WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:03.029 Hello everyone and welcome back to the PianoPod. 00:00:03.209 --> 00:00:05.410 Today's episode is a special bonus conversation 00:00:05.410 --> 00:00:08.050 created in collaboration with Manus School of 00:00:08.050 --> 00:00:10.509 Music at The New School. Do you remember last 00:00:10.509 --> 00:00:13.810 October, the PianoPod partnered with Manus Prep 00:00:13.810 --> 00:00:16.969 for its very first live edition? It brought together 00:00:16.969 --> 00:00:20.050 members of the Manus community and beyond, and 00:00:20.050 --> 00:00:22.910 the energy in the room was remarkable. The audience 00:00:22.910 --> 00:00:25.410 leaned in, asked thoughtful questions during 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:28.489 the Q &A, and stayed long after the event ended 00:00:28.489 --> 00:00:31.640 to continue the conversation. That experience, 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:35.560 rooted in live performance, dialogue, and genuine 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.539 exchange, clearly resonated on both sides. The 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:41.780 momentum opened the door to today's episode, 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.539 one centered on artistry, pedagogy, and the long 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:48.119 arc of piano study through the lens of an artist 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:51.740 who has shaped generations of musicians. This 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.679 season, we are exploring creativity and connection, 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:57.840 highlighting artists and institutions who are 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:00.299 building community while reimagining the future 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:03.500 of classical music. Today, we explore what it 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:06.459 truly means to build artists through music and 00:01:06.459 --> 00:01:10.019 mentorship. I am thrilled to welcome Pavlina 00:01:10.019 --> 00:01:12.760 Dokowska, internationally active concert pianist 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.079 and chair of the piano department at Manus School 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:17.939 of Music. For decades, she has shaped generations 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:20.359 of young artists through a philosophy grounded 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:23.840 in rigor, humanity, and a deeply family -centered 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.099 approach to teaching. Her perspective, rooted 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:29.939 in performance, pedagogy, and institutional leadership, 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:33.579 offers a rare and valuable lens on serious piano 00:01:33.579 --> 00:01:36.359 study today. In our conversation, we discuss 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:40.319 why sustained piano study matters now, how artists 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:42.500 are formed through mentorship and community, 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:46.260 and how these ideas intersect with the Menace 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:49.079 International Piano Festival. an initiative that 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:52.359 extends the department's spirit into an intensive 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:54.819 summer gathering in the heart of downtown Manhattan, 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:58.560 one of the world's great cultural centers. We 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.599 are also joined by Jiwon Young, a current graduate 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:04.560 student at Manus and recent first prize winner 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.519 of the concerto competition. Through her perspective, 00:02:07.780 --> 00:02:10.240 we glimpse what it is like to study and grow 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:12.979 as an artist within this vibrant musical community 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:16.500 and how mentorship translates into artistic confidence 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:19.599 on stage. If you are watching this episode, be 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:22.159 sure to like the video. It truly helps this show 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:25.159 grow and reach more listeners. If you're listening 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:27.379 on audio, please subscribe and leave a review. 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:30.479 Your engagement sustains this growing community 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:33.960 of artists and thinkers who are reimagining what 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:37.020 classical music can be today. Here is the piano 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:40.680 pod with Pavlina Dakovska. Please enjoy the show. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:47.800 You are listening to The Piano Pod, where we 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:50.360 talk to the brightest minds in the industry about 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:52.900 how they are bringing the piano into the future 00:02:52.900 --> 00:02:56.099 and thriving in a complex, ever -evolving world. 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:00.139 Pavlina, welcome to The Piano Pod. It's such 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:02.180 a pleasure to have you today. Thank you so much 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:04.979 for being here. Thank you for having me. It's 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:07.080 a great pleasure for me, too. Oh, thank you. 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:10.240 And so before we dive in, I want to briefly return 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.039 to that moment last fall. You know, collaborating 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.560 with Manus Prep at Stiefel Hall gave me a window 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:19.520 into the Manus community at the new school, how 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.500 deeply people are connected and how state of 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:25.439 the art the facilities are and how uniquely situated. 00:03:26.189 --> 00:03:29.330 In downtown Manhattan, connecting the East, West 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:31.629 Villages, and the historic Greenwich Village 00:03:31.629 --> 00:03:34.110 neighborhood is so wonderful. And what struck 00:03:34.110 --> 00:03:37.770 me most was seeing young musicians, some as young 00:03:37.770 --> 00:03:40.650 as five or six in the prep, sharing the same 00:03:40.650 --> 00:03:42.789 building and musical environment with college 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:45.430 -level, postgraduate -level students from Manist, 00:03:45.550 --> 00:03:48.250 all learning and making music under one roof. 00:03:48.490 --> 00:03:51.650 And today I'm speaking with you in your role 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.780 as... chair of the piano department at Manus 00:03:54.780 --> 00:03:57.460 School of Music. You've been teaching there for 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:03.439 how many years? 