1 00:00:00,060 --> 00:00:04,040 Normally, I start walking and hold the same position currently. 2 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,240 I had asked for the same picture many a times. 3 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:41,960 Welcome back to another episode of the Piano Pod where tradition meets innovation, we 4 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:47,640 bridge the timeless beauty of the piano with the dynamic pulse of today's world. I am your friend 5 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:53,880 and host of the show, Yukimi-san. So what did you think about the opening episodes of the season? 6 00:00:53,880 --> 00:01:00,920 Episode 1 brought us the incredible Dr. Michael Kakoff, a concert pianist who's not just a 7 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:07,160 scrubbing expert but also a recording artist known for his interpretation of list pieces. 8 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,840 And then in episode 2, I had the pleasure of chatting with the brilliant minds behind 9 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:21,240 A Seat at the Piano, aka ASAP, Annie Zheng, Brendan Jaclyn, Evan Hines, and Susan Yang. 10 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:28,040 ASAP is a platform to raise the voices of composers who have been less heard or historically 11 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:35,240 excluded or underrepresented. I'm curious about your take on our recent conversations with Michael 12 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:40,440 and the team of A Seat at the Piano and would love to hear from you. Connect with us on social 13 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:46,840 media or leave your thoughts on our website at thepianopod.com. Remember, your insights play a 14 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:53,880 crucial role in guiding the future of our show. For this episode, I am thrilled to introduce Mr. 15 00:01:53,880 --> 00:02:01,000 Ludovic Zamora, a Canadian-American concert pianist and recording artist known for his unique talent 16 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:06,600 and unrivaled performances. Let me quickly highlight his career by citing his bio. 17 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:13,080 Mr. Zamora's musical journey began under the guidance of his father, diving deep into the 18 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:18,920 intricacies of the piano at a young age. His teenage years marked significant achievements 19 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:25,960 as an emerging pianist, including his solo debut at the prestigious Wild Recital Hall in Carnegie 20 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:32,440 Hall at 18. Earlier this year, he released his debut romantic era classical piano solo album 21 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:41,080 titled Amor. This achievement propelled him to the forefront of the 2023 classical music scene. 22 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:47,000 His journey is a testament to his unwavering dedication to music. He believes in the power 23 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:53,640 of devotion, emphasizing that true magic happens when one is fully observed in their passion. 24 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:58,920 Before continuing with this episode, I'd like to welcome you who is listening or watching the 25 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:03,880 Pianopod for the first time. I'm a classical pianist and educator from New York City. Whether 26 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:09,320 you're diving deep into a piano career, working professionally in the classical music scene, 27 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:16,200 or simply have a passion for piano tunes, this podcast is your backstage pass. In each episode, 28 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,840 I interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the classical music 29 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:26,680 industry. Before getting started, I want to thank amazing TPP fans and listeners for tuning in. 30 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:32,440 Please rate and review the show on your favorite podcasting platform because every rating review 31 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:37,960 will help people find the show. Oh, before I forget, I want to apologize to you, my friends. 32 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:43,640 During the interview session with Ludovic, I forgot to turn on my microphone, this mic 33 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:49,160 that I usually use and turn on during the taping of the show. If you are watching this episode on 34 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:55,880 YouTube, you will see it in front of my face, but it was not on. So the sound quality of my voice is 35 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:05,560 not that great. So what happens is that when this external microphone is not turned on, 36 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:12,920 the recording platform that I use automatically selects the built-in microphone on my computer 37 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:21,240 as an input device, which captures the sound and noise in the room, not focused on my voice. 38 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:29,320 So my vocal quality during the interview is not so great and muffled. So, oh well, after three years 39 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,960 of podcasting, I still forget to turn on my microphone or something had happened. I am 40 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:41,240 not really sure. So I apologize to you everyone. And but I promise to you that content of this 41 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:47,880 show is amazing. Thanks to my wonderful guest Ludovic, we discussed his exciting journey as a 42 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:53,560 concert pianist and recording artist, focusing on his passion for music in the romantic era 43 00:04:53,560 --> 00:05:00,280 and delving into a timely topic such as life as an artist in the post pandemic era and more. 44 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:07,080 So these discussions will lead us to a more introspective conversation on a topic such as 45 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:13,240 the importance of exploring our sense of purpose as classical musicians in society. 