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There is no first or second rate music. There are only first or second rate performances.

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There's so much truth in that statement. It hardly even matters really what it is that you're doing.

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Are you doing it well? Are you doing it in a way that connects with people?

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Are you doing it in a way that ignites people's creative spark, awakens their passion?

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That's really where the big money is.

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As an inaugural episode of season five of The Pianopod, we had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Sara Davis Buechner, an internationally celebrated concert pianist and educator.

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During our conversation, we explored her extraordinary 40-plus year career, her mastery of piano technique, and her unique approach to musical interpretation.

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This idea of studying the music from the musical outside of it, like it's a great tableau, it's a story, it's an autobiography, it's someone's life, it's so totally absorbing to me.

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I mean, I can't imagine starting the study of a piece from the aspect of, okay, let's see, I want to win a piano competition, so this part I want to play fast and then this has to be accurate.

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I mean, those technical details will come in when you analyze the piece, pick it apart, have to practice it, but I think that comes later.

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The very first thing is, does it excite your passion? Does the piece excite your passion? Does it pull you into that composer's world?

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And that's what a great composer does, you know, they pull you into their story, not your story, but their story.

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We also delved into her advocacy for lesser-known composers and her role as a champion of diversity and inclusion in the classical music world.

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Dr. Buechner shared her insights on how the classical music community can grow through inclusivity and how she is inspiring the next generation of pianists.

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You know, the true diversity that could be presented in the concert hall is far larger than what these concert presenters can conceive of.

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And I realized that I've been doing DEI myself for decades.

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It's the music that's much lesser played that I found so much richness in, in terms of music that, you know, it's so fresh to my ears, so fresh to a lot of people's ears, because it's not played very often.

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And there's much more to discover in great music that hasn't been, frankly, overplayed.

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Dear TPP friends and listeners, don't miss this incredible opportunity to hear Dr. Sara Davis Buechner's invigorating story.

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Join us tomorrow, September 10th at 8 p.m. Eastern Time for an engaging and enchanting conversation with Dr. Buechner, streaming on the Piano Pod's YouTube channel and available on all your favorite podcast platforms.

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Tune in and let this conversation inspire and transform your musical journey.