30. Oh, wow. And I have been 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.620 chairing the piano department since 1998. And 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:12.759 since 1999, I started the now very well -known 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:16.279 Manus Sounds Festival, which takes the young 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:20.600 talent of Manus And later on of this, College 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:22.699 of Performing Arts, School of Drama, School of 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:25.000 Jazz, all over the city of New York at some of 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.379 the most prestigious concert venues, including 00:04:27.379 --> 00:04:31.779 Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall, many cultural centers, 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:37.959 consulates, Steinway Hall, museums. So menace 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:43.160 is all over. So what has kept you committed to 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.680 this particular musical community for so long? 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:50.879 I feel very, very passionate about manners. When 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:53.939 I was invited to give a masterclass for the first 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:56.040 time as a performing artist, you know, performing 00:04:56.040 --> 00:04:59.980 artists are invited to give masterclasses. And 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:04.100 I was asked for a first masterclass to give in 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:11.560 1996. And then again in 97, two classes in a 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:17.800 row. And then... I was asked to be hired. And 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:24.060 ever since I went into Manus and I met colleagues, 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:26.980 I met students, I felt the whole atmosphere. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:31.259 It's a very special world. It's a very family 00:05:31.259 --> 00:05:41.319 -like school. Students, parents. not only parents, 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:43.779 because in the college we have international 00:05:43.779 --> 00:05:53.399 students, but faculty, patrons, we all are feeling 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:59.639 like we are a family. This is one word that always 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:06.040 comes to mind when I say Manus. Wow. Beautifully 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:09.540 said. So with your expansive career as a concert 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:12.279 pianist and decades of experience as a pedagogue 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:14.420 and chair of the piano department, I'm curious 00:06:14.420 --> 00:06:17.959 to hear your perspective. Why does serious piano 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.879 study matter in our current musical and cultural 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:29.120 moment? I would like to share with you a great 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:36.889 quote by the writer E .T .A. Hoffman. who inspired 00:06:36.889 --> 00:06:43.089 many composers, including Schumann, Brahms, etc. 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:49.509 He said, Music is the most romantic of all arts 00:06:49.509 --> 00:06:56.290 because its subject is the infinite. Music discloses 00:06:56.290 --> 00:07:01.850 to man an unknown realm in which he leaves behind 00:07:01.850 --> 00:07:05.480 all definite feelings, to surrender himself to 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:14.560 inexpressible longing. So this sentence, this 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:19.199 quote from Hoffman always lives with me. I always 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:26.939 share it because in one sentence he describes 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:34.730 the magic of music. Music indeed takes us to 00:07:34.730 --> 00:07:39.990 a very extraordinary place of the mind, of the 00:07:39.990 --> 00:07:44.790 emotions. We are, as performers, as students, 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:51.250 as listeners, as audience, we're making the same 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:54.610 intellectual and emotional journey as the composers 00:07:54.610 --> 00:08:01.300 did and we're living the life of geniuses, you 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:04.759 know, to go through the emotional and intellectual 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:10.019 journey of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:17.180 Prokofiev, Schoenberg, and now contemporary composers. 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:20.980 This is an extraordinary privilege and it makes 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:28.000 our own life richer because we are involved with 00:08:28.509 --> 00:08:33.230 their rich world. And when we speak about the 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:36.309 importance of young people to study music, this 00:08:36.309 --> 00:08:40.730 is one very strong and important point. Their 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:46.450 life becomes richer. Their values become different. 00:08:47.110 --> 00:08:55.590 Their knowledge becomes very broad. Why? Because 00:08:55.590 --> 00:09:00.120 you cannot be performing the music of, let's 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:02.440 say, Chopin or the music of Prokofiev, unless 00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:05.779 you understand the world they lived in, unless 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:11.480 you understand the history, the culture, the 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:18.379 arts of that period. So anyone who studies music 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:25.960 and studies it in the right way becomes a very 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:31.159 well -rounded person. And because of that, also 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:36.500 becomes a better person. I strongly believe that 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:47.120 music is extremely important when we educate 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:52.340 the young people. It also trains concentration, 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:59.870 discipline, the ability to express yourself the 00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:05.450 ability to connect to audience and not only audience 00:10:05.450 --> 00:10:09.809 it makes you a freer person because it teaches 00:10:09.809 --> 00:10:14.769 communication and these skills can serve you 00:10:14.769 --> 00:10:18.289 very well regardless what your profession later 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:24.110 on will be music and arts have to be part of 00:10:24.110 --> 00:10:31.909 the education The same way, you know, math, it's 00:10:31.909 --> 00:10:34.570 not a matter of choice. Students have to study 00:10:34.570 --> 00:10:37.029 math. They have to study English. They have to 00:10:37.029 --> 00:10:40.330 study other languages. They have to study music. 00:10:40.610 --> 00:10:45.009 They have to study arts, humanities. It's actually 00:10:45.009 --> 00:10:49.950 a beautiful word which we say about humanities, 00:10:50.470 --> 00:10:54.610 that it's part of studying humanities, music. 00:10:56.459 --> 00:11:00.500 brings out our humanity. There is a reason why 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:05.840 it's called humanity. Yes, absolutely. Wow, that's 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:08.120 a really powerful statement. Thank you so much. 