46 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:20,760 We even talked about artificial intelligence, how the tech of AI is changing our lifestyle. 47 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:28,760 So let's begin this fun episode with a guest concert pianist, recording artist, Mr. Ludovic 48 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:38,840 Zamor. Please enjoy the show. You are listening to the Piano Pod, where we talk to the brightest 49 00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:43,720 minds in the industry about how they are bringing the piano into the 21st century. 50 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:52,920 So welcome to the Piano Pod, Ludovic. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Thank you so much. And it's 51 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:58,840 really nice to finally meet you. We've been communicating for a few months on social media, and finally 52 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:04,920 the day has arrived. By the way, what a lovely name. Yeah, my school attendance was awful when I 53 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:09,960 was growing up with it, but now it actually as an artist, it has a little bit of flair to it. 54 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:17,560 Of course, and I understand that your father is a pianist. Yes, he's not professional. He's actually 55 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:23,240 a doctor, but he grew up playing the piano and then as he had children, he tried to force on us. 56 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:29,160 Did your parents intentionally name you after Ludovic Bambeitogon? 57 00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:37,160 Ludovic? As in Ludovic? Maybe, I'm not sure. I'm actually a junior myself. I don't know where it 58 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:43,800 came from, but I guess it fits and you're kind of destined with the name. Yeah, no pressure. 59 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:51,560 What is it called? Like, now, determination, something like that? Yes, or like a strong will 60 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:57,800 or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have been listening to your solo album, Amor, which 61 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:03,800 truly showcases and captures the essence of romantic era and displays your passion for the 62 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:10,600 music of the time period. This album was released earlier this year, right? Yes, it was. It was 63 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:17,000 released earlier in July. It was a long time coming. I wanted to release it in 2020, but my 64 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:22,280 original plan was a tour with it on concert and then after the tour and concerts, then release the 65 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:28,920 album. So, what was the main inspiration behind this album? I wanted to create an album that felt 66 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:36,440 like a journey to listen to, like you can listen to it and connect emotionally and feel as if you're 67 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:44,520 on a trip, just enjoying it. And to have both the balance of the virtuosic side and then also the 68 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:49,960 conservative side, like the same way how, you know, the war of the romantics being Brahms and Liszt 69 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:56,520 and everything like that, but just to have a good dichotomy between both. And why the title Amor? 70 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:04,040 I mean, maybe it's not completely a rhyme with your last name, but you know, without the Z, 71 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:10,840 it's Amor. Is that what it is? Well, Amor is a direct translation for love, and I guess it fits 72 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:18,920 because you can't write in Zamora without love. But part of it was, I thought, as literal as it is 73 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:24,520 to have a romantic album with love within it. And I thought it was a little bit poetic. Yeah, it is 74 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,400 indeed. And so, let's talk about the choice of your repertoire. You started with October from 75 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:37,240 Tchaikovsky's seasons, and it's such an, you know, iconic piece in such a way that really captures 76 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:42,200 the essence of romanticism, right? And then followed by Volkaliz, and I love the panel 77 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:50,040 transcription by Zoltan Koshas, yes. I opened with the Tchaikovsky piece. This set is exactly 78 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:55,800 what I would play in concert for at least this season. And in the past, I've always opened with, 79 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,200 like, you know, big showy pieces like, you know, the Fantasy Stook or anything like that. And 80 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:06,360 I found it as a bad habit to start off, you know, really hot. So I wanted to start off really slow 81 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:13,560 and, you know, warm into it. And it was a good, somber beginning to it. The seasons, out of all 82 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:19,080 of those pieces, I felt like the October, the autumn song was very emotional, especially emotional. 