things happened and New
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York was the place for me.
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But as a European, what do you think about doing music in New York and Europe?
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Obviously, classical music started in Europe and then Europe is the place to study.
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That's what I was thought when I was a kid, but now a lot of people come to the West,
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as in this continent, not just in the United States, but some people go to Canada to study
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classical music.
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So what do you think of that?
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Well, this is a really good question and actually to reply well to this, I would need probably
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the entire hour to speak about the differences between Europe and the United States and there
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are many.
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Surely, I can say that you can tell that Europe is where classical music comes from.
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And there is a deep tension to traditions, maybe too much.
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This is probably the limit sometimes in the sense that, as I say, I grew up in an environment
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in which I was a pianist, I was a soloist, this was the only way.
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And this is unrealistic because most of the pianists cannot reach the big career as Marta
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Argerich or Kristian Zimmerman.
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Of course, you can do concerts like I'm doing, solo concerts, but thinking to just play in
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the most beautiful theatres, it's not realistic because this is the way it is.
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So it can be good because they prepare you really strongly.
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And actually the requirements when I did the conservatory were really high.
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Like when I graduated when I was 18, I had to prepare two hours and a half repertoire,
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dividing two days to 24 hours.
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And I had to do two piano concertos.
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And so, of course, when I ended this, I felt like already, you know, that I studied a lot
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of it, I had already a lot of repertoire.
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So this was good.
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But on the other side, they don't really look at the practical life, what to do later on
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in your life.
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Things are changing.
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I'm not saying, but still I can say that this is kind of a limit in which they are trying
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to work on.
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And in the United States, what I felt, I mean in New York, because I need to speak about
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New York, of course, I had concerts all around the United States, but I lived just in New
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York.
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And my experience is I had the feeling that I could experiment, but I could meet people
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with great idea and trying to do so many interdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, yeah.
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Sorry, sometimes I'm losing my English a little bit.
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But it's okay.
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And so it's a good place to think bigger, to do some very beautiful projects.
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And so I felt really inspired.
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And actually, it's also easier than also to find some jobs.
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It's true.
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It's something to say to a knowledge, especially for us pianists, in which it's very hard also
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to find a job like pianist in orchestra.
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And so for example, if you're a string player, probably it's easier for you in Europe to
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find a job in orchestra.
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But if you're a pianist, it's not as easy.
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Yeah.
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I mean, certainly, there's only room for so many solo piano careers, right?
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And the rest of us have to be a little bit more inventive and sometimes dabble in different
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things and have multiple different jobs to make it work.
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Speaking of which, I know you're a very dedicated teacher.
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Can you talk a little bit about your experiences with teaching?
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Yes.
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So I really love teaching, as you say.
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And I started not right away.
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I didn't think when I was a little bit younger to do that.
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And it happened naturally, casually, to start to do that when I got to teaching public school
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in Italy first.
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And I was very inexperienced back then, like every woman.
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But immediately, I felt like it was such a privilege to be able to help the new generation
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to love music and to appreciate and to not just appreciate but being able to play well
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and master the piano.
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So when I got to New York, I got offered, along with the scholarship, the opportunity
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to be an adjunct faculty at NYU.
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I was very happy about that.
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And I really enjoyed the experience.
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Of course, I was working with college level students, so it was different.
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But I really do enjoy working with college students and also younger students as well.
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And right now, I have students of any age, any level.
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And I'm still maintaining teaching online from Italy at different times because of the
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time zone.
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And I'm also teaching right now in Italy because I had to adapt to the situation.
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So I'm maintaining that and mostly privately.
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And yes, so this is basically what I'm doing.
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And during this time, so I work with my students, not just in piano.
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But I try to take the experience I took from New York, from what I learned in New York
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to put in my teaching.
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So I really pay attention, not just technical repertoire side, but also try to combine also
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compositional side.
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And so I work a lot about composition with my students as well.
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So I did a little project recently, which all my students who are in lockdown had to
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prepare their own piece, even the ones who started like five, six months.
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That's amazing.
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That's great.
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Yeah.
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Wow.
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So Shantel, I have a question for you.
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I know you a little bit on the personal level.
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And I think in certain way, I mean, I have such respect for you.
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And you came here very young, you know, and I can relate.
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I came here when I was 17.
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And I think one time you mentioned that you also didn't come from a musical family.
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How did you, you know, come up to be so driven, right?
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What drives you to keep on doing all these things at such a young age?
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Well, this is a very good question as well.
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I mean, no one in my family is a musician, but anyways, I can tell from my, especially
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my mother's side, but also some people on my father's side have a love for music.
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And I anyways come from Italy in which luckily still our grandfathers, not all of them, love
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opera.
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So I grew up with opera like being a big thing.
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And so, and actually loved to sing.
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I wanted actually to be a singer, but I realized very soon I was a better pianist than a singer.
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So I continue with piano.
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And so what drives me, it's, I mean, I started playing piano in a particular moment in my
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life.
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You know, I was very young.
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It was a hard moment because of a familiar situation.
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And for me, music was my moment in which I could really enjoy my time with myself.
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And I was simply loving what I was doing.
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And so for my whole life, music has been always something for me, like this is saving me in
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any situation.
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And it's, it's good in any case, even the worst situation, music is there for me.
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So I have this, this relationship with music.
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It's really part of me because of my previous experiences.
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So I just, I just love music because of that.
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And then I saw later on how music can influence other people, how can it can be useful for
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other people, how it can really change life in a, not just for our spirit, not just how
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I was when I was a child, I was thinking music was very good for feeling better, but in fact
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it can actually really help you in a practical way.
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So yeah, so I'm really grateful to music and this is what motivates me to go always on
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and to continue to be a musician and to be, let's say, not just a performer, but also
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a teacher and then also organizer.
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Yeah, I can see you're very passionate about that.
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So that's amazing.
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When the hard time comes, you know, we always need these passion to drive us forward, right?
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Thank you.
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So besides teaching in New York and performing, you said you were organizing events.
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Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
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Well, actually my first big experience in organizing, I mean, I always had an attitude
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in a sense, like I liked organizing things, even non-musical things.
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And it's something like I always enjoyed since I was younger.
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So in school, when there was some project at school, I loved doing that.
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Let's say the most official thing I did was actually when I was moving to New York, because
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as you know, the fees are a lot higher than European ones and we don't need to worry too
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much about paying university fees, but it was a different story when I had to move to
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New York.
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So I was very lucky because I found the right people and I was able to organize the first
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concert series with some of my friends and amazing organizers in Milan, which is one
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of the main cultural cities in Italy.
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And so I organized concert series with my friends and we loved by experience.
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First, of course, because show how much friendship can be amazing when it's connected to music
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and my friends, of course, helped me to raise money to go to the United States.
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So this was amazing.
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But then I also enjoyed also the process of organizing everything.
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And I said that this is an experience I want to do it again and continue to do that.
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So when I was then in New York, I actually didn't search for particular things to do,
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but I was contacted by a professor of mine from Italy who founded an international festival
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in Italy.
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And he asked me if I wanted to be the promoter in the United States.
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And I took this challenge and it actually was very good, very successful because we
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got many applications from the United States to the first edition of this festival.
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So I continue another here and then came very natural to me when I decide to not me, just
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me because there is another person we decided to create the first international festival
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ourselves.
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Which brings me to something else I wanted to talk about, which is the global leaders
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program that you're involved with.
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Could you talk about that a little bit?
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Yes, actually, this is OK.
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I tell you a little bit about the program.
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So the global leaders program is a program which exists since around 10 years in the
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United States, even if it was funded by the Youth Orchestra of America and the main organizers
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are from Chile.
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And it's very unique because it's for performers, so for musicians who have a career as performing
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artist, but also are really into the social impact in the sense that they are looking
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to organize or they organize events which impact the society.
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So and they have every year around 40 cohort members and there is a selection process,
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which is not easy to do.
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And if you are selected, basically you take lessons, actually classes, weekly with renowned
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university around the world.
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Of course, everything is online, even before the pandemic.
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So it was already online school.
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And they help you, I mean, to work for your projects and they give you the skills that
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you need to make this project happen.
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And it's amazing not just because you have the opportunity to have these classes, but
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also because they gave you the opportunity to meet and actually they have a base in Chile.
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And in fact, I met all of the cohort members this January, right before the pandemic.
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And I was there 20 days and we meet and we share all our ideas.
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And it was really an amazing moment because you really have a chance to be surrounded
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by people who really have your same goals and really think in your same way, which is
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not always the case.
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And then also they give you a lot of content.
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So in general, around the world of associations, like one very famous LC-STEMMA in the different
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states, and they are able to help you to reach your goals also through the help of these
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associations.
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So I was very lucky to be part of this last year, so the 2020.
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Unfortunately I had to leave because, it's not I had to leave, I took the decision to
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leave because of the pandemic.
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I had a project, a big project I wanted for my first year to happen, but it was meant
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to be in person.
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So I felt like I could not comply what I really wanted to do.
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So I decided to put this on hold and I'm actually back right now on it.
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And so I'm going to continue with my project for this 2021, hoping that this year we can
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do in person.
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If not, anyways, I will do it.
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If it's not even this year, I'm just waiting to continue to work on the festival.
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And yeah, so, and I'm very happy to be part of this program.
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Let's get to the elephant in the room, which is the pandemic, because I know it's been
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very it's been difficult for all of us.
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But you have a really interesting story.
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So you're here living in New York, family is in Italy and tell us about it.