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:10.840 So, you know, I think my audience should get 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.179 to know you better. And I've been listening to 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:16.440 your album, Music of Tributes, Debussy O'Morning. 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:20.139 And it's a, you know, homage to Debussy. And 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:23.259 then I heard several different composers, pieces 00:11:23.259 --> 00:11:25.320 by composers as well. And then your performance 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.720 was just so incredible. But so how your musical 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:32.379 journey began and the path that led you to an 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:34.200 international performing career, I would like 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.440 to know. You grew up in Bulgaria, right? I grew 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.899 up in Bulgaria. I had extraordinary teachers. 00:11:41.740 --> 00:11:47.100 My first teachers. I will be always very, very 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:50.659 grateful. Lydia Kuteva was the one who really 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:55.200 put me on a path of professional career because 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:58.399 I started performing at the age of 11. My first 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:00.879 performance with orchestra. Then I started in 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:05.480 the conservatory with Julia Konstantin Ganev, 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:11.019 who were... Very privileged to study with Henrik 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.080 Neuhaus, one of the greatest teachers of all 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:18.100 time in Moscow. I also spent several summers 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:22.179 with a great performer and teacher Yvonne Lefebvre. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:25.860 And I worked with her on French music. I won 00:12:25.860 --> 00:12:29.279 the Debussy competition there. And then I came 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.720 on a Fulbright scholarship to the United States. 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:34.940 Studied with Beverly Webster at the Juilliard 00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:39.820 School where I got my master's degree. In the 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:43.159 meantime, I also won a competition in Senegal. 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:46.799 And while I was actually already a Juilliard, 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:50.440 I had a management. I was performing already 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:55.779 in Europe. And then I started performing in the 00:12:55.779 --> 00:12:59.659 United States through another manager. So I would 00:12:59.659 --> 00:13:03.279 spend six months in Europe touring, six months 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:08.080 in the United States touring. in Asia, Mexico, 00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:12.580 etc. So I was very fortunate to experience that. 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:16.940 And I was very lucky also to collaborate with 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:21.779 extraordinary musicians, instrumentalists, great 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:25.919 singers from whom I learned a lot. One of them 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:29.740 was Nikolai Giarov, one of the greatest bassists 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:34.139 in the world, Nerella Freire. I have worked with 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:37.059 Nathaniel Rosen. the great cellist, recorded 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:39.539 with him, Robert McDuffie, the great violinist. 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:48.139 So this is briefly what my life as a performer 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:53.340 was. And being fortunate to study with great 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:58.779 teachers, I knew that I have a calling for that. 00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:05.549 I felt I had a calling for that because I I really 00:14:05.549 --> 00:14:10.269 connected and learned from them, not only about 00:14:10.269 --> 00:14:15.490 music and playing the piano, but also how to 00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:21.269 communicate your knowledge to people. And as 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:25.570 a performer, I was many times invited to give 00:14:25.570 --> 00:14:30.090 masterclasses. So for me, this was a calling. 00:14:30.230 --> 00:14:34.480 And when I started working at Manus, it became 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:40.419 one of my missions. And I'm very happy and I'm 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:43.940 very grateful that I had this opportunity to 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:51.559 start sharing my knowledge in a very big, consistent, 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:56.340 profound way with the future generation of pianists. 00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:03.269 And we have real stars. who followed the path 00:15:03.269 --> 00:15:07.970 of graduates of Manus, like Mari Piraj, as you 00:15:07.970 --> 00:15:10.809 know, Richard Wood. So we have extraordinary 00:15:10.809 --> 00:15:16.389 musicians who came from Manus and alums of Manus. 00:15:16.690 --> 00:15:20.809 And they are performing, whether it's Natasha 00:15:20.809 --> 00:15:23.149 Paremsky, whether it's Reid Tetzeloff, whether 00:15:23.149 --> 00:15:26.490 it's Daria Rabotkina, Angelina Gadelia, Vladimir 00:15:26.490 --> 00:15:33.559 Rumyantsev. The list is very long. I actually, 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:39.740 today, I just got a text message from my former 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:44.159 student, Reid Tetzlaff, who has a wonderful career 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:48.179 and at the same time doing his doctoral degree 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:52.179 at Peabody with Richard Goode. He just texted 00:15:52.179 --> 00:15:57.539 me with a program from his performance in Florida. 00:15:58.750 --> 00:16:01.269 big, big concert series. And he said, and guess 00:16:01.269 --> 00:16:04.690 what? Natasha Paramsky, your student also performed 00:16:04.690 --> 00:16:09.690 there. And so I saw the list of these two students 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:12.889 of mine, former students, and I was so, so proud 00:16:12.889 --> 00:16:18.690 to see them performing actually on the same series. 00:16:18.990 --> 00:16:25.350 So Menace is all over. Wow. So with the decades 00:16:25.350 --> 00:16:28.350 of teaching there and you've seen it all, you 00:16:28.350 --> 00:16:30.529 know, you've experienced it all, I'm sure. But 00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:33.110 so from that point of view, what does it mean 00:16:33.110 --> 00:16:36.470 to train pianists, young pianists as complete 00:16:36.470 --> 00:16:43.309 artists in this modern world? It is an interesting 00:16:43.309 --> 00:16:50.450 question because on one hand, we as teachers 00:16:50.450 --> 00:16:54.519 need to follow. the tradition of great teaching 00:16:54.519 --> 00:17:00.659 of the past. Because these teachers were truly 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:07.359 phenomenal. When we go back all the way, Clara 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:13.779 Schumann, Leschetizky, the list is very long. 