83 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:25,160 And opening with it set a really great mood for the concert I was trying to set. And as for the 84 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:32,680 Volkaliz, it was, at least the Volkaliz itself is one of my favorite tunes. And the Zoltan Koshas 85 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:39,960 transcription with the more arpeggios at the end, it just was a joy to play. And especially for a 86 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,720 person who loves, like, you know, the Lycian type of the world and everything like that, 87 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:49,400 I just gravitated to it naturally. Yeah, that arrangement is very special. I think 88 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:55,800 there are a lot of variations in terms of the, you know, transcriptions. There's a variation with, 89 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:03,800 you know, string instrument and the piano and so forth. But this arrangement, especially as you 90 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:10,120 mentioned before the end of the section where I arpeggiated, it just creates a lot of emotional 91 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:15,880 stuff. And, you know, you've also, one of my favorites from the album is the Nocturne in C 92 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:23,400 minor. I played it myself too. And your interpretation is, you know, very sensitive, 93 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:30,280 yet passionate in capturing the nuances of, you know, Chopin. And, but I really appreciate that 94 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:38,120 fact that you don't start so fast. A lot of people do. Yeah, well, there's actually a story behind it 95 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:44,920 too, and we'll eventually get into that. But I felt as if the way I wanted to interpretate that 96 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:51,800 piece, it was, I looked at it through the lens of almost like a Liszt etude, kind of, where they were 97 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:58,120 presenting a theme and I wanted that theme to be so apparent and so digestible. And then towards the 98 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:03,160 end to not just throw it in your face, but just to show the capabilities of the piano on the same 99 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:08,360 white list with it. And, you know, honestly, the tempo you took, you know, from the right, on the 100 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:16,040 right hand from the first note G to the next note A flat, that gap to feel, because, you know, piano 101 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:24,200 once you play that note, it's gone, right? But to be able to connect the G to A flat with that tempo 102 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:30,520 is, wow, I was very impressed. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Is it Andante su suenando at the beginning, 103 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:36,600 the tempo marking? I don't remember. At least from my edition, it had no tempo marking whatsoever. 104 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:42,840 So it was kind of like, it's open to interpretation. I also got a bunch of flack from some educators 105 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,840 because they were like, you're playing like Hungarian rap city, you know, kind of, but especially 106 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:51,400 when you're on the stage, you have a little bit more liberties and stuff like that. And it's not 107 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:56,440 that I don't care about critics, but I want to make a performance at least. And when I think about 108 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:01,880 that, I have a little bit more liberties, I think. There's something so simple yet gentle about your 109 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:10,360 playing and thought and emotional, emotion-provoking too. So I really enjoyed. And I mean, you played 110 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:17,960 Brahms and then lastly, oh, MoMA musical, number three and number four. Yeah, the direct translation 111 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:23,640 to English is musical moment. The number three is in number four by Rachmaninoff. Those were 112 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:28,920 my favorite. And it's actually in the future, I want to play all six of them in concert, but that's 113 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:33,720 in the future after I learned them. Amongst the six, I felt like the three and the four, they were 114 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:40,040 exactly the fitting within the concert type where you have the dichotomy between the emotional side, 115 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:47,880 the almost slow and reserved, and then you have the more bombastic, virtuosic side. And to play 116 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:52,360 them in a set between three and four directly after each other fits exactly what I wanted to do. 117 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:59,800 Tell us, the challenges and triumph from the day you conceived the idea of this project 118 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:06,040 to the day of release, like, you know, for example, choices of repertoire to marketing. So 119 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:14,200 tell us the moment of you felt like, well, I did something to, you know, there are moments where 120 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:19,800 we always struggle with certain things. So when I originally wanted to play all these pieces in 121 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:24,600 a concert, I had Paganini etudes, I had Chopin Balots in there and everything like that. 122 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:29,640 And as I was studying for all of this, it was during the pandemic, so I had all the time in 123 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:35,640 the world. And it was almost as if, you know, you buy more than you can chew, kind of. So I had to 124 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,880 be a little bit more reasonable and everything like that. I had to cut some pieces out and then I 125 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:45,160 eventually settled on what I still have now. And even then some people say like, as I'm like, 126 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:49,880 