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What happened?
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Well, what happened?
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It happened like, yeah, I had to make a big, big choice on what to do.
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So in order to understand better why I decided to go back to Italy, I need to explain a little
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bit about the situation.
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So as you probably many of you know, Italy was the country most affected by the covid
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after China and the first one after China.
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So I was in New York, it was the end of February, basically, and I was looking at the news and
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I started, of course, to freak out because I saw that this was happening and nobody knew
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really what was really going on.
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And I remember thinking that this was happening in a very, very small town in Italy.
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And I was so surprised.
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I was like, how is it possible that this is happening in such a small place in Italy and
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it's not happening in a big city like New York, in which everyone comes from everywhere
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in the world.
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So I was just surprised and I was feeling very stressed.
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And I remember I was speaking with my roommate and with some friends in New York saying this
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is very wrong.
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I don't know if I can say very wrong, but there is absolutely something that I don't
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understand because probably this virus is already here.
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I'm pretty sure the situation is like that.
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So I started feeling very uncomfortable going around taking the subway and see so everything
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like nothing was happening.
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And I started feeling scared.
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And so I didn't enjoy anymore going to work.
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I didn't feel like it was right what was happening.
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So many ways I didn't think back then to leave until I saw a discussion by the president.
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It was in the middle of March saying that in two days he would have closed the borders
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with Europe and people could not come to Europe anymore.
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And from Europe, sorry, could not come from Europe anymore.
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And so I was like in the beginning I didn't really react.
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But then the day after I woke up feeling, okay, I think things are getting bad, even
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because of course New York University closed.
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So I had to do lessons online.
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I had to have a concert and they didn't want to cancel it.
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And I was the one pushing to cancel.
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And I was sure things were going to close very soon.
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They had no other possibility.
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And I was like, well, the president is going to close the borders.
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I will be blocked here.
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Do I want to stay here and not be able to see my students in person and being alone
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here in New York or is it better to stay in Italy with my family?
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So in less than 24 hours, I bought a ticket and I was on a plane and leaving.
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00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:18,360
And I honestly didn't expect to be so long.
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I thought like I will be back in one month and one month and a half.
384
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But actually now it's seven months.
385
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,760
I cannot even believe seven months have passed.
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00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:34,000
And the fact is that I'm not back in New York simply because I'm not allowed because all
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the visa for worker right now from Europe are not allowed in the United States.
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So even if I would like to go back now, I cannot.
389
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:49,840
And that's our loss, isn't it?
390
00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:51,240
Yeah.
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So it just makes me think that during that time, it was a very scary time because nobody
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knew what was going on.
393
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And we were missing pieces of the story that we have now.
394
00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:06,520
Maybe you were lucky to get out when you did.
395
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,920
What has it been like living in Italy since you got home?
396
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:19,600
Well, first, like I think for many people was like, what's bad?
397
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I was in New York in the middle of so many things.
398
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:24,880
As I said, I was organizing and organized.
399
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:26,800
I was going to perform in a concert.
400
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:28,840
I was doing so many things in New York.
401
00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:34,400
And then the day after, I'm in lockdown in Italy in the middle of nowhere because really
402
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:38,720
my house, it's in the nature, there is nothing around.
403
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:44,080
And so I was like, no, this is a very strange situation.
404
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,900
And so in the first two weeks were very hard.
405
00:28:46,900 --> 00:28:52,240
But then I started doing the activities I told before and I started finding energy.
406
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:58,320
And then I was very, very stressed about my own festival because the festival would have
407
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been in the summer.
408
00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,920
And I was like, should we go do that?
409
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Should we not do that?
410
00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:12,440
And so then we decided to cancel it as first reaction because it sounded like there were
411
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:15,040
no other ways.
412
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And this was like in April.
413
00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:25,200
But at the end of April, I decided that, no, I need to find a way.
414
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:32,400
I cannot let all the work I did because you work all year to make it up in a festival
415
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of 10 days, really.
416
00:29:34,340 --> 00:29:37,680
So I didn't want this to be thrown away.
417
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And I said I need to do something.
418
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:45,040
And so I took advantage of the lockdown because the fact that I was blocked home, I could
419
00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,480
not do anything else.
420
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:52,040
And I worked really so many hours all day on making it happen.
421
00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:58,440
And in two weeks, a new version of the festival was ready online.
422
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,560
This happened so in the middle of May.
423
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,280
Yeah, I think that's really incredible.
424
00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:08,320
I mean, now, many months later, we've kind of gotten used to the idea of doing everything
425
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:09,980
musical online.
426
00:30:09,980 --> 00:30:15,320
But in the beginning, when Zoom wasn't even an established platform and everybody was
427
00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,600
kind of transitioning and musicians were just standing around with their hands in the air
428
00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,080
being like, what do we do?
429
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,480
Basically most of the summer festivals were canceled.
430
00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,280
So I feel like you were really a pioneer in figuring out how to move things online and
431
00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:30,280
keep going.
432
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:35,440
I want to know what good, what's the positive of this whole experience?
433
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:39,880
I feel like that's going to be so inspiring for the younger artists.
434
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,360
We are always trying to drive, drive ourselves and work so hard.
435
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:45,560
And it is hard.
436
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,080
It is so hard.
437
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:52,360
But for you, you're still working so much and motivated.
438
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:56,720
So what is the positive of all this experience?
439
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:58,080
Positive, you mean?
440
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,160
Yeah, the positive experiences.
441
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,880
I mean, of this pandemic, the positive was the festival.
442
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:10,560
Because honestly, I think that we didn't realize back then, but because of this online edition,
443
00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:18,400
I think we upgraded, if I can say that, we reached a next level.
444
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:19,400
And how?
445
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:24,080
Because this was the challenge to move up on a festival online.
446
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:25,600
I had to change things.
447
00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:26,600
Okay.
448
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,080
They could not happen like normal life.
449
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:33,960
But instead of doing the same thing, we try to find the opportunities which normally we
450
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:35,080
don't have.
451
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:42,280
For example, one thing I was really happy about the festival was that we could include
452
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:49,560
guest artists that usually are so busy with their solo career that they cannot even accept
453
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:53,360
to participate in a festival as guest artists.
454
00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,360
So I reached these people really carefully.
455
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:57,960
And I asked them if they want to join.
456
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,280
I was so happy to hear that all of them say yes.
457
00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,320
So we had a really big name since this is for pianists.
458
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:10,600
I can say that we had Beatrice Rana as one of our guest artists.
459
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:16,000
We had other two Italian pianists, but are really well known, especially in Europe.
460
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,960
One is Filippo Gorino and Federico Colli.
461
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,360
It's casual, but they are Italian.
462
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,440
The other ones, they are European and from other countries around the world.
463
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,200
But the pianists were Italians.
464
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,880
And they usually are really busy with their, as I said, with their solo career.
465
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,880
So it was great to have them as part of the students.
466
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:48,120
And also, I included also the series of people speaking about how to be a musician and entrepreneur,
467
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:56,080
how to be a musician and be an organizer in general, and how to manage the time and doing
468
00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,760
everything, how to include social empathy, music.
469
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:06,040
So I took all the knowledge I acquired in this last year and I tried to put in the festival.
470
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,400
And I could do this just because it was a line, because it was impossible to invite
471
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,440
all these people to Fivizzano.
472
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:16,640
Fivizzano is the main town where we do a festival.
473
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:17,960
And so we decided to do a line.
474
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:23,920
So why I'm saying all of this, that there is always a way.
475
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:28,800
And we are extremely lucky to live in this era in which we have internet right now, like
476
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,040
you're doing this amazing podcast.
477
00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:33,360
We could not do that.
478
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:37,960
We just need to find the best way to do this.
479
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:43,160
And also, you can always find a different opportunity on a personal side.
480
00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:50,400
I'm here, I'm in Italy, and it's hard because in Italy in general, it's very hard finding
481
00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:51,400
jobs.
482
00:33:51,400 --> 00:34:00,520
And if you find jobs, it's also not really rewarded, let's say that.
483
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,200
So it's hard.
484
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,640
But anyways, what you can do, I'm applying to as many jobs as possible.
485
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,520
And right now I applied to conservatory.
486
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,440
For example, in Italy, there are many openings, luckily, there are many openings.
487
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,520
So I'm also in Europe.
488
00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:24,560
So I'm trying to readapt because I would like to go back to New York, but I'm not sure everything
489
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:25,960
is so unsure right now.
490
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:32,760
So you just need always to search for some plan B, but doesn't mean that is something
491
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:34,080
that you don't want to do.
492
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,640
It's just something different.
493
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:43,760
You're expecting and this is so never, never think, oh, there is no way there is always
494
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:44,760
a way.
495
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,100
You're such a fighter.
496
00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:48,680
It's very inspiring for so many people, I'm sure.
497
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:50,020
Yeah, that's great.
498
00:34:50,020 --> 00:34:52,160
So I hope you will come back soon, right?
499
00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:53,160
Is that the plan still?
500
00:34:53,160 --> 00:35:00,920
Yeah, I mean, as I said, I would love to, but it all depends on how this travel ban
501
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:01,920
is going on.
502
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,440
I mean, it's changing, it's staying the same.
503
00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,440
I have no idea about this.
504
00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:13,040
So this is why I don't want to just wait, because I actually did this mistake.
505
00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:20,840
I think many did this mistake, not just me, about people from other countries who doesn't
506
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,400
live anymore in the United States.