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:21.240 At the same time, we live in very different times. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:26.400 We live in stressful times and it is very important 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:33.400 to provide all the support the students need 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:39.299 in order to continue pursuing music, not to be 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:43.579 discouraged, not to be distracted by the many 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:51.460 distractions in the world today. to really approach 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:58.279 every single student for his or her uniqueness. 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:04.259 Teaching piano is about connecting to individual 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:09.119 students. You don't teach the same piece the 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:14.359 same way to every student. Otherwise you make 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:20.019 recordings about how to teach a piece. Every 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:29.720 student has their own knowledge, broad or limited, 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.839 imagination, and you have to reach out to them 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:41.420 depending on it. And while communicating the 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:45.220 necessary knowledge about the composer, you go 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:49.609 to the student. depending on their needs, also 00:18:49.609 --> 00:18:55.990 pianistic. Some students have not only different 00:18:55.990 --> 00:19:00.750 hands, but different level of pianistic technical 00:19:00.750 --> 00:19:08.009 abilities. So you have to address that. And therefore, 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:14.710 teaching is something which requires tremendous 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:18.519 sense of responsibility. Tremendous understanding 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:26.339 about giving and real love for the student. You 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:30.779 have to love your student. Because if you don't 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:35.339 connect with love, there is always a barrier. 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:38.920 The students feel where they're welcomed, where 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:47.539 they're embraced with appreciation. Always say 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:52.980 to my students, the purpose is to, I mean, perfection 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:56.359 is not possible. We just try to do the best we 00:19:56.359 --> 00:20:00.180 can at the given moment. And there is no place 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:04.859 for frustration or anger with yourself. You just 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:11.259 love music, give what music is needed, and appreciate 00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:15.160 every little progress you're making, whether... 00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:20.569 At three o 'clock, you were able to master four 00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:24.349 measures of something. You have to be happy. 00:20:25.569 --> 00:20:36.450 So, music making is about being very happy within 00:20:36.450 --> 00:20:39.990 the process of making music. If you don't have 00:20:39.990 --> 00:20:45.759 that state of mind, you cannot... enter the world 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:50.099 of these great composers because music was born 00:20:50.099 --> 00:20:56.259 out of love, passion, and sense of liberation. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.539 You are being liberated when you put down on 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:06.839 the piece of paper the music. Therefore, we as 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:11.680 performers have to experience that passion, that 00:21:12.329 --> 00:21:16.250 sense of liberation, the happiness that we can 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:20.990 make music. Well, thank you. Well, that's powerful. 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:26.150 Now, so you've been telling me the word community 00:21:26.150 --> 00:21:30.529 quite a bit today. So what role does community 00:21:30.529 --> 00:21:34.029 play in supporting artistic growth and long -term 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:37.890 development? Community is very important. Family 00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:40.890 is very important. Your friends are very important. 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:46.009 The audience that you try to also cultivate your 00:21:46.009 --> 00:21:50.490 own audience is what today also the artists have 00:21:50.490 --> 00:21:58.750 to develop. Ability to promote themselves, to 00:21:58.750 --> 00:22:01.690 attract audiences. This is something that also 00:22:01.690 --> 00:22:05.829 at Manus is being taught. Entrepreneurship. Yeah, 00:22:05.849 --> 00:22:10.950 that's wonderful. You have to be able to market. 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:16.650 who you are because we live with the technology 00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:21.269 in the world that makes it possible. Before the 00:22:21.269 --> 00:22:24.890 artist was counting only on a manager. What the 00:22:24.890 --> 00:22:27.130 manager was able, the impresario was able to 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:32.430 do to get you performances. Now the young people 00:22:32.430 --> 00:22:36.130 have the ability to promote themselves and they 00:22:36.130 --> 00:22:39.920 should. Let's talk about Manus, right? So can 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:42.619 you give us a brief overview of the School of 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:45.799 Music at the New School, so Manus, and the role 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:49.180 that piano department plays within it? Well, 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:56.700 as we know, the piano is an instrument that everyone, 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:01.660 whether you play violin or cello or winds or 00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:05.900 singer, you need to know to play somehow piano. 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:14.900 And also the piano department is involved in 00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:18.420 supporting the other instrumentalists and the 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:24.039 singers. So we have chamber music, we have classes 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:30.019 which teach our students how to work with singers, 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:35.369 how to work with instrumentalists. The piano 00:23:35.369 --> 00:23:39.150 department is very, very strong. And I'm very 00:23:39.150 --> 00:23:47.630 proud that Manus, as of 2024, became the only 00:23:47.630 --> 00:23:50.069 conservatory in New York to meet the criteria 00:23:50.069 --> 00:23:58.529 for an all -Steinway school. So we have extraordinary 00:23:58.529 --> 00:24:06.660 pianos. the students have the opportunity to 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:10.920 play on great instruments. The piano department, 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:14.920 because of the prominence of the piano department 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:19.720 and the success that Manus Sounds Festival has 00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:24.480 