Reunion in Seattle

It had been fifteen years since I made a public performance appearance in Seattle, WA, until last weekend...and what a wonderful reunion it was! It was so great to see friends, family, former students, and local music teachers in attendance that I haven't seen since I was a student at Juilliard. I am thankful for Resonance Masters' Series for inviting me to present a masterclass and recital.

I performed a program of lesser-known works by Bach and Medtner and ended the recital with the big blockbuster hit, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which I also coincidentally presented the last time I was here. I am always curious to see the audience's reception of lesser-known works, especially with Medtner. Sometimes, these pieces need repeated listenings to grow on listeners, and in live concerts, they present a challenge for performers to make a quick impression right away. After speaking with some audience members afterwards, I was pleased to hear from many that they enjoyed the Medtner.

Now that a week has passed, I also had a chance to reflect on my performance of the Mussorgsky, a work that I recently revived for this performance. For me, I had a wonderful time relearning this piece. It was almost as if I was catching up with an old friend that I haven't seen for a long time and rediscovering new things about the person. There was a sense of freshness performing this work again, and I look forward to playing it again whenever that may be. For more information on bringing back old works, check out this earlier post on that process.

I had a blast reconnecting and sharing music with the community where I grew up. I look forward to doing it again in the future!

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