if I would go to a piano store, just so you know, tickle the keys or so, people like you play all 127 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:58,680 of that in concert. But it is a daunting repertoire to play. But it is fun at the end of it. But as 128 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:05,320 for the biggest challenges of it was actually recording day when I recorded the album. And the 129 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:12,360 day before I actually got bit by a spider. And yeah, it was very disappointing because I did not 130 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:21,640 become Spider-Man. But yeah, I got bit by this venomous spider and my throat closed up to a 131 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:27,400 point where I felt like I was breathing through a straw. And when it came time to record the 132 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:33,400 studio, record in the studio, you know, I did not want to defer even longer. So I just went through 133 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:40,040 with it. And it felt like my ears were underwater. I was running a fever the whole entire day. And 134 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:45,480 even till today, I still have a little bit of like a frog in my throat. Oh my goodness. Yeah, it was 135 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,880 very challenging to record the whole entire thing. And if you actually listen closely to some of the 136 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:56,440 pieces, you can actually hear me wheezing in the background. But it was, I didn't feel as if I was 137 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:02,920 100% when recording everything. But I tried my best. Well, but I think maybe that's one of the 138 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:10,440 reasons. I mean, I don't want to give credit to this evil spider. Oh, I hope there are no spider 139 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:13,720 enthusiasts, but I murdered that spider and their whole entire family afterwards. 140 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,560 But what did it happen when you were at home practicing or something? 141 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:27,400 It might be a personality quirk, but I believe like a clean room is a clean mind kind of thing. 142 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,760 So especially before a big performance or a big recording day or something like that, 143 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:38,280 I would just go find something to clean. And I happened to go into my garage and that was my 144 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,520 mission for the day, clean garage. And there happened to be a spider in the way for me. 145 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:53,960 Oh, wow. Okay. Wow. But you know, it's, I think in the long run, when you become a certain agent, 146 00:15:53,960 --> 00:16:01,080 look back, this spider, the whole situation will be sort of, you're part of the legacy 147 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:06,600 of your as a recording artist, right? Yeah, it's a good story to have under your belt, 148 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:14,520 at least. Yeah, sure. But I'm glad you made it through the recording. So can you walk us through 149 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:22,600 your recording process? My recording process, it's mostly, I want to say before every piece I play, 150 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:27,320 I just try to remember in my head or just repeat the mantra of just trying to remain intentional. 151 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:32,280 And what is the purpose I'm trying to convey? And that's why I keep running through my mind, 152 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:39,960 whether it's a piece where I'm trying to personify love or deep emotion, or if it's not so much in 153 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:44,520 this repertoire, but some other pieces, for example, if I was playing an etude or something 154 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:49,080 like that, what technique am I trying to show? But it's all about remaining intentional. 155 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:57,320 So then I'm also curious about brand as well, let's talk about this album, for example. So 156 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:07,080 to select certain pieces, you think about your listeners as well, right? Not just you that, 157 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:12,200 of course, you want to play certain pieces, but I'm sure you think about your audience too. 158 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:19,560 So what did you have in your mind in terms of your listeners? I would say I wanted to 159 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:30,280 not just have easy listening, but let's go with saying this. I remember in 2018, I had a good 160 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:36,760 season where I was very, very productive. I'd wake up at four o'clock every morning, meditate, 161 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,440 and then go to the beach, as we're in Long Island, you know, the beach is always 20 minutes away. 162 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:48,120 And as I would go to the beach, I would always put on either a Katipinatichuli album or a 163 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:54,520 Rubenside album. And when I would listen to those, I would just walk and I guess get in the zone. 164 00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:01,800 And I wanted to recreate the same type of feeling of, I guess, just pure emotion and for them, 165 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:08,040 for the listener rather, to zone out and just completely appreciate the music, not to throw 166 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:13,640 anything so much in their face as if it was like, you know, the Hungarian raps, like number six or 167 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:18,600 something like that, but just to have them just flow with it. And that's what I wanted to choose 168 