507
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,760
And to just, okay, let's wait one dot, but makes no sense.
508
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:28,760
So business will not find too many jobs.
509
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,280
And then I will take a choice.
510
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:35,080
Whenever I get the chance to go back, I will decide then.
511
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:36,080
Amazing.
512
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,720
Just keep on taking actions.
513
00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:39,920
If there's a dream, there is a way, right?
514
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:42,920
So perfect.
515
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:48,000
And do you have any advice for young artists coming up?
516
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,480
Oh, wow.
517
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:56,000
Yes, I actually have many, and many I think they are from just what I just said to Clara
518
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,120
right now.
519
00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:04,960
I mean, my advice is, of course, to be dedicated musician if this is, of course, your goal.
520
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:09,600
If you want to be a musician, of course, you need to focus on practicing and practicing
521
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,080
is the first thing.
522
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:17,120
But to be open, to try new experience and not be afraid.
523
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,200
If you don't feel comfortable, it's fine.
524
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:21,200
It's fine.
525
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:26,160
Every time we try something new, you are never ready for real.
526
00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:28,400
So just go with it.
527
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:39,960
And try also to, I know that it's hard if you're shy, but if you see something interesting,
528
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:44,760
don't be afraid to go to the person who think it's organizing this event or to speak with
529
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,240
someone you think might be interesting for you to know.
530
00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:53,840
The worst thing might happen is someone saying no or not really replying to you.
531
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,280
But it's almost never the case.
532
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:04,480
I learned a lot from my experience that every time you ask something and that you think
533
00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,560
it's important and it's meaningful.
534
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:11,360
Most of the time people replies positively to that.
535
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:20,440
And so just present yourself for who you are and really try to see what to explore and
536
00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:22,920
see what you like the most.
537
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:24,760
And yeah, trying something new.
538
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:31,360
And both on the performing side, which means with repertoire, explore with repertoire,
539
00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:37,040
explore with playing with other people, explore with playing different ensemble and also with
540
00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:43,800
dancers, with artists in general.
541
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:49,080
And also explore outside of just the performing.
542
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:55,880
And then of course, everyone is different and will find what's the best.
543
00:37:55,880 --> 00:38:01,040
And you will also recognize your limits and what are your qualities, which is very important
544
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,280
because knowing your limits is important.
545
00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:08,920
As I mentioned before, I love doing composition with my students, but if I will see that they
546
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:15,640
reach the level which they need to continue and to go on, I will not fit for that.
547
00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:17,080
I will find someone else.
548
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:24,640
So you need to be humble also to know everything and how you know these things by doing these
549
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:31,840
things and you will see then later what suits best for you.
550
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:38,680
So maybe to sum it up, you might say experiment freely and try a lot of things, but then focus
551
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:42,080
on your strengths for your career.
552
00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:43,080
Exactly.
553
00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:44,080
Exactly.
554
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,080
And yeah, don't be afraid.
555
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,960
Meet people and speak with them.
556
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:57,640
Even if I know that not for everyone is easy, but with practice it gets easier.
557
00:38:57,640 --> 00:38:59,000
I'm just curious, sorry.
558
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:00,000
Go ahead.
559
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:01,240
What are you working on?
560
00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:04,360
I see the score on the piano.
561
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:05,840
So what are you working on?
562
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:12,600
Well, that actually it's a Chopin waltz because the last student I had was playing a Chopin
563
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:13,600
waltz.
564
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,600
It's on my repertoire right now.
565
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:16,600
Oh, okay.
566
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:22,680
Yeah, right now, actually, right now it's a good question because I was planning to
567
00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:29,520
have some concert with Just Got Canceled and this is like a little bit changing of a plan.
568
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:33,880
So sometimes it's hard for me to find like for everyone, I think the motivation.
569
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:40,120
So I'm actually in a moment in which I have some repertoire I want to work more like a
570
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:41,120
Schubert.
571
00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:44,960
I did a concert this summer on the Van Der Fantasie.
572
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,000
I have some Schubert Lists.
573
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:52,600
I'm working some Lists, Chopinitudes.
574
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:58,280
And I wanted to decide right now what to do next about some contemporary new pieces.
575
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:02,280
And I was watching out some more about it.
576
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:07,160
And but right now, yes, I'm practicing, for example, sorry, I'm interrupting sometimes
577
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:12,400
and just saying that for fun, just for fun, but I don't think this is fun.
578
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,160
It's Prokofiev's third concerto.
579
00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,880
I'm just practicing myself.
580
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:18,880
My favorite.
581
00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,880
Yeah, it's fun.
582
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:25,040
Yeah, just do.
583
00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:26,840
But I don't have any performance.
584
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:33,760
The first performance that should happen and it will be in February, March.
585
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:37,400
We still are looking for the date to be with orchestra.
586
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:42,200
And so and they gave me freedom for the concerto.
587
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,080
So I need to decide what to play.
588
00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:47,080
Let's see now.
589
00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:48,240
But it's a working process.
590
00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:52,200
I don't have a clear idea because of a situation.
591
00:40:52,200 --> 00:41:00,760
So I sometimes practice something like just because I want to and then I go next without
592
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,040
focusing too much into it.
593
00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:14,240
I tend to when I don't have a fixed goal to not be completely dedicated to practice piece
594
00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:17,440
until it's completely ready.
595
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,120
I prefer having a goal.
596
00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:25,320
I know I have a concert and so I need to be prepared for the concert.
597
00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:27,720
Which orchestra are you playing this?
598
00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:30,240
Actually, is that the secret?
599
00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:32,000
No, no, no, no, it's not.
600
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:36,640
Actually, I think the person will be very happy to hear the organizers.
601
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:45,960
Daniel Montes is a conductor, Bolivian conductor, and he's managing a school in Honduras, Victoria
602
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:47,480
Nolopet.
603
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,840
It's very nice and they have an orchestra there.
604
00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:55,120
So it's actually this is connected to the global leaders program, actually.
605
00:41:55,120 --> 00:42:03,000
And so it's so I will go there to perform with orchestra, but also I will be teaching
606
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,400
the piano students and doing some concert with them.
607
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:11,200
I'm thinking already to do some four and six and things together.
608
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,600
So this is the plan.
609
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:19,640
It all depends on the pandemic and actually this would have happened already.
610
00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:23,840
I don't remember now with data, but should have already happened.
611
00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:29,340
We had to yes, in September, you see, I'm forgetting right now because so many things
612
00:42:29,340 --> 00:42:36,720
got canceled and we postponed and other things are going to be postponed, but still they
613
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:40,720
are not able to provide me any date.
614
00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:44,360
So I'm here waiting for that.
615
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:48,340
As a woman, as a female professional.
616
00:42:48,340 --> 00:42:57,840
So what do you feel the difference between on this continent, currently where I am in
617
00:42:57,840 --> 00:43:02,640
Europe, but even in Europe, you said you studied in Germany.
618
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:10,760
So Germany and Italy, a complete different in terms of that gender dynamics, traditional
619
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:15,080
versus modern, but contemporary.
620
00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,360
So what do you think?
621
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:24,760
What do you think this gender dynamic contrast in the United States and where you are right
622
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,360
now, let's say?
623
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:35,560
Wow, this is a very important questions and I need carefully to, it's not easy to express
624
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:37,800
carefully what I would like to say.
625
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:41,080
Okay, there are differences.
626
00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:49,200
I need to say, but as an introduction is I always try to fight this my whole life in
627
00:43:49,200 --> 00:44:01,480
a sense that I try not to think when I'm working as a professional, that there are gender differences,
628
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,920
which doesn't mean that there aren't.
629
00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:14,880
Of course, I'm not saying that, but I just say that I never find found that there are
630
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,320
ways in which woman should act and men should act.
631
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,320
I just be myself.
632
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,400
I don't mind if I'm a young woman.
633
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,360
I always did what I wanted to do.
634
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:36,320
And if someone was a little bit like talking to me in a sexist way, like you are a woman,
635
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:40,800
well for me, that person disappeared right away.
636
00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:50,080
So I honestly, but always very confident with myself.
637
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:53,280
I never really care about that dynamic.
638
00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,960
This doesn't mean that things didn't happen and happen.
639
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:05,000
Actually I had quite bad experiences and I'm sorry to say, sad to say that in Italy, especially
640
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,440
in Italy and with Italian people.
641
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:14,320
So in the United States happened to me and I was in bad situations.
642
00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:21,040
For example, in the United States, there is this strict way in which professors should
643
00:45:21,040 --> 00:45:25,680
not date or have anything with a student.
644
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:31,480
I know it's a comfortable topic, but in Italy this is actually happening or a lot of professors
645
00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:35,600
flirt with students and something that's still happening now.
646
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:41,600
And I had this experience with more than one professor, more than once.
647
00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:42,960
It's just bad.
648
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:48,800
And unfortunately it happened more in conservatory, in the music school than in my school, normal
649
00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:49,800
school.
650
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:50,800
And this is bad.
651
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,160
And I hear the stories happening all the time.
652
00:45:53,160 --> 00:46:00,560
I just have a friend who shared with me about it and what happened now to her with a professor
653
00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:01,560
in conservatory.
654
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:09,080
And the thing is that if it happens, it's very hard to find a way to protect yourself.
655
00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:20,160
I would say that because there is still not culturally a way out to say that this is not
656
00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:21,520
okay.
657
00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,520
People still don't think it's not okay.