had during the 27 years, this led to my idea 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:29.160 to start the Manus International Piano Festival, 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:35.839 which we started in 2020. at the year when we 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:41.119 became an old Steinway school. So this is another 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:45.539 important contribution that the Menace Piano 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:50.519 Department is giving to the world of music because 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:52.799 it's an international piano festival. We bring 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:54.940 in students from all over the world. We have 00:24:54.940 --> 00:24:57.579 international faculty in addition to the Menace 00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:01.940 faculty. So the month of July is a wonderful 00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:08.750 month. which spotlights the great accomplishments 00:25:08.750 --> 00:25:14.109 of the piano department. Wonderful. So the Manus 00:25:14.109 --> 00:25:15.730 International Piano Festival that you mentioned, 00:25:15.829 --> 00:25:18.490 so let's talk more about that. So it takes place 00:25:18.490 --> 00:25:23.910 exactly where you are, at Manus School of Music. 00:25:24.150 --> 00:25:29.440 Also, and also at... We are part of the new school. 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:32.000 We collaborate, as I mentioned, with the Menna 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.519 Sounds Festival. We collaborate with the School 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:37.599 of Jazz, School of Drama, with Parsons School 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:40.819 of Design. I have created fantastic events with 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:45.880 Parsons also, including Parsons. So now we have 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:47.759 an event which also includes some students from 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:52.319 Milan. It's Leo Tolstoy and Music on February 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:57.410 24th. So... The campus of the new school is wonderful, 00:25:57.609 --> 00:26:03.049 and we use some of the great facilities and great 00:26:03.049 --> 00:26:06.369 halls of the new school because we are part of 00:26:06.369 --> 00:26:11.750 it. That's wonderful. So how long is the festival 00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:14.750 for, especially for this year? When is the start 00:26:14.750 --> 00:26:19.890 date? The festival since we started in 2024 is 00:26:19.890 --> 00:26:25.549 two weeks. Students this year will arrive on 00:26:25.549 --> 00:26:32.289 the 12th of July and through July 26th and this 00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:37.569 is a very intense period when they have private 00:26:37.569 --> 00:26:41.230 lessons, when they have daily performance workshops, 00:26:41.710 --> 00:26:45.049 there are lectures, there are presentations, 00:26:45.670 --> 00:26:52.390 there are showcases where all pianists play at 00:26:52.390 --> 00:26:57.769 the end of each week. We have a wonderful competition 00:26:57.769 --> 00:27:03.230 which gives cash prizes, first, second, third 00:27:03.230 --> 00:27:12.769 prize and honorary mentions. And we have a great 00:27:12.769 --> 00:27:17.730 concert series featuring the new generation of 00:27:17.730 --> 00:27:20.869 outstanding pianists. Wonderful. And so what 00:27:20.869 --> 00:27:26.670 are the age group for this festival? We welcome 00:27:26.670 --> 00:27:33.150 anybody from the age of 16 on. And exceptions 00:27:33.150 --> 00:27:36.289 are being made for exceptionally talented students 00:27:36.289 --> 00:27:39.029 under the age of 16. Of course, they have to 00:27:39.029 --> 00:27:44.690 be accompanied by parents. There is a process, 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:48.450 you know, they have to apply. They have to send 00:27:48.450 --> 00:27:51.930 their recordings. We listen to these recordings. 00:27:51.970 --> 00:27:56.329 We make decisions. We also are very generous 00:27:56.329 --> 00:28:01.750 about scholarships. For the last two years, we 00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:06.509 have given about $30 ,000 in scholarships. Wonderful. 00:28:08.650 --> 00:28:13.609 Everyone who has been part of this festival has 00:28:13.609 --> 00:28:18.460 left very happy. Great. Now, can you introduce 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:21.240 us some of the core faculty members or maybe 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:25.720 guest artists for this year's? Of our international 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:30.380 piano faculty, Hyunjun Chung, one of the leading 00:28:30.380 --> 00:28:35.079 pedagogues and performers of Korea, South Korea. 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:41.299 Yoon Soon, a professor in Shanghai, who happens 00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:46.579 to be also an alumna of Manus. wonderful pianist 00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:50.900 and great teacher, very well known in China, 00:28:51.000 --> 00:29:03.500 not only. We have Ronan O 'Hara from the United 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:10.880 Kingdom and Graham Scott from the United Kingdom, 00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:17.640 both prominent pianists and and teachers. So, 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:25.480 as far as men's faculty, we have great stars 00:29:25.480 --> 00:29:30.259 who are joining the faculty. Anne Schein, legendary 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:37.740 Anne Schein, Eterion Giapparidze, Vladimir Valyarevich, 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:45.240 Irina Morozova, Simona Dinerstein, We have about 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:49.259 Thomas Sauer, Jerome Rose. I mean, the list is 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:55.940 like 15 people. Each and every one of our faculty 00:29:55.940 --> 00:30:02.720 are recognized worldwide. Amazing. So what do 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:05.140 you hope participants carry forward beyond the 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:09.279 festival, both artistically and personally, by 00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:13.539 participating in this festival? We hope that 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:22.859 they learn a lot, that they enjoy their stay 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:26.839 in New York City. I must say that this festival 00:30:26.839 --> 00:30:31.640 is the only large -scale piano festival in New 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:37.500 York City. And so when you come and you study 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:41.859 piano, you also have the ability to go to the 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:45.359 Metropolitan Museum, to the Frick Museum, to 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:49.319 the Museum of Modern Art. There are so many museums. 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:51.700 There are so many things happening in New York 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:56.220 City. I also would like to mention another very 00:30:56.220 --> 00:31:01.920 important aspect that we're very proud of. We 00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:05.680 are providing for the students unlimited number 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:12.019 of hours for practicing. Many festivals internationally 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:15.460 and U .S. festivals, you know, they give you 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:18.779 three hours to practice because facilities are 00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:26.500 limited. Our students can practice. Really? Yes. 