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:25,480 when I chose my pieces. So nothing is too in your face, nothing is too bombastic, but it's still 169 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:32,200 showcase virtuosity. So you mentioned two artists now. So are these artists, are they heavily 170 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:38,360 heavily influenced the sound or direction of this album? Most definitely. It was interesting 171 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:44,840 because I grew up listening to, I guess, like part of the reason why I have, I guess, somewhat of a 172 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:51,320 good ear is because my father, he would always, every piece I would listen to, I would either 173 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:56,680 have a Horowitz recording or a Rubenside recording to listen to as comparison, or this is where the 174 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:02,360 ceiling is, or this is where you're trying to strive for it. And as I would listen to these pieces 175 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:07,400 and especially the tone quality, especially from Arthur Rubenside, it felt as if the piano was 176 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:13,160 completely different instrument. And when I was searching for studios to record my album, I wanted 177 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:20,440 a piano that would, to have a more reminiscent tone. So that was what I was looking for. And as for 178 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:26,920 Cuddebune, essentially one album that I listened to many, many times was her Motherland album. 179 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:34,360 Are you familiar with that one? It's fantastic. But as I would listen to it, it recreated that same 180 00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:41,480 feeling that I always wanted, like a journey. A journey. Beautiful. Well, speaking of journey, 181 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:49,560 so let's turn the clock backwards. So, so you know, you've gone through this phase of your life right 182 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:57,800 now, but I'm sure there is a story of beginning. And as I mentioned briefly, in, you know, as I was 183 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:04,680 reading your bio, your father was the first person to introduce you to this world of classical music. 184 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:11,320 Sounds like, is it true? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. So can you tell us how did you discover the love of 185 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:15,960 music? By the way, by the way, before we start, I love the background. What a beautiful house you 186 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:23,880 live in. And then, and I see that I can see the Steinway piano. Tell us a little bit about the 187 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:34,440 piano. What is this? Is it B or A or what? This is a Steinway model D. And it was... D? Is it concert D? 188 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:43,880 Yeah, it's a concert grand. Yeah, I'm very lucky. We didn't always have it. But actually growing up, 189 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:52,680 I started learning on a Baldwin SF-10. And our house back then had no type of air conditioning, 190 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:58,120 no type of humidity control or anything like that. So the piano naturally became really, 191 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:04,520 really heavy. So I think that is probably some of the reason why I actually gained a good technique 192 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:11,320 because you're forced to really work at it. But my dad was my first teacher. He's actually a doctor. 193 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:17,480 He's not a professional musician, but he grew up learning the piano. And when he had children, 194 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:24,360 he wanted to teach them. And I was only one of his kids actually stuck with it. And I guess 195 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:31,240 he had a good trial because I was the last kid. So he learned his mistakes until me. We learned. 196 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:38,760 And it was until I was seven or eight when he realized like, Oh God, we have to give him a 197 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:45,320 better teacher because there's almost as much as he can teach me. So I hopped around from teachers 198 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:51,480 to teachers for a couple of years until I found Karen Amato. She's actually based in Long Island 199 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:57,880 and she stuck with me for, I want to say 20 years. Wow. Wonderful. That's, that's beautiful. So you're 200 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:04,520 right now currently based in Long Island, right? Yes, I am. Okay. So you had a wonderful teacher 201 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:12,280 for 20 years, but who are the other influences and training mentors maybe? I still see Karen every 202 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,760 now and then. It was only like, I think right after college, she was telling me like, you know, 203 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,320 we have to get you another teacher because we're neck and neck and there's only how much we can 204 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:27,560 teach you. So, you know, she's trying to push me off to other people, whether it was pro music judges 205 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:36,120 or something like that. But I eventually found myself with the late Abraham Sternclar. He was 206 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:43,560 a renowned concert pianist and chamber musician. And he actually was professor at one point. 