658
00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:32,040
And in the United States, I think this is stronger on the opposite side, which means
659
00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:36,080
that of course there is a lot of attention to that and I'm very grateful to that.
660
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,460
And so at least these things doesn't happen, let's say.
661
00:46:39,460 --> 00:46:41,520
So I'm speaking now when you are a student.
662
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:45,680
This is the risk when you're a student.
663
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:54,080
Then regarding for job, I need to say I was, as I said, pretty lucky in that, which means
664
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:56,600
I always went in my direction.
665
00:46:56,600 --> 00:47:04,720
Whenever I saw a situation which scared me, it just took away and eliminated the person
666
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:08,320
from my life.
667
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:13,920
And I thought about it a lot and I say how can I help in this way?
668
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:23,680
And some people suggest to me, for example, I have a competition in my festival for composers.
669
00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:26,720
And I could give a prize for a woman.
670
00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:33,360
And I was saying, no, I don't want that simply because, I mean, for sure, it's amazing.
671
00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,080
Woman was amazing with this sort of a prize.
672
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:39,360
And we don't need that.
673
00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:42,040
I just wish we don't need that.
674
00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:43,440
This is my opinion.
675
00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:46,240
I know it's maybe unpopular.
676
00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:49,680
But I don't want to have a special prize because I'm a woman.
677
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:52,960
I want to have a prize because I'm a good composer.
678
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:56,400
And she should deserve that anyway.
679
00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,360
So we decided to make it anonymous.
680
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:00,360
OK.
681
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:08,600
And of course, one of the winners, three winners was a woman because simply because she was
682
00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:10,760
just doing great.
683
00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:17,160
And we didn't have to do anything for this to happen.
684
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:21,680
And I realized that actually there are other countries in the world in which the situation
685
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:23,160
is a lot worse.
686
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:30,240
So at the end, even if I see that things are not good and can be a lot better, and they
687
00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:39,600
should better in terms of wage, sorry, no wage income being paid fairly and other things,
688
00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:42,040
there are situations which are worse in and around the world.
689
00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:49,920
So one of the projects I'm working on right now is trying to collaborate with some association
690
00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:54,920
like in Afghanistan and Dubai to bring women in music here.
691
00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:57,160
Amazing.
692
00:48:57,160 --> 00:48:59,400
Because that's different to the situation.
693
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:05,000
It's sad to say, but just because it's harder for them to get opportunities.
694
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:10,960
So for me, it makes sense to empower them more and to help more with this woman from
695
00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:11,960
this country.
696
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:18,960
For the rest, I just hope that and I'm fighting this every day just by showing what I do and
697
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:21,360
I could be a man.
698
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:24,320
I don't know if I can say that.
699
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:31,840
I just love what I do and I don't feel like I need to prove anything because I'm a woman,
700
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:33,120
just myself.
701
00:49:33,120 --> 00:49:37,160
And I just wish that everybody would acknowledge that.
702
00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:50,240
Salam!
703
00:49:50,240 --> 00:49:56,600
Salam!
704
00:49:56,600 --> 00:50:02,280
Salam!
705
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:34,440
Chantawa, what's the name of your festival again?
706
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:37,960
L'Unigiana International Music Festival.
707
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:41,560
It's the name of, L'Unigiana is the name of the region
708
00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:44,040
in Italy in the North Tuscany where this is happening.
709
00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:47,200
And it's called L'Unigiana because we literally go
710
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:51,240
all around the region to the concerts with our students
711
00:50:51,240 --> 00:50:54,520
from around the world and teachers that perform together
712
00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:56,080
and in 10 days.
713
00:50:56,080 --> 00:50:59,400
And we actually have 18 concerts in 10 days.
714
00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,640
So it's pretty intense.
715
00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,880
And it's just amazing because it's all in the nature.
716
00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:08,400
We do concerts in the caves by the castle,
717
00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:13,400
in the castle actually, by the sea, lake by the mountains.
718
00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:17,360
So it's just very, very, very beautiful for the audience
719
00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:19,320
but also for the students themselves
720
00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:20,960
to perform in these places.
721
00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:23,540
And then of course we get lessons.
722
00:51:23,540 --> 00:51:27,480
And it's not just pianist, piano and chamber music too
723
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:31,000
with string players and voice students.
724
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,120
So this is basically a festival.
725
00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:35,840
It sounds absolutely magical.
726
00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:40,760
And the link to the website will be in the description
727
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:42,560
for the podcast.
728
00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:47,120
So unfortunately I think that's all the time we have today.
729
00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:48,840
We wanted to thank you so much Chantal
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00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:50,480
for joining us today.
731
00:51:50,480 --> 00:51:52,760
And thank you to our audience for listening.
732
00:51:54,220 --> 00:51:55,940
If you enjoyed today's episode,
733
00:51:55,940 --> 00:51:58,320
please hit the thumbs up button down below
734
00:51:58,320 --> 00:52:01,800
and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
735
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:06,120
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
736
00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:07,480
using the links below.
737
00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:12,080
If you have feedback for us, please leave it in the comments
738
00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:17,080
or if you can also email us at the pianopodnyc at gmail.com.
739
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:19,920
Thank you.
740
00:52:19,920 --> 00:52:22,800
See you all at the next episode of the PianoPod.
741
00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:23,640
Bye everybody.
742
00:52:23,640 --> 00:52:24,560
Bye everyone.
743
00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:25,400
Bye bye.
744
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:26,480
Thank you for watching.
745
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:27,320
Thank you Chantal.
746
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:28,160
Thank you.
747
00:52:28,160 --> 00:52:29,000
Thank you.
748
00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:29,840
Bye.
749
00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:58,300
After- pushes
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,200
Welcome back to another episode of the PianoPod.
2
00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:13,660
I am Eric Hunter.
3
00:00:13,660 --> 00:00:15,280
I'm Yukimi Song.
4
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,600
I'm Clara Zhao.
5
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,600
The PianoPod is a monthly podcast where we interview some of the brightest talent in
6
00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:22,920
the industry.
7
00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,780
Each episode features a guest speaker who's making bold new innovations that may change
8
00:00:26,780 --> 00:00:29,980
the way we play or teach piano.
9
00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:36,720
Our guest of last episode was Mike Grande, who is a creator of the pioneering video conferencing
10
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:43,080
platform called Rock Out Loud Live, which could reshape the way virtual music lessons
11
00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:44,120
are taught.
12
00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:49,320
If you're teaching or taking music lessons online right now, you should definitely check
13
00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,360
it out and let us know what you think.
14
00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:59,480
If you want to find out more about us and why we started this podcast, we have an extra
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00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:06,200
introductory video on our YouTube channel and SoundCloud channel, where you can also
16
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,640
catch up on the previous episodes.
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00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,080
The links are in the description below.
18
00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:17,600
Today our guest is Chantal Balestri, a performer, teacher and organizer extraordinaire.
19
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,120
Chantal, how are you doing today?
20
00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:21,120
Hello, Eric.
21
00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:22,120
Hello, everyone.
22
00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:23,120
Thank you.
23
00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:24,120
Hi.
24
00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:25,120
Thank you so much for joining.
25
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:26,120
Hi.
26
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:27,120
So nice to have you.
27
00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,680
So Chantal is zooming in today all the way from Italy, where she has been living since
28
00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,400
the beginning of the pandemic.
29
00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:38,080
Well, beginning for Americans, basically since March, right?
30
00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,560
Prior to that, she was in New York City here with the rest of us.
31
00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:47,600
And we will get to the story of how she ended up back in Italy a little bit later.
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00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,560
But first, Chantal, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
33
00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:52,560
Yes.
34
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,040
It's all everyone again.
35
00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,760
So I'm a pianist, so I have a career as a performer.
36
00:01:57,760 --> 00:01:59,080
I am a teacher.
37
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:06,400
I teach in different institutions, even now in New York, but also in Italy right now.
38
00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:12,240
And I am also an organizer, promoter, manager of musical events.
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00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,880
In fact, I have my own festival.
40
00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:15,880
Wonderful.
41
00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:16,880
Wonderful.
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00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:17,880
Thanks.
43
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:24,360
So now that you're back in Italy, what's life like there?
44
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,840
I'm sure it's a big change, right?
45
00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:28,080
That's a very good question.
46
00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,000
I mean, things are changing all the time.
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00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,480
And I'm not just saying that because of the situation, but because it's really like that.
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00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:41,040
Actually a few days ago, we were having again a normal life, kind of normal life, of course,
49
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:48,400
with masks, paying attention to all the measures we need to do now, right now.
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00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,980
But the thing that changed a lot is the closed theaters.
51
00:02:51,980 --> 00:02:56,960
So again, we are in the situation like in the United States in which we cannot have
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00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:58,680
concerts anymore.
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00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:04,120
And we were like, you know, people were already going back to have concert or going to concerts
54
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,320
like before now.
55
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,220
No, anymore.
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00:03:08,220 --> 00:03:14,340
So we are not in a lockdown, but still for artists, it's a very difficult time because
57
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things are changing all the time and it's unpredictable and it's hard to plan and to
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do things.
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00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:20,760
Yeah.
60
00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,040
I think all of us are feeling the pinch of it right now.
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I don't know if it's true or not, but I saw a statistic the other day that I think 62
62
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percent of performers may be leaving the industry because there's just no performances, live
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performances right now.
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But we'll get to that a little bit more later.
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Let's maybe we'll focus on happier times a little bit.
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Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started as a pianist and what it was like
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growing up?
68
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Yeah, I want just to say one thing about what you said, we need to be positive.