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:30.700 So we won't limit the number of hours. Of course, 00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:35.359 at night they have to sleep. Right. That's right. 00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:40.430 Wonderful. Now we'd like to hear from Jiwon Yang, 00:31:40.630 --> 00:31:43.150 a past Manus International Piano Festival participant 00:31:43.150 --> 00:31:46.990 and a current Manus graduate student. And before 00:31:46.990 --> 00:31:50.529 we hear from her, her perspective, Pavlina, could 00:31:50.529 --> 00:31:52.950 you tell us a bit about Jiwon? What qualities 00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:57.529 stood out to you as a developing artist? Jiwon 00:31:57.529 --> 00:32:04.109 is absolutely an exceptional pianist. And she 00:32:04.109 --> 00:32:10.359 auditioned only at Manus. She felt that this 00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:13.259 is the place she wants to be. She studies with 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:20.900 me and with Richard Goode. And she won the third 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:26.420 prize in Van Cliburn Junior. She has a large 00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:30.799 list of competitions. And the last one was the 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:34.279 third prize at the ARD Munich International Piano 00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:36.480 Competition, which is one of the biggest one. 00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:45.579 in the piano world. So she's a very accomplished 00:32:45.579 --> 00:32:51.220 pianist and she's also a great collaborator. 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:58.900 She plays a lot of chamber music. She is a wonderful 00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:07.299 person and she felt really in love. She felt 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:10.980 really in love with Manus. So when she finished 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:13.960 her undergraduate study, it was time to apply 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:17.660 for graduate studies. And I asked her, where 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:19.900 are you going to apply? She said, I don't want 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:22.099 to go anywhere else. I'm going to stay at Manus. 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.599 And now she's going to be auditioning also for 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:28.740 professional studies diploma. So she'll be eight 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:37.879 years at Manus, nurtured by a wonderful atmosphere, 00:33:37.879 --> 00:33:43.640 her colleagues, great teachers. She takes collaborative 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:49.900 piano classes with Professor Stanesco, Professor 00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:53.559 Novacek, she studies chamber music. She studies 00:33:53.559 --> 00:33:59.680 with many people, Brandon Mayers. She is spreading 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:07.630 her wings. I'm very, very happy with what she 00:34:07.630 --> 00:34:10.489 has accomplished and the kind of person she has 00:34:10.489 --> 00:34:52.250 become. Now, we're joined by Jiwon Young, a graduate 00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:55.210 student at Manus School of Music and a participant 00:34:55.210 --> 00:34:58.230 in last year's Manus International Piano Festival. 00:34:58.469 --> 00:35:03.210 And before we begin, welcome, Jiwon. Thank you. 00:35:03.210 --> 00:35:05.730 Thank you for having me. Thank you. And I want 00:35:05.730 --> 00:35:08.590 to start with a huge congratulations. You just 00:35:08.590 --> 00:35:12.949 won first prize in the George and Elizabeth Gregory 00:35:12.949 --> 00:35:17.449 Concerto Competition at Manus. Last night. Wow. 00:35:19.489 --> 00:35:23.150 So, so it was a final round last night. Yes. 00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:27.960 So we had the three different rounds for this 00:35:27.960 --> 00:35:31.119 whole year. It started in the fall semester of 00:35:31.119 --> 00:35:34.539 2025. We started the pre -screening round with 00:35:34.539 --> 00:35:37.360 the videos. And then to the semifinal round, 00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:41.179 which happened last November. Then five finalists 00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:45.400 got to play last night with a second piano accompanist. 00:35:45.539 --> 00:35:48.480 We had three pianists, one percussionist, and 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:54.360 one violinist. So it was a very huge night. Wow. 00:35:55.159 --> 00:35:58.119 Really, I'm very, very happy for you. And what 00:35:58.119 --> 00:36:01.480 a great achievement. So as a first prize winner, 00:36:02.019 --> 00:36:09.000 what will you receive? So, well, I got an opportunity 00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:11.860 to perform with our school orchestra soon. The 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:14.539 date will be released soon. And also the cash 00:36:14.539 --> 00:36:19.199 prize. How much? It's a list of 4 ,000 cash prize. 00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:23.789 And also the very... like I would say personal 00:36:23.789 --> 00:36:27.230 growth by playing in front of the audience I 00:36:27.230 --> 00:36:30.050 mean it's a very like a big privilege to play 00:36:30.050 --> 00:36:34.150 in front of the audience the whole concerto as 00:36:34.150 --> 00:36:37.050 I played Tchaikovsky first piano concerto it 00:36:37.050 --> 00:36:39.690 was actually like the length of 40 minutes so 00:36:39.690 --> 00:36:42.650 it was actually huge so it itself was already 00:36:42.650 --> 00:36:46.210 a great experience for myself and also my pianist 00:36:46.210 --> 00:36:50.210 who accompanied me was And well, himself, I would 00:36:50.210 --> 00:36:53.289 identify him as an orchestra. He was amazing 00:36:53.289 --> 00:36:57.409 playing with me. With him, I was very confident 00:36:57.409 --> 00:37:02.329 on playing. Wonderful. Congratulations once again. 00:37:02.670 --> 00:37:05.150 So for our viewers and listeners who are just 00:37:05.150 --> 00:37:08.750 discovering you, you know, could you briefly 00:37:08.750 --> 00:37:10.909 introduce yourself? Where are you originally 00:37:10.909 --> 00:37:14.190 from? What you are focusing on in your graduate 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:16.989 studies? And then what has shaped you artistically? 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:21.019 So, well basically first I'm based on South Korea, 00:37:21.219 --> 00:37:25.239 Seoul. I just moved to New York City and it's 00:37:25.239 --> 00:37:28.260 my first time living in the States abroad alone. 