207 00:22:44,120 --> 00:22:52,120 And I actually met him when I was, I think seven years old and I performed and I forgot which one, 208 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:57,400 but it was a random competition. And then it was just, I guess, Kismet that we eventually met each 209 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:05,240 other later in life. And he took me as his pupil and learning from him was a dream because as I 210 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:12,840 later became more professional, I focused more on intention. And as I was with this old master, 211 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:18,520 it was like every word that he spoke, every lesson that he taught was gold. So I tried to cling to 212 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:25,400 every single, you know, lesson that he taught. And it was just, it was amazing to be around him. And 213 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:32,440 if you want to hear a funny story, at one point I was going to one of our lessons and these lessons 214 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:39,880 were gone for two hours and such. And from day one, he always said, never be late. And as you know, 215 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:47,960 New York City potholes are atrocious. And at one point I hit one of the potholes and not only did 216 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:57,320 I burst a tire, but I bent a rim. That's how bad the pothole was. And I drove an extra 15 miles on 217 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:03,080 a bent rim just to get to my lesson on time. And as I got there, I was like, listen, listen, I am 218 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:09,560 the number one because I got here, even though I had a bent tire and everything. And he was like, 219 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:16,760 oh, you got here on a bent wheel, world's smallest violin, boohoo. When I was younger, I was dodging 220 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:24,200 bullets in Israel and Palestine because that's where he was from. And it was just, it was funny 221 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:31,720 because he was telling me when he was in his conservatory, he had to cross a street that was, 222 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:38,040 I guess, in dispute between Palestine and Israel. And every time a student or a child would walk by, 223 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:42,600 they wouldn't aim at them, but they would just aim in the vicinity just to scare the people. 224 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:48,600 And essentially every time I had to go to school, he had to dodge bullets. But it was just, 225 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:52,120 that's the type of professionalism that I grew up with. 226 00:24:52,120 --> 00:25:01,240 Talking about tough. Wow. That's tough stuff. Ben, you mentioned that you'd like to talk about 227 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:09,560 Abraham Sterncler's scholarship program and the Wilburton Scholarship Program. So were you the 228 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:16,200 recipient of these scholarship programs? No, actually, as I have my concert career, 229 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:22,760 and I guess we're hearing it first from here, every time I perform and I want to 230 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:29,240 allocate an amount of the proceeds or the profits towards these funds that I'm making. 231 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:35,960 And they're going to go to, whether they are undergraduate students or high school students, 232 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:42,600 I want to donate it as charity. And that's the story behind Abraham Sterncler. He was one of my, 233 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:49,880 I want to say, professional inspirations. And as for William Burden, he was my first ever manager. 234 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:58,120 And they actually both passed away from COVID in 2021. But- Oh my goodness. Why though? I'm sorry 235 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:05,320 to hear that. It was rough because they passed one month away from each other. And they were 236 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:11,640 each other and I lost both of them at the same time, essentially. Oh my goodness. Yeah. William 237 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:20,520 Burden, he was a very, very kind man. And it was, I want to say he was my first ever, I guess, 238 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:29,480 contact on the business side of show business. And he was, I would say, the kindest awakening to it. 239 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:33,800 And he was just a very sweet man that was essentially asked for nothing. And he was more 240 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:39,720 than fair. And I found that when we would do projects, sometimes he would just do them for 241 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:44,920 gratis. He would not want anything out of it. And not only did that, he did that with me, but he 242 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:50,840 would also do that with other young professionals or other people fresh out of college. And he gave 243 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:57,240 people chances. He opened doors for people. And I want to do the same thing for other young 244 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:04,600 professionals as I succeed. Wow. There are so many wonderful people like that in our industry, 245 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:12,600 right? And really sacrifice their time and their life to dedicate to mentor and educate 246 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:17,240 someone with the potential, someone with the dedication. That's amazing. You mentioned that 247 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:24,360 your performance, the concert proceeds partially goes to these two foundations, two programs to 248 00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:30,280 help other young musicians, correct? I am going to start going to high schools after I start 249 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:36,280 performing. And I'm going to try to find a couple, a couple of kids who are, I guess, hungry for it. 250 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,400 