The Piano Pod - a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music
...where tradition meets innovation. Together, we bring PIANO into the FUTURE. a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music Hey, 🎹 enthusiasts out there! My name is Yukimi, a classical pianist and educator from NYC and executive producer of The Piano Pod. The Piano Pod🎙 is a one-of-a-kind podcast that delves deep into the fascinating world of classical music, with a specific focus on the 🎹 piano. In a biweekly format, the show explores intriguing discussions with guests breaking exciting new ground in the classical music industry. The Piano Pod aims to nurture a thriving community that embraces innovative approaches to ensure classical music's relevance and vitality in today's dynamic landscape. "How can I present the beautiful tradition of classical music to the 21st-century audience in a fun, contemporary, and engaging way?" When I started building a piano studio in the trendy neighborhood of Downtown Manhattan in 2007 while in the NYU graduate program in piano studies, I began to ponder this question. I realized the stark difference in expectations toward classical music and music education between music professionals and the general public. Then, one of the NYU music department's professors suggested I start a podcast: the platform would allow classical musicians to address this disparity and spark conversations about audience engagement. Finally, fast forward to 10+ years later, The Piano Pod was born in the summer of 2020. Since then, I have had the privilege of interviewing A-listers in the classical music industry: international concert pianists, composers, arrangers, digital streamers/influencers, music educators, entrepreneurs, neurodiverse specialists, and performance psychologists. Through fascinating conversations, we have explored how classical music should continue to evolve to remain relevant to our lifestyle, society, and culture. Over the past three seasons, The Piano Pod has achieved remarkable success by reaching faithful listeners on audio platforms and viewers via YouTube. As the show is celebrating the past season's achievements and gearing toward the new season in the fall, my mission as the Executive Producer is crystal clear: to provide a platform for classical musicians and educators to reflect and discuss ways to keep our industry robust and meaningful in this ever-changing world and move it forward in the post-pandemic era. 🔗Follow TPP on social media accounts to get the latest news about 🎹. Thanks for listening♥️🎹
Episodes
🎶✨ How can nineteen tiny piano miniatures blossom into one of the most expansive, collaborative, and award-winning projects of our time?
Welcome to Season 6 Episode 3: The World of MICROVIDS — Composer & Advocate for Women in Music, Stefania de Kenessey. In this episode of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Stefania de Kenessey, a composer whose works have been heard at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, La MaMa, and around the world....
🎶✨ How can nineteen miniature piano pieces transform into a boundless world of music, poetry, collaboration, and film?
Season 6 of The Piano Pod continues with an extraordinary episode featuring composer Stefania de Kenessey and her latest project, Microvids. What began as small, intimate sketches during the pandemic has blossomed into her most expansive and personal work — brought to life through powerful collaborations across ins...
Encore Conversations 1: Beyond the Keys & Radiance - Jeeyoon Kim on Love, Resilience, and Creativity
🔥 “Music isn’t just about playing the notes — it’s about living beyond the keys.”
🔥Welcome to the premiere of Encore Conversations — The Piano Pod’s new series, where past guests return for short, powerful conversations about their latest projects and evolving journeys.
To kick it off, I’m joined by Jeeyoon Kim — pianist, educator, podcaster, and now a two-time author. You may remember her from Season 3, when she shared her debut b...
In this special premiere of Encore Conversations, The Piano Pod’s brand-new alumni series, I sit down with award-winning pianist, author, and educator Jeeyoon Kim. You may remember her from Season 3, where she inspired us with her originality, authenticity, and mission to make concerts deeply personal. Now she returns with her most intimate project yet — her second book Beyond the Keys and companion album Radiance.
In our Encore Con...
🎹🔥 What makes a four-hand piano duo so powerful, intimate, and endlessly creative?
Welcome to Season 6 Episode 2: Four Hands, Boundless Creativity — Mada & Hugh, the Award-Winning Duo on Love, Life & Artistic Freedom
In this captivating episode of The Piano Pod, I sit down with the award-winning Mada & Hugh Piano Duo — Romanian-born pianist Mădălina-Claudia Dănilă and Korean-American pianist Hugh Sung. Known for their e...
🎹🔥 What makes a four-hand piano duo so powerful, intimate, and endlessly creative?
Season 6 of The Piano Pod continues with an electrifying episode featuring the award-winning Mada & Hugh Piano Duo — Romanian-born pianist Mădălina Dănilă and Korean-American pianist Hugh Sung. Known for their imaginative arrangements, captivating performances, and cross-cultural collaboration,
Mada & Hugh are redefining what it means to pe...
🎹✨ Can music heal, comfort, and truly transform lives?
In this special Season 6 premiere of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Billboard-charting pianist and composer Chad Lawson — also the first musician ever appointed as a U.N. Ambassador for the World Federation for Mental Health. His composition “The Light Within” became the official theme song for World Mental Health Day, and his music has touched millions through streaming, conce...
🎹✨ Can music heal, comfort, and truly transform lives? In this special
Season 6 premiere of The Piano Pod, I sit down with Billboard-charting pianist and composer Chad Lawson — also the first musician ever appointed as a U.N. Ambassador for the World Federation for Mental Health.