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Let's look at statistics, please.
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That's right.
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Yeah.
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So we will see and we can find a way.
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And as we said later on, I'm going to speak about that.
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So briefly about my life.
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Well, I mean, like many other musicians, I started when I was a kid.
76
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I started in Italy.
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I mean, I'm half Italian, I'm Swiss, but I grew up in Italy.
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I started like many private lessons.
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00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:22,880
I started in conservatory very early.
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I was 10 years old and I started like I was practicing a lot solo repertoire.
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I was focusing a lot like in Italy, there is a lot of pressure.
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Like when you go to conservatory, you need to be a big soloist.
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But then, of course, I always continue to think like it's important to practice and
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to work on my solo repertoire.
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00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,120
But I start opening a little bit, broadening a little bit my mind and trying different
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things.
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00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,920
So I started music when I was 18, which is kind of late actually, but I didn't get an
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opportunity before because of this mentality.
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And because of a festival and then I graduated, I started doing other experiences and with
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other musicians.
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00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:16,760
And then I also moved to later on to another country, moved to Germany.
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00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:22,680
And this actually really helped me to realize that there were so many opportunities to start
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00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,800
working with singers, for example, other instrumentalists.
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00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,480
There was the Department of Contemporary Music.
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00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,960
So I discovered a new world there.
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00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:41,120
And after all, I came back here and finished my second degree when I was pretty young,
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00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:46,580
let's say because in Italy was allowed to take a degree very early, like when you were
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00:05:46,580 --> 00:05:49,080
still in high school.
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00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:55,960
So I could take my master's degree when I was already 21, I mean, or just 21.
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00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:00,360
And then I was like, well, what do I do?
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00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:05,760
I like being in Italy, but I want to explore more.
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And so I decided to go to New York.
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And this was five years ago now, it was 2015.
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00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:18,360
So I did, of course, like many of the applications and I got in school there.
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I was in New York University and New York, I got to have a lot of experiences, which
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led me also later on to have more experience in the organizational side.
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So to work as a promoter first and then later on, like myself creating something new.
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00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,600
Can I ask you, how did you choose New York?
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And were there any other cities or countries that you considered at the time when you were
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00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,880
looking to make a change?
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00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:50,360
Well, I actually was considered first to go back to Germany because I really loved the
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experience and being Swiss myself, I felt my culture was close to the German one.
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And so this was my first thing.
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But then something happened in my life, which made me realize that maybe another way would
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have been better for me.
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So basically, long story, I tried to make it a little bit short, is like I had some
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friends who moved there and they start asking me why you don't want to go to New York as
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well.
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And I was like, no, I don't think this is something I want to do.
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But then a lot of incidents happened in my personal life and knowing people also, but
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we were moving to New York, also in a sentimental life, I met a person who was moving to New
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York.
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And then I met also in Italy, a professor from the New York University who became later
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on my own professor.
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So there was a lot of things which made me feel, well, maybe I should really go to New
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York.
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00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:05,360
So it sounds like things were converging on New York as the most logical destination for
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you.
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00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:12,480
Yes, I mean, it's just I saw that life was giving me signals and I was like just listening
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to them and say, well, maybe I should go overseas and not just stay here in Europe.
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So I did that.
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You know what?
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All the coincidences happened and then that led you to New York.
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It's not necessarily you were looking into, I am in the future, I'm going to go to New
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York.
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Some people have that desire, but not for your case.
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I didn't have that strong desire to live in New York either, but things happened and New
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York was the place for me.
139
00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:53,920
But as a European, what do you think about doing music in New York and Europe?
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00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:59,600
Obviously, classical music started in Europe and then Europe is the place to study.
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That's what I was thought when I was a kid, but now a lot of people come to the West,
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as in this continent, not just in the United States, but some people go to Canada to study
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classical music.
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00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,600
So what do you think of that?
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00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:21,200
Well, this is a really good question and actually to reply well to this, I would need probably
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the entire hour to speak about the differences between Europe and the United States and there
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are many.
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Surely, I can say that you can tell that Europe is where classical music comes from.
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And there is a deep tension to traditions, maybe too much.
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This is probably the limit sometimes in the sense that, as I say, I grew up in an environment
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00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:55,140
in which I was a pianist, I was a soloist, this was the only way.
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00:09:55,140 --> 00:10:02,800
And this is unrealistic because most of the pianists cannot reach the big career as Marta
153
00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:04,600
Argerich or Kristian Zimmerman.
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Of course, you can do concerts like I'm doing, solo concerts, but thinking to just play in
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00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:17,200
the most beautiful theatres, it's not realistic because this is the way it is.
156
00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:23,880
So it can be good because they prepare you really strongly.
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00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:31,080
And actually the requirements when I did the conservatory were really high.
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00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:37,080
Like when I graduated when I was 18, I had to prepare two hours and a half repertoire,
159
00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,760
dividing two days to 24 hours.
160
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,560
And I had to do two piano concertos.
161
00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:52,320
And so, of course, when I ended this, I felt like already, you know, that I studied a lot
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of it, I had already a lot of repertoire.
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00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,200
So this was good.
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00:10:55,200 --> 00:11:02,320
But on the other side, they don't really look at the practical life, what to do later on
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in your life.
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00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:04,700
Things are changing.
167
00:11:04,700 --> 00:11:10,480
I'm not saying, but still I can say that this is kind of a limit in which they are trying
168
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,360
to work on.
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00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,120
And in the United States, what I felt, I mean in New York, because I need to speak about
170
00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,040
New York, of course, I had concerts all around the United States, but I lived just in New
171
00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:21,040
York.
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00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:25,680
And my experience is I had the feeling that I could experiment, but I could meet people
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00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:32,400
with great idea and trying to do so many interdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, yeah.
174
00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:38,160
Sorry, sometimes I'm losing my English a little bit.
175
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But it's okay.
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00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:49,560
And so it's a good place to think bigger, to do some very beautiful projects.
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And so I felt really inspired.
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00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:56,240
And actually, it's also easier than also to find some jobs.
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It's true.
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00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:02,920
It's something to say to a knowledge, especially for us pianists, in which it's very hard also
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00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:05,920
to find a job like pianist in orchestra.
182
00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:10,720
And so for example, if you're a string player, probably it's easier for you in Europe to
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00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:12,880
find a job in orchestra.
184
00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,000
But if you're a pianist, it's not as easy.
185
00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:17,000
Yeah.
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00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:24,400
I mean, certainly, there's only room for so many solo piano careers, right?
187
00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:28,080
And the rest of us have to be a little bit more inventive and sometimes dabble in different
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00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,840
things and have multiple different jobs to make it work.
189
00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,160
Speaking of which, I know you're a very dedicated teacher.
190
00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,240
Can you talk a little bit about your experiences with teaching?
191
00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:41,240
Yes.
192
00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,560
So I really love teaching, as you say.
193
00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:48,800
And I started not right away.
194
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,160
I didn't think when I was a little bit younger to do that.
195
00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:57,320
And it happened naturally, casually, to start to do that when I got to teaching public school
196
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in Italy first.
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00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:02,960
And I was very inexperienced back then, like every woman.
198
00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:09,600
But immediately, I felt like it was such a privilege to be able to help the new generation
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00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:15,800
to love music and to appreciate and to not just appreciate but being able to play well
200
00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:17,760
and master the piano.
201
00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:23,720
So when I got to New York, I got offered, along with the scholarship, the opportunity
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00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,960
to be an adjunct faculty at NYU.
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I was very happy about that.
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00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:29,800
And I really enjoyed the experience.
205
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Of course, I was working with college level students, so it was different.
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But I really do enjoy working with college students and also younger students as well.
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And right now, I have students of any age, any level.
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And I'm still maintaining teaching online from Italy at different times because of the
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time zone.
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And I'm also teaching right now in Italy because I had to adapt to the situation.
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So I'm maintaining that and mostly privately.
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And yes, so this is basically what I'm doing.
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And during this time, so I work with my students, not just in piano.
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But I try to take the experience I took from New York, from what I learned in New York
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to put in my teaching.
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So I really pay attention, not just technical repertoire side, but also try to combine also
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compositional side.
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And so I work a lot about composition with my students as well.
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So I did a little project recently, which all my students who are in lockdown had to
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prepare their own piece, even the ones who started like five, six months.
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That's amazing.
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That's great.
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Yeah.
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Wow.
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So Shantel, I have a question for you.
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I know you a little bit on the personal level.
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And I think in certain way, I mean, I have such respect for you.
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And you came here very young, you know, and I can relate.
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I came here when I was 17.
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And I think one time you mentioned that you also didn't come from a musical family.
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How did you, you know, come up to be so driven, right?
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What drives you to keep on doing all these things at such a young age?
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Well, this is a very good question as well.
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I mean, no one in my family is a musician, but anyways, I can tell from my, especially
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my mother's side, but also some people on my father's side have a love for music.
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And I anyways come from Italy in which luckily still our grandfathers, not all of them, love
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opera.
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So I grew up with opera like being a big thing.
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And so, and actually loved to sing.
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I wanted actually to be a singer, but I realized very soon I was a better pianist than a singer.
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So I continue with piano.
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And so what drives me, it's, I mean, I started playing piano in a particular moment in my
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life.
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You know, I was very young.
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It was a hard moment because of a familiar situation.
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And for me, music was my moment in which I could really enjoy my time with myself.
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And I was simply loving what I was doing.