00:37:30.349 --> 00:37:33.030 It's been six years already. So I kind of feel 00:37:33.030 --> 00:37:35.949 like this is my second home. And as I'm a student 00:37:35.949 --> 00:37:38.829 at Madison for six years already, because right 00:37:38.829 --> 00:37:41.389 now I'm pursuing my last semester, final semester 00:37:41.389 --> 00:37:45.170 as a master degree student. But I was a graduate 00:37:45.170 --> 00:37:50.949 of undergraduate here as well. So my most focus 00:37:50.949 --> 00:37:56.530 is obviously a solo pianist. I really perform 00:37:56.530 --> 00:38:00.869 everywhere since I was like. young girl I was 00:38:00.869 --> 00:38:03.409 traveling a lot for international competitions 00:38:03.409 --> 00:38:09.050 and performances. By that I try to expand my 00:38:09.050 --> 00:38:13.389 perspectives and my growth as a musician which 00:38:13.389 --> 00:38:19.550 one of my goal at last it's to be able to travel 00:38:19.550 --> 00:38:23.969 everywhere to perform, share my music with people 00:38:23.969 --> 00:38:27.210 around the world. So that's what I am working 00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:31.599 currently now. Okay. I'm just curious, what has 00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:35.820 kept you at Manus from your undergraduate till 00:38:35.820 --> 00:38:41.460 now? What kept you for a long time? So it might 00:38:41.460 --> 00:38:44.119 sound very obvious, but really one of the only, 00:38:44.219 --> 00:38:47.599 even the only reason is my professors. I currently 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:50.780 study with Richard Good and Pavlina Dukovska. 00:38:51.599 --> 00:38:58.250 They are wonderful people. I'm always honored 00:38:58.250 --> 00:39:03.949 to be their students. And it was the major reason 00:39:03.949 --> 00:39:07.769 I also came to Madness. But not only the professors, 00:39:07.829 --> 00:39:11.010 but the community here at Madness are really 00:39:11.010 --> 00:39:16.309 amazing. As I'm staying here for almost six years, 00:39:16.730 --> 00:39:22.320 it's actually one -fourth of my whole life. All 00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:24.559 the communities, all the other professors, all 00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:26.679 the other community. I mean, all the faculty 00:39:26.679 --> 00:39:30.380 members, my friends, peers. They're all really 00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:33.619 amazing, I would say. I kind of imagine, like, 00:39:33.739 --> 00:39:37.579 if this is going to be the same if I was in other 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:42.500 place, that it really means a lot to me. It's 00:39:42.500 --> 00:39:47.530 a wonderful, really tight community there. Today 00:39:47.530 --> 00:39:50.409 you're here with us because you participated 00:39:50.409 --> 00:39:53.369 in the Manus International Piano Festival, I 00:39:53.369 --> 00:39:57.670 believe last year. And now in its upcoming summer 00:39:57.670 --> 00:40:01.530 would be the third year. And so I'm just curious 00:40:01.530 --> 00:40:05.050 what attracted you to apply last summer and then 00:40:05.050 --> 00:40:08.889 what specifically drew you in? Yeah. So first 00:40:08.889 --> 00:40:12.230 of all, I actually attended both first and second 00:40:12.230 --> 00:40:16.960 year of Manus Piano Festival. When I first heard 00:40:16.960 --> 00:40:20.420 that this was going to happen, I was very excited. 00:40:20.579 --> 00:40:23.159 Not because it's going to happen in our school, 00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:27.340 but I believed my professor, Pavlina Dukovska, 00:40:27.460 --> 00:40:29.400 who's actually in charge of everything. She's 00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:32.840 the chair of everything. And not only that, but 00:40:32.840 --> 00:40:36.539 because even during the school years, she has 00:40:36.539 --> 00:40:39.900 been in charge of an event called Manus Sounds 00:40:39.900 --> 00:40:44.500 Festival, which happens every year. She curates. 00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:48.039 All the performances, not only in our school, 00:40:48.219 --> 00:40:51.320 but everywhere around New York City. So students 00:40:51.320 --> 00:40:57.159 have an opportunity to perform in many big venues, 00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:01.780 including Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in 00:41:01.780 --> 00:41:05.699 New York City. So when I first heard about this 00:41:05.699 --> 00:41:08.699 news that this new festival is going to open 00:41:08.699 --> 00:41:11.639 up, I had no doubt that this is going to be a 00:41:11.639 --> 00:41:15.389 really great privilege. to all of the pianists 00:41:15.389 --> 00:41:20.650 in the world to be able to achieve a great opportunity. 00:41:21.150 --> 00:41:25.369 So as I expected, the first year, even it was 00:41:25.369 --> 00:41:28.130 the first year, the festival was very successful. 00:41:29.750 --> 00:41:34.010 It includes lessons, private lessons with all 00:41:34.010 --> 00:41:36.489 the faculty members from Venice, but not only, 00:41:36.590 --> 00:41:41.880 but also from international. a pianist, a great 00:41:41.880 --> 00:41:46.119 well -known pianist from international and we 00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:51.340 have a masterclass going on and also what really 00:41:51.340 --> 00:41:55.440 stood out to me is that all the students get 00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:58.900 to get their own practice room for a whole time 00:41:58.900 --> 00:42:02.199 they participate. For me, I quite feel that this 00:42:02.199 --> 00:42:06.230 is very rare thing because as i've been traveling 00:42:06.230 --> 00:42:09.949 a lot to all the other competitions and festivals 00:42:09.949 --> 00:42:15.489 getting their own practice room for as much as 00:42:15.489 --> 00:42:20.070 they can it's quite rare so you always have to 00:42:20.070 --> 00:42:23.190 fight for it right yes i i thought it was a very 00:42:23.190 --> 00:42:28.090 great thing to not be limited to the space for 00:42:28.090 --> 00:42:32.670 using and also we provide the housing and also 00:42:33.630 --> 00:42:36.949 The second week, which is the last week, we hold 00:42:36.949 --> 00:42:40.929 a competition itself to fight over the cash prize 00:42:40.929 --> 00:42:45.309 also. And I also participated in the first year 00:42:45.309 --> 00:42:49.769 competition, which I won a second prize. So all 00:42:49.769 --> 00:42:52.329 these things. And also we have a weekly showcase 00:42:52.329 --> 00:42:55.889 that students get to play whatever they want 00:42:55.889 --> 00:43:01.440 to play. All the other things. One of the main 00:43:01.440 --> 00:43:03.420 attractive things is that it's New York City. 00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:09.159 Manhattan. So, I mean, I believe people in this 00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:13.019 world always kind of wish or dream about traveling 00:43:13.019 --> 00:43:15.739 to New York City once in their life, I assume. 00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:21.380 So all of these things come and it's truly attractive, 00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:25.840 I would say. Was there any particular moment 00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:29.809 that... maybe musical or even personal that stayed 00:43:29.809 --> 00:43:34.230 with you from the past festival experiences? 00:43:34.889 --> 00:43:40.130 Well, yes, of course, faculty members. It was 00:43:40.130 --> 00:43:44.449 my great privilege to be able to work with all 00:43:44.449 --> 00:43:48.989 the international faculties. It's a very nice 00:43:48.989 --> 00:43:57.789 thing that we got to share our passion. to the 00:43:57.789 --> 00:44:00.849 faculty members and we learn a lot from them 00:44:00.849 --> 00:44:08.230 and also friends like we had a very big portion 00:44:08.230 --> 00:44:12.750 of applicants since the first year so we have 00:44:12.750 --> 00:44:16.989 two weeks some people get to choose to join either 00:44:16.989 --> 00:44:21.090 only one week they can choose both weeks The 00:44:21.090 --> 00:44:23.690 way you get to meet people from these festivals. 