His composition “The Light Within” became the official theme song for World Mental Health Day, and his music has touched millions through streaming, con...
✨ Season 6 of The Piano Pod is here! ✨
This year, it’s all about Creativity and Connection — the messy, vulnerable, transformative stories behind the music.
🎹 We kick things off with an inspiring lineup: 🎶
- Chad Lawson on September 9, 8:00 pm ET.
- Mădălina Dănilă & Hugh Sung — the award-winning Mada & Hugh Piano Duo, whose artistry and unique bond radiate joy, innovation, and cultural connection.
Thinking about starting a podcast—but feeling overwhelmed by where to begin? I created a mini-course for artists, educators, and independent creatives who want to build a podcast that feels authentic, intentional, and achievable.
And this bonus episode is a FREE intro lesson. Inside, I’ll walk you through what to expect in my full course, share a bit of my story, and show you that you don’t need fancy gear or a business plan to st...
This episode is brought to you by Juneteenth LP — celebrating Black artistry and legacy in classical music. 🎉 Get Your Ticket: https://publictheater.org/performances-jp/2025/j/juneteenth-lp/
🎹 What does it mean to live and create with authenticity?
In this powerful season finale, we sit down with Dr. Maria Thompson Corley — pianist, composer, novelist, poet, educator, and advocate — for a conversation that is as multifaceted as her...
🎬 Enjoy the official trailer for The Piano Pod’s Season 5 Finale!
Episode Title: The Fullness of Being – A Grand Finale with Maria Thompson Corley on Art, Inclusion & Creative Legacy“
As we wrap up Season 5 of The Piano Pod, themed Authenticity and Joy, we are proud to feature a visionary artist whose life and work embody both.
Dr. Maria Thompson Corley is a Juilliard-trained pianist, composer, novelist, poet, and educator ...
🎉 Bonus Episode – Celebrating Juneteenth with Dr. Nnenna Ogwo 🎉
To close out Season 5 of The Piano Pod—our season of Authenticity and Joy—we are sharing a special bonus episode in celebration of Juneteenth Month.
Dr. Nnenna Ogwo—pianist, educator, and founder of Juneteenth LP—returns to The Piano Pod (after her powerful appearance in Season 4, Episode 4) to update us on the evolution of her visionary organization. In this short but...
This episode is brought to you by Juneteenth LP — Celebrating Black artistry and legacy in classical music.
🎧 What if every child could see themselves in the music they study? In this robust conversation, Dr. Leah Claiborne —pianist, Yamaha Artist, educator, and founder of Ebony Music Inc.—joins The Piano Pod to discuss her mission to expand and redefine the classical canon.
From her work on the 100 Works by Black Composers pr...
🎬 Here is the trailer for our next episode of The Piano Pod —featuring pianist, educator, and visionary Dr. Leah Claiborne!
In this powerful Juneteenth month episode, Dr. Claiborne shares how we can create meaningful change in classical music—through daily action, inclusive pedagogy, and a reimagined canon that reflects all voices.
🎹 What we explore:
- The groundbreaking 100 Works by Black Composers project
- Why beginner-level rep...
In this inspiring episode of The Piano Pod, "Bach Reimagined - Artistic Innovation of Timeless Music for All Audiences," Eleonor Bindman - pianist, arranger, and recording artist - joins us for an intimate conversation about her groundbreaking work reimagining the music of J.S. Bach for solo and four-hand piano.
From her bestselling Brandenburg Duets with Jenny Lin to her most recent solo project ABSOLUTE—featuring beautifully idiom...
“It became vital to me to focus on a new way of looking at Bach’s music…” — Eleonor Bindman
Here is the trailer for the upcoming episode of The Piano Pod 🎙, titled Bach Reimagined: Artistic Innovation of Timeless Music for All Audiences, featuring pianist, arranger, and recording artist Eleonor Bindman. She joins us for a deeply personal conversation about her groundbreaking transcription work—and why Bach’s music still matters tod...
🎉 The Piano Pod is officially a Top 3 Finalist for Best Video Podcast in the 2025 Quill Podcast Awards! 🎉
Out of thousands of shows across all genres, our little piano podcast has made it to the top—and it would not have been possible without YOU: our amazing guests, listeners, sponsors, and friends.
Thank you for voting, sharing, and cheering us on! 💛
🗓️ Final winners will be announced on May 27—stay tuned!
But the journey isn’t o...
Please vote for The Piano Pod HERE!
Hi friends! The Piano Pod has been named a semi-finalist for Best Video Podcast in the 2025 Quill Podcast Awards!
Today is the last day to vote and help bring classical music to the global stage (May 8, 2025). It’s been an incredible five years of dedication and hard work, and I couldn’t be prouder of this incredible honor to be a semi-finalist.
As the creator and executive producer of The Piano P...
What does it mean to carry a musical legacy forward—not through imitation, but through living artistry? In this powerful and intimate episode of The Piano Pod,
I sit down with pianist-scholar Jarred Dunn and concert pianist Anna Górecka, daughter of the legendary Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, to explore his emotional, historical, and deeply human world of music.
We discuss the making of their new album, Górecki’s World of ...
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