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And so for my whole life, music has been always something for me, like this is saving me in
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any situation.
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And it's, it's good in any case, even the worst situation, music is there for me.
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So I have this, this relationship with music.
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It's really part of me because of my previous experiences.
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So I just, I just love music because of that.
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And then I saw later on how music can influence other people, how can it can be useful for
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other people, how it can really change life in a, not just for our spirit, not just how
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I was when I was a child, I was thinking music was very good for feeling better, but in fact
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it can actually really help you in a practical way.
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So yeah, so I'm really grateful to music and this is what motivates me to go always on
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and to continue to be a musician and to be, let's say, not just a performer, but also
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a teacher and then also organizer.
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Yeah, I can see you're very passionate about that.
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So that's amazing.
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When the hard time comes, you know, we always need these passion to drive us forward, right?
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Thank you.
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So besides teaching in New York and performing, you said you were organizing events.
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Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
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Well, actually my first big experience in organizing, I mean, I always had an attitude
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in a sense, like I liked organizing things, even non-musical things.
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And it's something like I always enjoyed since I was younger.
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So in school, when there was some project at school, I loved doing that.
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Let's say the most official thing I did was actually when I was moving to New York, because
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as you know, the fees are a lot higher than European ones and we don't need to worry too
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much about paying university fees, but it was a different story when I had to move to
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New York.
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So I was very lucky because I found the right people and I was able to organize the first
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concert series with some of my friends and amazing organizers in Milan, which is one
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of the main cultural cities in Italy.
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And so I organized concert series with my friends and we loved by experience.
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First, of course, because show how much friendship can be amazing when it's connected to music
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and my friends, of course, helped me to raise money to go to the United States.
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So this was amazing.
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But then I also enjoyed also the process of organizing everything.
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And I said that this is an experience I want to do it again and continue to do that.
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So when I was then in New York, I actually didn't search for particular things to do,
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but I was contacted by a professor of mine from Italy who founded an international festival
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in Italy.
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And he asked me if I wanted to be the promoter in the United States.
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And I took this challenge and it actually was very good, very successful because we
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got many applications from the United States to the first edition of this festival.
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So I continue another here and then came very natural to me when I decide to not me, just
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me because there is another person we decided to create the first international festival
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ourselves.
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Which brings me to something else I wanted to talk about, which is the global leaders
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program that you're involved with.
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Could you talk about that a little bit?
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Yes, actually, this is OK.
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I tell you a little bit about the program.
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So the global leaders program is a program which exists since around 10 years in the
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United States, even if it was funded by the Youth Orchestra of America and the main organizers
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are from Chile.
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And it's very unique because it's for performers, so for musicians who have a career as performing
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artist, but also are really into the social impact in the sense that they are looking
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to organize or they organize events which impact the society.
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So and they have every year around 40 cohort members and there is a selection process,
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which is not easy to do.
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And if you are selected, basically you take lessons, actually classes, weekly with renowned
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university around the world.
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Of course, everything is online, even before the pandemic.
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So it was already online school.
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And they help you, I mean, to work for your projects and they give you the skills that
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you need to make this project happen.
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And it's amazing not just because you have the opportunity to have these classes, but
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also because they gave you the opportunity to meet and actually they have a base in Chile.
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And in fact, I met all of the cohort members this January, right before the pandemic.
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And I was there 20 days and we meet and we share all our ideas.
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And it was really an amazing moment because you really have a chance to be surrounded
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by people who really have your same goals and really think in your same way, which is
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not always the case.
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And then also they give you a lot of content.
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So in general, around the world of associations, like one very famous LC-STEMMA in the different
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states, and they are able to help you to reach your goals also through the help of these
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associations.
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So I was very lucky to be part of this last year, so the 2020.
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Unfortunately I had to leave because, it's not I had to leave, I took the decision to
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leave because of the pandemic.
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I had a project, a big project I wanted for my first year to happen, but it was meant
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to be in person.
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So I felt like I could not comply what I really wanted to do.
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So I decided to put this on hold and I'm actually back right now on it.
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And so I'm going to continue with my project for this 2021, hoping that this year we can
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do in person.
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If not, anyways, I will do it.
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If it's not even this year, I'm just waiting to continue to work on the festival.
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And yeah, so, and I'm very happy to be part of this program.
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Let's get to the elephant in the room, which is the pandemic, because I know it's been
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very it's been difficult for all of us.
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But you have a really interesting story.
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So you're here living in New York, family is in Italy and tell us about it.
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What happened?
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Well, what happened?
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It happened like, yeah, I had to make a big, big choice on what to do.
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So in order to understand better why I decided to go back to Italy, I need to explain a little
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bit about the situation.
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So as you probably many of you know, Italy was the country most affected by the covid
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after China and the first one after China.
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So I was in New York, it was the end of February, basically, and I was looking at the news and
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I started, of course, to freak out because I saw that this was happening and nobody knew
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really what was really going on.
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And I remember thinking that this was happening in a very, very small town in Italy.
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And I was so surprised.
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I was like, how is it possible that this is happening in such a small place in Italy and
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it's not happening in a big city like New York, in which everyone comes from everywhere
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in the world.
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So I was just surprised and I was feeling very stressed.
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And I remember I was speaking with my roommate and with some friends in New York saying this
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is very wrong.
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I don't know if I can say very wrong, but there is absolutely something that I don't
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understand because probably this virus is already here.
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I'm pretty sure the situation is like that.
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So I started feeling very uncomfortable going around taking the subway and see so everything
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like nothing was happening.
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And I started feeling scared.
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And so I didn't enjoy anymore going to work.
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I didn't feel like it was right what was happening.
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So many ways I didn't think back then to leave until I saw a discussion by the president.
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It was in the middle of March saying that in two days he would have closed the borders
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with Europe and people could not come to Europe anymore.
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And from Europe, sorry, could not come from Europe anymore.
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And so I was like in the beginning I didn't really react.
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But then the day after I woke up feeling, okay, I think things are getting bad, even
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because of course New York University closed.
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So I had to do lessons online.
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I had to have a concert and they didn't want to cancel it.
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And I was the one pushing to cancel.
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And I was sure things were going to close very soon.
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They had no other possibility.
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And I was like, well, the president is going to close the borders.
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I will be blocked here.
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Do I want to stay here and not be able to see my students in person and being alone
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here in New York or is it better to stay in Italy with my family?
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So in less than 24 hours, I bought a ticket and I was on a plane and leaving.
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And I honestly didn't expect to be so long.
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I thought like I will be back in one month and one month and a half.
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But actually now it's seven months.
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I cannot even believe seven months have passed.
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And the fact is that I'm not back in New York simply because I'm not allowed because all
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the visa for worker right now from Europe are not allowed in the United States.
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So even if I would like to go back now, I cannot.
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And that's our loss, isn't it?
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Yeah.
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So it just makes me think that during that time, it was a very scary time because nobody
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knew what was going on.
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And we were missing pieces of the story that we have now.
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Maybe you were lucky to get out when you did.
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What has it been like living in Italy since you got home?
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Well, first, like I think for many people was like, what's bad?
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I was in New York in the middle of so many things.
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As I said, I was organizing and organized.
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I was going to perform in a concert.
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I was doing so many things in New York.
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And then the day after, I'm in lockdown in Italy in the middle of nowhere because really
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my house, it's in the nature, there is nothing around.
403
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And so I was like, no, this is a very strange situation.
404
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And so in the first two weeks were very hard.
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But then I started doing the activities I told before and I started finding energy.
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And then I was very, very stressed about my own festival because the festival would have
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been in the summer.
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And I was like, should we go do that?
409
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Should we not do that?
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And so then we decided to cancel it as first reaction because it sounded like there were
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no other ways.
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And this was like in April.
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But at the end of April, I decided that, no, I need to find a way.
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I cannot let all the work I did because you work all year to make it up in a festival
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of 10 days, really.
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So I didn't want this to be thrown away.
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And I said I need to do something.
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And so I took advantage of the lockdown because the fact that I was blocked home, I could
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not do anything else.
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And I worked really so many hours all day on making it happen.
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And in two weeks, a new version of the festival was ready online.
422
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,560
This happened so in the middle of May.
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Yeah, I think that's really incredible.
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I mean, now, many months later, we've kind of gotten used to the idea of doing everything
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musical online.
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But in the beginning, when Zoom wasn't even an established platform and everybody was
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kind of transitioning and musicians were just standing around with their hands in the air
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being like, what do we do?
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Basically most of the summer festivals were canceled.
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So I feel like you were really a pioneer in figuring out how to move things online and
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keep going.
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I want to know what good, what's the positive of this whole experience?
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I feel like that's going to be so inspiring for the younger artists.
434
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We are always trying to drive, drive ourselves and work so hard.
435
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:45,560
And it is hard.
436
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,080
It is so hard.
437
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:52,360
But for you, you're still working so much and motivated.
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So what is the positive of all this experience?
439
00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:58,080
Positive, you mean?
440
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,160
Yeah, the positive experiences.
441
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,880
I mean, of this pandemic, the positive was the festival.
442
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:10,560
Because honestly, I think that we didn't realize back then, but because of this online edition,
443
00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:18,400
I think we upgraded, if I can say that, we reached a next level.
444
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:19,400
And how?
445
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:24,080
Because this was the challenge to move up on a festival online.
446
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:25,600
I had to change things.
447
00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:26,600
Okay.
448
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,080
They could not happen like normal life.