And whether it's a small amount, whether it's a large amount, just to get the ball rolling, 251 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:48,520 to make them feel as if they're supported the same way I have. That's beautiful. Okay. Then I also 252 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:56,920 want to talk about your concert career. So you had just one big, memorable concert at the Historical 253 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:04,280 Theater, The Space on May 21st in Westbury, New York, which is your home. Yeah. Tell us about the 254 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:13,800 concert. So we had the choice of having, I guess, a premiere concert for my set. And I chose to do 255 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:20,200 in my hometown. There are two major theaters. There is the NYCB. I don't know if you're familiar, 256 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:25,880 but it has like a circular stage and it's just a large amphitheater. And then they also had The 257 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:34,600 Space, which is, I guess, more of a more traditional setting where it's just, it's open that way. 258 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:41,800 And I chose that one because it was a lot more aesthetically pleasing. And this was in, as you 259 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:50,600 said, May, right after 2022. And this was right after the pandemic. So a lot of people were 260 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:55,880 actually worried about coming out, especially right after the pandemic. So it was not anywhere near 261 00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:03,640 filled to capacity. And it was actually really sad because earlier in my career, I made a good habit 262 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:09,560 because I heard some advice to get email listings to everyone that goes. So that is part of the 263 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:15,480 reason why I would ever have good attempts for concerts. So when I threw this concert, I had 264 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:21,400 hundreds of emails saying, sorry, I'm not coming because we're elderly and we don't want to risk it. 265 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,600 But I'm still very thankful for all of the people that still came despite the risk. 266 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,400 What did you play? Did you play some of the pieces from your album? 267 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:35,720 I played the whole album. And then on top of that, I played a Scriabin A-Tube at the end of it. 268 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,600 Wow. Which Scriabin A-Tube? 269 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:48,040 I believe the number 12. There's always escapes me. It was not the, it's not the Opus 42. I think it 270 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:55,640 was the of the 12 A-Tubes, the 12th one. Okay. Wonderful. That's a great piece. You mentioned, 271 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:02,360 you know, while we were communicating, you said you want to talk about journey back to feeling 272 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:07,400 ready to perform. So are you referring to your mindset towards performing in front of the audience 273 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:14,200 after the pandemic? Yes. One thing that I found so interesting, and I never thought about that before 274 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:21,240 in my whole entire life, I stayed in reasonably good shape. And during the pandemic, I actually 275 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:26,360 gained 70 pounds because I couldn't go outside. All I did was this weight lift, no cardio. And 276 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,480 one thing that they never tell you in a conservatory or in college is you need to 277 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:37,000 be physically shaped to play, to be in shape to play Liszt because your heart literally becomes 278 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:43,000 a factor into it. Yeah. When you take so much time off physically, it really becomes taxing, 279 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:50,760 especially when you're trying to play some of these pieces. So now I'm on the journey back to 280 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:56,600 getting ready for it. I see. I see. Well, but you know, I didn't think that way about playing, 281 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:03,720 let's say Franz Liszt. You know, I know playing Franz Liszt pieces, like especially Transcendental 282 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:10,600 Etude, for example, or, you know, Hungarian Rhapsody or whatever. They're really physical, right? 283 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:18,200 The whole entire upper body. And so you have to be fit in many ways, but I didn't think of 284 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:25,800 that will translate to your cardio endurance. Exactly. I never thought about it either, 285 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:31,560 especially like some of my earlier teachers, as I mentioned, Karen Amado before, she was telling 286 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,400 me that when she was in college, she stayed away from it. She was like, you know, the amount of 287 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:41,320 effort to stay away from that. And I never thought anything of it when I was playing Paganet Etudes 288 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:46,680 myself, because it was just, it was just work. But when you're trying to do that, when you're 289 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:52,360 a little bit more hefty and it becomes a lot more taxing, especially in concert, you don't want to 290 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:57,560 look like you're sweating. One thing is when you're performing, you're supposed to look as if this is 291 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:03,560 effortless. This is supposed to be second nature and to be big and sweating and it's not a, it's 292 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:10,760 not a charming look, but yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's part of our job, I guess. It's a job description. 