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Music

Information Architecture, Usability, Web, Experience Design

Extracurricular Activities—
Classical Piano Performance

Almost born at Juilliard in New York (I started studying music before I was born), music has always been a part of my life, including Juilliard. I studied classical piano performance with well-known concert artists, like Sari Biro (her Website), Franz Liszt Academy, including Wanda Krasoff (Figure 1).

Wanda Krasoff was my primary piano performance Professor. She also studied with a piano performance teacher that had received direct training from Franz Liszt in San Francisco for five years, when she was very young. Both of my piano performance Professors received training directly from Professors that had studied with Franz Liszt, however. Her primary piano performance Professor was Alexander Raab (she studied with him for 25 years in Berkeley, California); samples of his piano performance playing, The Condon Collection (Raab).

He studied with Theodor Leschetizky in Europe and was acquainted with Johannes Brahms, including piano performance at the Vienna Conservatory under Hans Schmitt as well as with Robert Fuchs.

Professor Krasoff prepared performers for Professor Rosina Lhévinne at Juilliard. She had very high standards for her learners—especially with regard to achieving bell-like tonal qualities as well as accurate performances. She was acquainted with Josef Hofmann and Arthur Rubinstein in Los Angeles (Figure 2).

When she was a young child, she performed for Ignacy Jan Paderewski. His review of her playing was excellent. Many years later she performed for Arthur Rubinstein; he reviewed her performance. Again, his review of her performance was excellent.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Review of My Piano Performance Professor / New York Debut

Wanda Krasoff, Concert Pianist:

“Her interpretations commanded respect for their general musicianship and efficiency. Miss Krasoff left no doubt she is an accomplished artist and a fine musician.”

Reviewed by—Harold C. Schonberg, The New York Times

Review of My Piano Performance Professor / New York Debut

Sari Biro, Concert Pianist:

“Sari Biro must be reckoned among the foremost women exponents of the keyboard of the time.”

Reviewed by—The New York Times

The Juilliard School

My mother graduated from San José State University with her degree in classical piano performance. Then to The Juilliard School graduate-level performance program (Figure 3). She always spoke highly of her Professors at Juilliard, including her Professors at Columbia University. She studied with Professor Vernon de Tar at Juilliard and Professor Thomas Richner at Columbia. The last piece she learned at Juilliard was the Toccata & Fugue in D minor by Bach (Figure 4). She specialized in Bach—Baroque period of music. She completed her graduate degree at University of the Pacific.

During and prior to High School years, she performed Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, including the Schumann piano concerto in A minor and other concertos. She was a child prodigy, playing difficult piano pieces at performance level, when age four.

my mother at Juilliard preparing for lessons

Figure 3

Figure 4

At a young age, I studied classical piano performance with my mother (Figure 5; where I grew up in San Francisco Bay Area). At age four, my first listening experiences were from records of my mother playing Beethoven Sonatas (from High School record recordings prior to Juilliard)—Arthur Rubinstein playing Chopin—and then Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-4 (in that order).

Figure 5

My specialized training includes the German School of Music; the Russian School of Music. Also, I studied with other Juilliard teachers. I enjoy and perform:

Bach, Hadyn, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, Czerny, Liszt, Chopin, Grieg, Franck, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel, Szymanowski, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Villa-Lobos, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Ginastera, Granados, Falla, Mompou, as well as many other romantic composers (piano performance pieces are always a work in progress). A contour drawing of my hands is shown below (Figure 7).

Arthur Rubinstein

I am very thankful to Arthur Rubinstein. He has always been a part of my life. I adore his piano performances; I listen to The Rubinstein Collection, when I have time. In a word, I have always felt that his performances speak directly to my heart—very exciting, daring, and excellent tonal qualities.

Since I learned the Leschetizky method of piano performance from my Professor (an excellent resource: The Leschetizky Method: A Guide to Fine and Correct Piano Playing), I believe that producing high-quality tonal replications on a Steinway is truly important to a legato and professional tone. I mean that and feel strongly—one should sing the tone out, playing with curved fingers—creating the most legato and smooth tone possible on the Steinway.

This is even important in the practice of scales, technical exercises, and arpeggios, including complicated passages. The phrasing must be done right; in a word, the pacing of the music being played must be accomplished correctly. The playing must be colorful and in proper context to the composer—always from the heart.

I was very fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to obtain The Rubinstein Collection, which also comes with an excellent book (entitled: The Rubinstein Collection)—many great articles as well as stories about him. I respect his ability to perform in a way that really touches my soul, which has always delighted me and taught me many things.

I recommend both of his books: My Young Years and My Many Years. I studied them during my High School years, and I found them to be a source of inspiration for me. All of my ideas about education, metaphysics, piano performance, and learning languages were directly formed from reading his books. The ideas presented to me from piano performance Professors (Juilliard teachers) developed my ability to perform—the perfection always demanded in doing piano performances was intense, incredible, perfectibility at its best—to say in the least (thank you, Juilliard).

There are many schools of thoughts, with great achievements, which should be recognized. A very metaphysical approach and more holistic attitude would be: “let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend.”

My preference is for a Hamburg Steinway piano. As an artist and concert pianist, I prefer the action and tone in the bass—in perfect tune—superb. If the Steinway is not in perfect tune, I cannot perform on it.

Alan Ford

Around 2002, mutual friends introduced me to Alan Ford. I am very thankful for Alan being my mentor and friend. During the completion of my IA MAEd thesis report, Alan assisted me. Without his help, I would not have graduated. Talking to him in England sometimes for 5-6 hours, listening to his jokes made me laugh all the time. I always enjoyed hearing his stories about acting and how he prepared for roles (Figure 6).

Figure 6

Film

PIANOMANIA—Theatrical Trailer

Genius Within—The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

Wes Ramsey

Piano Performance Coaching

I have coached concert piano performers (with the D.M.A. or Ph.D. degrees in classical piano performance) from Juilliard. For me, it has been something that I do very well—I never was really looking to coach concert artists. It has been an excellent contribution to others that need advanced coaching in piano performance.

Figure 7