449
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:33,960
But instead of doing the same thing, we try to find the opportunities which normally we
450
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:35,080
don't have.
451
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:42,280
For example, one thing I was really happy about the festival was that we could include
452
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:49,560
guest artists that usually are so busy with their solo career that they cannot even accept
453
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:53,360
to participate in a festival as guest artists.
454
00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,360
So I reached these people really carefully.
455
00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:57,960
And I asked them if they want to join.
456
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,280
I was so happy to hear that all of them say yes.
457
00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,320
So we had a really big name since this is for pianists.
458
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:10,600
I can say that we had Beatrice Rana as one of our guest artists.
459
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:16,000
We had other two Italian pianists, but are really well known, especially in Europe.
460
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,960
One is Filippo Gorino and Federico Colli.
461
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,360
It's casual, but they are Italian.
462
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,440
The other ones, they are European and from other countries around the world.
463
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:27,200
But the pianists were Italians.
464
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,880
And they usually are really busy with their, as I said, with their solo career.
465
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,880
So it was great to have them as part of the students.
466
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:48,120
And also, I included also the series of people speaking about how to be a musician and entrepreneur,
467
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:56,080
how to be a musician and be an organizer in general, and how to manage the time and doing
468
00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,760
everything, how to include social empathy, music.
469
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:06,040
So I took all the knowledge I acquired in this last year and I tried to put in the festival.
470
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,400
And I could do this just because it was a line, because it was impossible to invite
471
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,440
all these people to Fivizzano.
472
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:16,640
Fivizzano is the main town where we do a festival.
473
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:17,960
And so we decided to do a line.
474
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:23,920
So why I'm saying all of this, that there is always a way.
475
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:28,800
And we are extremely lucky to live in this era in which we have internet right now, like
476
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,040
you're doing this amazing podcast.
477
00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:33,360
We could not do that.
478
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:37,960
We just need to find the best way to do this.
479
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:43,160
And also, you can always find a different opportunity on a personal side.
480
00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:50,400
I'm here, I'm in Italy, and it's hard because in Italy in general, it's very hard finding
481
00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:51,400
jobs.
482
00:33:51,400 --> 00:34:00,520
And if you find jobs, it's also not really rewarded, let's say that.
483
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,200
So it's hard.
484
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,640
But anyways, what you can do, I'm applying to as many jobs as possible.
485
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,520
And right now I applied to conservatory.
486
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,440
For example, in Italy, there are many openings, luckily, there are many openings.
487
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,520
So I'm also in Europe.
488
00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:24,560
So I'm trying to readapt because I would like to go back to New York, but I'm not sure everything
489
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:25,960
is so unsure right now.
490
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:32,760
So you just need always to search for some plan B, but doesn't mean that is something
491
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:34,080
that you don't want to do.
492
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,640
It's just something different.
493
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:43,760
You're expecting and this is so never, never think, oh, there is no way there is always
494
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:44,760
a way.
495
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,100
You're such a fighter.
496
00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:48,680
It's very inspiring for so many people, I'm sure.
497
00:34:48,680 --> 00:34:50,020
Yeah, that's great.
498
00:34:50,020 --> 00:34:52,160
So I hope you will come back soon, right?
499
00:34:52,160 --> 00:34:53,160
Is that the plan still?
500
00:34:53,160 --> 00:35:00,920
Yeah, I mean, as I said, I would love to, but it all depends on how this travel ban
501
00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:01,920
is going on.
502
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,440
I mean, it's changing, it's staying the same.
503
00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,440
I have no idea about this.
504
00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:13,040
So this is why I don't want to just wait, because I actually did this mistake.
505
00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:20,840
I think many did this mistake, not just me, about people from other countries who doesn't
506
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,400
live anymore in the United States.
507
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,760
And to just, okay, let's wait one dot, but makes no sense.
508
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:28,760
So business will not find too many jobs.
509
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,280
And then I will take a choice.
510
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:35,080
Whenever I get the chance to go back, I will decide then.
511
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:36,080
Amazing.
512
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,720
Just keep on taking actions.
513
00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:39,920
If there's a dream, there is a way, right?
514
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:42,920
So perfect.
515
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:48,000
And do you have any advice for young artists coming up?
516
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,480
Oh, wow.
517
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:56,000
Yes, I actually have many, and many I think they are from just what I just said to Clara
518
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,120
right now.
519
00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:04,960
I mean, my advice is, of course, to be dedicated musician if this is, of course, your goal.
520
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:09,600
If you want to be a musician, of course, you need to focus on practicing and practicing
521
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,080
is the first thing.
522
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:17,120
But to be open, to try new experience and not be afraid.
523
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,200
If you don't feel comfortable, it's fine.
524
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:21,200
It's fine.
525
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:26,160
Every time we try something new, you are never ready for real.
526
00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:28,400
So just go with it.
527
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:39,960
And try also to, I know that it's hard if you're shy, but if you see something interesting,
528
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:44,760
don't be afraid to go to the person who think it's organizing this event or to speak with
529
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,240
someone you think might be interesting for you to know.
530
00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:53,840
The worst thing might happen is someone saying no or not really replying to you.
531
00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,280
But it's almost never the case.
532
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:04,480
I learned a lot from my experience that every time you ask something and that you think
533
00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,560
it's important and it's meaningful.
534
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:11,360
Most of the time people replies positively to that.
535
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:20,440
And so just present yourself for who you are and really try to see what to explore and
536
00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:22,920
see what you like the most.
537
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:24,760
And yeah, trying something new.
538
00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:31,360
And both on the performing side, which means with repertoire, explore with repertoire,
539
00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:37,040
explore with playing with other people, explore with playing different ensemble and also with
540
00:37:37,040 --> 00:37:43,800
dancers, with artists in general.
541
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:49,080
And also explore outside of just the performing.
542
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:55,880
And then of course, everyone is different and will find what's the best.
543
00:37:55,880 --> 00:38:01,040
And you will also recognize your limits and what are your qualities, which is very important
544
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,280
because knowing your limits is important.
545
00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:08,920
As I mentioned before, I love doing composition with my students, but if I will see that they
546
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:15,640
reach the level which they need to continue and to go on, I will not fit for that.
547
00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:17,080
I will find someone else.
548
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:24,640
So you need to be humble also to know everything and how you know these things by doing these
549
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:31,840
things and you will see then later what suits best for you.
550
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:38,680
So maybe to sum it up, you might say experiment freely and try a lot of things, but then focus
551
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:42,080
on your strengths for your career.
552
00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:43,080
Exactly.
553
00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:44,080
Exactly.
554
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,080
And yeah, don't be afraid.
555
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,960
Meet people and speak with them.
556
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:57,640
Even if I know that not for everyone is easy, but with practice it gets easier.
557
00:38:57,640 --> 00:38:59,000
I'm just curious, sorry.
558
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:00,000
Go ahead.
559
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:01,240
What are you working on?
560
00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:04,360
I see the score on the piano.
561
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:05,840
So what are you working on?
562
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:12,600
Well, that actually it's a Chopin waltz because the last student I had was playing a Chopin
563
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:13,600
waltz.
564
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:15,600
It's on my repertoire right now.
565
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:16,600
Oh, okay.
566
00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:22,680
Yeah, right now, actually, right now it's a good question because I was planning to
567
00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:29,520
have some concert with Just Got Canceled and this is like a little bit changing of a plan.
568
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:33,880
So sometimes it's hard for me to find like for everyone, I think the motivation.
569
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:40,120
So I'm actually in a moment in which I have some repertoire I want to work more like a
570
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:41,120
Schubert.
571
00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:44,960
I did a concert this summer on the Van Der Fantasie.
572
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,000
I have some Schubert Lists.
573
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:52,600
I'm working some Lists, Chopinitudes.
574
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:58,280
And I wanted to decide right now what to do next about some contemporary new pieces.
575
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:02,280
And I was watching out some more about it.
576
00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:07,160
And but right now, yes, I'm practicing, for example, sorry, I'm interrupting sometimes
577
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:12,400
and just saying that for fun, just for fun, but I don't think this is fun.
578
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,160
It's Prokofiev's third concerto.
579
00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,880
I'm just practicing myself.
580
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:18,880
My favorite.
581
00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,880
Yeah, it's fun.
582
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:25,040
Yeah, just do.
583
00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:26,840
But I don't have any performance.
584
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:33,760
The first performance that should happen and it will be in February, March.
585
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:37,400
We still are looking for the date to be with orchestra.
586
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:42,200
And so and they gave me freedom for the concerto.
587
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:46,080
So I need to decide what to play.
588
00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:47,080
Let's see now.
589
00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:48,240
But it's a working process.
590
00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:52,200
I don't have a clear idea because of a situation.
591
00:40:52,200 --> 00:41:00,760
So I sometimes practice something like just because I want to and then I go next without
592
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,040
focusing too much into it.
593
00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:14,240
I tend to when I don't have a fixed goal to not be completely dedicated to practice piece
594
00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:17,440
until it's completely ready.
595
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,120
I prefer having a goal.
596
00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:25,320
I know I have a concert and so I need to be prepared for the concert.
597
00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:27,720
Which orchestra are you playing this?
598
00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:30,240
Actually, is that the secret?
599
00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:32,000
No, no, no, no, it's not.
600
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:36,640
Actually, I think the person will be very happy to hear the organizers.
601
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:45,960
Daniel Montes is a conductor, Bolivian conductor, and he's managing a school in Honduras, Victoria
602
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:47,480
Nolopet.