293 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:19,320 So let's talk about your love for composers or compositions in the Romantic era. So tell me. 294 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:28,440 My favorite, it's like choosing a favorite child. I don't have any children, but it's almost as if 295 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:34,520 trying to, yeah, but you know, you're, you're a love for Romantic composers or compositions. What, 296 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:42,120 what do you love so much about these eras, genres? Romantic era, it feels as if this is the upper 297 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:49,240 limits of tonal harmony and at the same time, virtuosity. I don't want to say that like Mozart 298 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:55,240 was boring or anything like that, or Bach was boring, not at all, but if anything Bach is 299 00:32:55,240 --> 00:33:01,000 becoming even more, as I'm getting older, as I'm getting more maturity, I'm looking at those pieces 300 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:07,320 and realizing the complexity and the inner depth behind them. But Romantic era in itself, 301 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:15,160 I felt as if this was the upper limit. This is as far as the ceiling goes and to play those pieces 302 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:22,280 are more entertaining than the rest. How are you engaging with the 21st century audience? So 303 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:28,680 what are you doing differently or creatively to reach out to your fan base? That is very 304 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:37,240 interesting because I want to say in the past three or four years, I don't know if I'm, I want 305 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:45,800 to say that I'm having a paradigm shift or a change on thought process, but as I was younger, 306 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:53,800 my initial look was Romantic era classical music. This is so spectacular. That's the whole truth. 307 00:33:53,800 --> 00:34:01,240 That's the whole truth. This is such an in-depth genre. And when you're listening to the radio, 308 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:06,920 all of it is kind of boring after a certain point, right? You know, like when I was 18, 309 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:13,720 I remember that some of my teachers and I, we would sit down for 20, 30 minutes, just trying to 310 00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:18,840 break down a Chopin ballade and just trying to understand the structure behind it and say, 311 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:24,120 what is that chord? What is that chord? And compared to listening to pop music right now, 312 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:29,880 you could just, you could break it down in 20 seconds. So it felt as if the music was so much 313 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:38,040 more entertaining back then. And my mission years ago was to almost not convert, but to show people 314 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:42,600 like, look over here, this music is so much more rich than what you're listening to now. 315 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:50,840 And that was my mission for some time. And then now it's almost as if it's not that I'm giving 316 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:58,280 up on trying to show people, but it's, it's almost as if people are just not interested in it. So 317 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:03,880 why should I almost try to convert people that are not willing? So that's where I'm almost at. 318 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:08,360 Just go after your fan base. Stop trying to convert new people because, you know, 319 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:10,760 they're just going to listen to what they want to listen to. 320 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:18,920 Sure, sure, sure, sure. But if there is an introductory to classical music in a certain way that 321 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:24,200 people may tune in, right? Not everybody, but certain people, there's a potential, right? 322 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:28,840 Of course. Yeah. So I'm not closing the door completely on it. If someone asks me to play, 323 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:34,040 I'm going to play for them. Even if not everyone in the audience is a classical music fan, but 324 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:40,040 actively going out and trying to bring in people. That's, I don't know how I feel about that anymore. 325 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:46,760 It's, it's maybe I'm jaded, but. No, no, but yeah, you have a point. Yeah, it's true. 326 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:51,800 Yeah. You don't have to do that, but there are a lot of people who would be interested, but 327 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:57,480 never had opportunity or being exposed to it. Right? Yeah. Those are the people that we need 328 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:04,200 to reach out to. That concludes the first half of this fun episode of the Piano Pod with a Canadian 329 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:09,800 American pianist recording artist, Ludovic Zemmour. If you enjoyed this episode, please 330 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:14,840 rate and review it on your favorite podcasting platform. You can also watch this episode on the 331 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:19,720 Piano Pod's YouTube channel. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and 332 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:26,680 LinkedIn. The links are listed in the description. Tune in next Tuesday, October 10th at 8 PM to hear 333 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:40,520 the rest of the interview with Ludovic Zemmour.