00:44:23.969 --> 00:44:30.010 I think it's very Very meaningful. I still be 00:44:30.010 --> 00:44:34.590 in touch with a lot of friends I've met and They 00:44:34.590 --> 00:44:38.070 come around from everywhere like from Asia from 00:44:38.070 --> 00:44:41.769 Europe and other states and you get to know them 00:44:41.769 --> 00:44:47.920 because We get to know all the pianists community 00:44:47.920 --> 00:44:52.059 and like we know we have something inside to 00:44:52.059 --> 00:44:55.860 share in common so i think it's a very great 00:44:55.860 --> 00:44:59.860 chance to meet people and also the staff members 00:44:59.860 --> 00:45:04.219 i i still remember from the the very first year 00:45:04.219 --> 00:45:08.980 um without them it wasn't really possible i would 00:45:08.980 --> 00:45:13.239 say the the staff members were really nice they 00:45:13.239 --> 00:45:17.360 were very supportive um They were everywhere 00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:21.719 that we needed them. And I think because of them, 00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:25.239 the festival was even able to be more successful 00:45:25.239 --> 00:45:29.800 and fluent. So I will be coming back for this 00:45:29.800 --> 00:45:32.900 summer festival as well as I will be opening 00:45:32.900 --> 00:45:37.440 the concert. Oh, and as I'm saying this, I kind 00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:39.980 of forgot to mention about it. In our festival 00:45:39.980 --> 00:45:44.980 also, we have a very... important guest artists 00:45:44.980 --> 00:45:48.719 to come and perform their solo recitals. We always 00:45:48.719 --> 00:45:51.539 had like about five great pianists including 00:45:51.539 --> 00:45:55.199 Ye Kwon Sun who was the very first one to open 00:45:55.199 --> 00:46:01.179 the concert on our first festival and yeah we 00:46:01.179 --> 00:46:07.039 get to watch and share also their music and to 00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:11.070 see their passion over the music as well. So 00:46:11.070 --> 00:46:15.190 I'm also honored to be able to perform as a guest 00:46:15.190 --> 00:46:20.309 artist this year. I'm looking forward. Wow, that's 00:46:20.309 --> 00:46:23.849 incredible. What an incredible opportunity. So 00:46:23.849 --> 00:46:28.670 how did this festival shape you as a developing 00:46:28.670 --> 00:46:33.230 artist? Maybe in your practice habits or performance 00:46:33.230 --> 00:46:36.130 mindset or sense of artistic community? What 00:46:36.130 --> 00:46:39.480 do you think? I think the most thing I learned 00:46:39.480 --> 00:46:42.800 and I noticed after having this festival was 00:46:42.800 --> 00:46:47.380 in a very short time of period I was able to 00:46:47.380 --> 00:46:52.219 build my confidence over my own music like sometimes 00:46:52.219 --> 00:46:55.969 like as we're still in a learning process You 00:46:55.969 --> 00:46:58.909 might be not sure enough with your own thing. 00:46:59.030 --> 00:47:01.449 Like you might be stuck on something. But by 00:47:01.449 --> 00:47:05.469 meeting all the other faculty members and like 00:47:05.469 --> 00:47:08.889 getting to talk with them and from like learning 00:47:08.889 --> 00:47:14.030 from them, it really helped me to go forward 00:47:14.030 --> 00:47:17.769 as a musician and also kind of expand and build 00:47:17.769 --> 00:47:24.510 my perspective on music, like how to like consume. 00:47:25.389 --> 00:47:29.809 in a different way of interpretations and things, 00:47:30.030 --> 00:47:34.829 and also by performing. I mean, as a pianist, 00:47:34.849 --> 00:47:37.070 and not only pianist, but as a stage artist, 00:47:37.329 --> 00:47:41.070 I think it's very crucial to have an experience, 00:47:41.190 --> 00:47:44.510 to be able to perform on stage in order to build 00:47:44.510 --> 00:47:48.329 your ability as a stage artist. And I think Manus 00:47:48.329 --> 00:47:51.230 Summer Festival is one of the things that will 00:47:51.230 --> 00:47:58.200 really help you to grow as a musician. Wonderful. 00:47:58.200 --> 00:48:02.340 So this would be the last question. So if a young 00:48:02.340 --> 00:48:06.519 pianist is listening to this episode and wondering, 00:48:06.659 --> 00:48:11.260 you know, whether they should go to summer festival 00:48:11.260 --> 00:48:15.179 anywhere or whether they should apply, what would 00:48:15.179 --> 00:48:18.579 you tell them? If you're hesitating or if you're 00:48:18.579 --> 00:48:21.159 wondering whether I should apply, just go and 00:48:21.159 --> 00:48:26.150 apply. It won't be a regret. Well, I myself haven't 00:48:26.150 --> 00:48:29.510 been to like thousands of festivals in this world, 00:48:29.590 --> 00:48:32.349 but I can still guarantee that Manasema Festival 00:48:32.349 --> 00:48:35.710 is one of the best experience I think you could 00:48:35.710 --> 00:48:41.789 get. So why not? Why don't you apply? Wonderful. 00:48:42.329 --> 00:48:46.110 So for those who are listening right now or watching, 00:48:46.349 --> 00:48:49.030 all the links are in the show notes or description. 00:48:49.190 --> 00:48:52.570 So be sure to check them out. Jiwon, thank you 00:48:52.570 --> 00:48:54.989 so much once again for sharing your experience 00:48:54.989 --> 00:48:58.329 with us and congratulations once again. Thank 00:48:58.329 --> 00:49:05.150 you so much and thank you for having me. Can 00:49:05.150 --> 00:49:07.789 you quickly share a bit about the current application 00:49:07.789 --> 00:49:10.190 process for students joining from around the 00:49:10.190 --> 00:49:13.269 world? I believe it's international, so you're 00:49:13.269 --> 00:49:17.530 accepting students globally. So including key 00:49:17.530 --> 00:49:21.420 dates, for example, deadlines and so on. Well, 00:49:21.440 --> 00:49:25.940 there is an early application. I believe it's 00:49:25.940 --> 00:49:31.659 March, sometime in March. Then it's end of April, 00:49:31.659 --> 00:49:39.099 May. Students can reach out to us through email. 00:49:39.260 --> 00:49:41.659 They can also reach out to me directly if they 00:49:41.659 --> 00:49:46.380 have questions. We are a very friendly team. 00:49:47.949 --> 00:49:51.829 we would answer any questions the applicants 00:49:51.829 --> 00:49:55.289 may have. So to learn more about the Manus International 00:49:55.289 --> 00:49:58.150 Piano Festival, please visit the Manus website. 00:49:58.349 --> 00:50:01.789 You can find a link on screen right now, or you 00:50:01.789 --> 00:50:05.829 can find a QR code also appearing on the screen. 00:50:06.130 --> 00:50:08.369 For those who are listening to this episode, 00:50:08.510 --> 00:50:11.820 the link is available in the show notes. Pavlina, 00:50:11.880 --> 00:50:13.980 thank you so much for participating today. What 00:50:13.980 --> 00:50:15.599 a wonderful conversation. But before I let you 00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:17.980 go, what gives you hope about the next generation 00:50:17.980 --> 00:50:26.519 of pianists? I see how passionate the new generation 00:50:26.519 --> 00:50:31.380 of pianists is. And I see the passion of the 00:50:31.380 --> 00:50:36.059 students. And I also believe that something as 00:50:36.059 --> 00:50:44.469 great as music cannot disappear. Because people 00:50:44.469 --> 00:50:50.849 feel, once they're in touch with music, they 00:50:50.849 --> 00:50:55.789 feel the necessity to have music in their lives, 00:50:56.010 --> 00:51:04.170 one way or another. So I'm very hopeful. You 00:51:04.170 --> 00:51:07.150 have to be hopeful. Yes, absolutely. Well, thank 00:51:07.150 --> 00:51:09.889 you, Pavlina. What a great way to end our conversations 00:51:09.889 --> 00:51:12.409 for sharing your time and insight in art history. 00:51:12.590 --> 00:51:14.690 It's been a really wonderful conversation and 00:51:14.690 --> 00:51:16.670 I hope that you'll come back to the piano part 00:51:16.670 --> 00:51:19.750 and then we can talk more about piano. Yeah. 00:51:20.130 --> 00:51:23.190 Great pleasure. Thank you. So thank you to our 00:51:23.190 --> 00:51:25.409 listeners as well. If you enjoyed this episode, 00:51:25.489 --> 00:51:28.269 please like it and leave a comment. Your engagement 00:51:28.269 --> 00:51:30.969 truly helps the show grow and keeps this work 00:51:30.969 --> 00:51:33.489 going. We'll see you in the next episode. Thank 00:51:33.489 --> 00:51:39.469 you once again, Pavlina. Thank you. Bye. Thanks 00:51:39.469 --> 00:51:40.070 for watching!