603
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,840
It's very nice and they have an orchestra there.
604
00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:55,120
So it's actually this is connected to the global leaders program, actually.
605
00:41:55,120 --> 00:42:03,000
And so it's so I will go there to perform with orchestra, but also I will be teaching
606
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,400
the piano students and doing some concert with them.
607
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:11,200
I'm thinking already to do some four and six and things together.
608
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,600
So this is the plan.
609
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:19,640
It all depends on the pandemic and actually this would have happened already.
610
00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:23,840
I don't remember now with data, but should have already happened.
611
00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:29,340
We had to yes, in September, you see, I'm forgetting right now because so many things
612
00:42:29,340 --> 00:42:36,720
got canceled and we postponed and other things are going to be postponed, but still they
613
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:40,720
are not able to provide me any date.
614
00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:44,360
So I'm here waiting for that.
615
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:48,340
As a woman, as a female professional.
616
00:42:48,340 --> 00:42:57,840
So what do you feel the difference between on this continent, currently where I am in
617
00:42:57,840 --> 00:43:02,640
Europe, but even in Europe, you said you studied in Germany.
618
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:10,760
So Germany and Italy, a complete different in terms of that gender dynamics, traditional
619
00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:15,080
versus modern, but contemporary.
620
00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:17,360
So what do you think?
621
00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:24,760
What do you think this gender dynamic contrast in the United States and where you are right
622
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,360
now, let's say?
623
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:35,560
Wow, this is a very important questions and I need carefully to, it's not easy to express
624
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:37,800
carefully what I would like to say.
625
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:41,080
Okay, there are differences.
626
00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:49,200
I need to say, but as an introduction is I always try to fight this my whole life in
627
00:43:49,200 --> 00:44:01,480
a sense that I try not to think when I'm working as a professional, that there are gender differences,
628
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,920
which doesn't mean that there aren't.
629
00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:14,880
Of course, I'm not saying that, but I just say that I never find found that there are
630
00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,320
ways in which woman should act and men should act.
631
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,320
I just be myself.
632
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,400
I don't mind if I'm a young woman.
633
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,360
I always did what I wanted to do.
634
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:36,320
And if someone was a little bit like talking to me in a sexist way, like you are a woman,
635
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:40,800
well for me, that person disappeared right away.
636
00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:50,080
So I honestly, but always very confident with myself.
637
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:53,280
I never really care about that dynamic.
638
00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,960
This doesn't mean that things didn't happen and happen.
639
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:05,000
Actually I had quite bad experiences and I'm sorry to say, sad to say that in Italy, especially
640
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,440
in Italy and with Italian people.
641
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:14,320
So in the United States happened to me and I was in bad situations.
642
00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:21,040
For example, in the United States, there is this strict way in which professors should
643
00:45:21,040 --> 00:45:25,680
not date or have anything with a student.
644
00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:31,480
I know it's a comfortable topic, but in Italy this is actually happening or a lot of professors
645
00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:35,600
flirt with students and something that's still happening now.
646
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:41,600
And I had this experience with more than one professor, more than once.
647
00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:42,960
It's just bad.
648
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:48,800
And unfortunately it happened more in conservatory, in the music school than in my school, normal
649
00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:49,800
school.
650
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:50,800
And this is bad.
651
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,160
And I hear the stories happening all the time.
652
00:45:53,160 --> 00:46:00,560
I just have a friend who shared with me about it and what happened now to her with a professor
653
00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:01,560
in conservatory.
654
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:09,080
And the thing is that if it happens, it's very hard to find a way to protect yourself.
655
00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:20,160
I would say that because there is still not culturally a way out to say that this is not
656
00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:21,520
okay.
657
00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,520
People still don't think it's not okay.
658
00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:32,040
And in the United States, I think this is stronger on the opposite side, which means
659
00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:36,080
that of course there is a lot of attention to that and I'm very grateful to that.
660
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,460
And so at least these things doesn't happen, let's say.
661
00:46:39,460 --> 00:46:41,520
So I'm speaking now when you are a student.
662
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:45,680
This is the risk when you're a student.
663
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:54,080
Then regarding for job, I need to say I was, as I said, pretty lucky in that, which means
664
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:56,600
I always went in my direction.
665
00:46:56,600 --> 00:47:04,720
Whenever I saw a situation which scared me, it just took away and eliminated the person
666
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:08,320
from my life.
667
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:13,920
And I thought about it a lot and I say how can I help in this way?
668
00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:23,680
And some people suggest to me, for example, I have a competition in my festival for composers.
669
00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:26,720
And I could give a prize for a woman.
670
00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:33,360
And I was saying, no, I don't want that simply because, I mean, for sure, it's amazing.
671
00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:36,080
Woman was amazing with this sort of a prize.
672
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:39,360
And we don't need that.
673
00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:42,040
I just wish we don't need that.
674
00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:43,440
This is my opinion.
675
00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:46,240
I know it's maybe unpopular.
676
00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:49,680
But I don't want to have a special prize because I'm a woman.
677
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:52,960
I want to have a prize because I'm a good composer.
678
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:56,400
And she should deserve that anyway.
679
00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,360
So we decided to make it anonymous.
680
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:00,360
OK.
681
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:08,600
And of course, one of the winners, three winners was a woman because simply because she was
682
00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:10,760
just doing great.
683
00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:17,160
And we didn't have to do anything for this to happen.
684
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:21,680
And I realized that actually there are other countries in the world in which the situation
685
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:23,160
is a lot worse.
686
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:30,240
So at the end, even if I see that things are not good and can be a lot better, and they
687
00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:39,600
should better in terms of wage, sorry, no wage income being paid fairly and other things,
688
00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:42,040
there are situations which are worse in and around the world.
689
00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:49,920
So one of the projects I'm working on right now is trying to collaborate with some association
690
00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:54,920
like in Afghanistan and Dubai to bring women in music here.
691
00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:57,160
Amazing.
692
00:48:57,160 --> 00:48:59,400
Because that's different to the situation.
693
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:05,000
It's sad to say, but just because it's harder for them to get opportunities.
694
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:10,960
So for me, it makes sense to empower them more and to help more with this woman from
695
00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:11,960
this country.
696
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:18,960
For the rest, I just hope that and I'm fighting this every day just by showing what I do and
697
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:21,360
I could be a man.
698
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:24,320
I don't know if I can say that.
699
00:49:24,320 --> 00:49:31,840
I just love what I do and I don't feel like I need to prove anything because I'm a woman,
700
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:33,120
just myself.
701
00:49:33,120 --> 00:49:37,160
And I just wish that everybody would acknowledge that.
702
00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:50,240
Salam!
703
00:49:50,240 --> 00:49:56,600
Salam!
704
00:49:56,600 --> 00:50:02,280
Salam!
705
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:34,440
Chantawa, what's the name of your festival again?
706
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:37,960
L'Unigiana International Music Festival.
707
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:41,560
It's the name of, L'Unigiana is the name of the region
708
00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:44,040
in Italy in the North Tuscany where this is happening.
709
00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:47,200
And it's called L'Unigiana because we literally go
710
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:51,240
all around the region to the concerts with our students
711
00:50:51,240 --> 00:50:54,520
from around the world and teachers that perform together
712
00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:56,080
and in 10 days.
713
00:50:56,080 --> 00:50:59,400
And we actually have 18 concerts in 10 days.
714
00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,640
So it's pretty intense.
715
00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,880
And it's just amazing because it's all in the nature.
716
00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:08,400
We do concerts in the caves by the castle,
717
00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:13,400
in the castle actually, by the sea, lake by the mountains.
718
00:51:13,600 --> 00:51:17,360
So it's just very, very, very beautiful for the audience
719
00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:19,320
but also for the students themselves
720
00:51:19,320 --> 00:51:20,960
to perform in these places.
721
00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:23,540
And then of course we get lessons.
722
00:51:23,540 --> 00:51:27,480
And it's not just pianist, piano and chamber music too
723
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:31,000
with string players and voice students.
724
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,120
So this is basically a festival.
725
00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:35,840
It sounds absolutely magical.
726
00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:40,760
And the link to the website will be in the description
727
00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:42,560
for the podcast.
728
00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:47,120
So unfortunately I think that's all the time we have today.
729
00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:48,840
We wanted to thank you so much Chantal
730
00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:50,480
for joining us today.
731
00:51:50,480 --> 00:51:52,760
And thank you to our audience for listening.
732
00:51:54,220 --> 00:51:55,940
If you enjoyed today's episode,
733
00:51:55,940 --> 00:51:58,320
please hit the thumbs up button down below
734
00:51:58,320 --> 00:52:01,800
and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
735
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:06,120
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
736
00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:07,480
using the links below.
737
00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:12,080
If you have feedback for us, please leave it in the comments
738
00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:17,080
or if you can also email us at the pianopodnyc at gmail.com.
739
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:19,920
Thank you.
740
00:52:19,920 --> 00:52:22,800
See you all at the next episode of the PianoPod.
741
00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:23,640
Bye everybody.
742
00:52:23,640 --> 00:52:24,560
Bye everyone.
743
00:52:24,560 --> 00:52:25,400
Bye bye.
744
00:52:25,400 --> 00:52:26,480
Thank you for watching.
745
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:27,320
Thank you Chantal.
746
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:28,160
Thank you.
747
00:52:28,160 --> 00:52:29,000
Thank you.
748
00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:29,840
Bye.
749
00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:58,300
After- pushes
