The Piano Pod - a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music

What does a piano recital have to do with war, faith, and forgiveness?In this episode of The Piano Pod, pianist and educator Anli Lin Tong shares the story behind Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation—a profoundly moving concert created for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.What began as a single song her father used to sing—The Bells of Nagasaki—became a powerful act of remembrance, shaped by the legacy of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a survivor who transformed unimaginable loss into a life devoted to peace.This conversation moves beyond repertoire and performance into questions rarely asked in classical music:• What responsibility does an artist carry when history is still unresolved? • How does sound hold memory when words fail?From the history of Urakami Cathedral’s bells, silenced for decades, to Anli’s own journey—moving to the U.S. alone as a child, studying with legendary teachers, and carrying artistic lineage forward—this episode reveals how music can become a moral witness.It’s a conversation about remembrance, responsibility, and the quiet power of sound to hold history—and humanity—together.Learn More About Anli Lin Tong📝 Read my blog exploring Anli’s artistry and work📰 Press Coverage: Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation 🎓 Juilliard Feature The Juilliard School highlights Anli’s writing on her teacher Mieczysław Munz: 🎹 THE PIANO POD🎵 Subscribe to the Season 6 Piano Playlist — a collection of every piano work mentioned throughout the episodes: 💖 Become a VIP Member or unlock exclusive content: 📫 Join our newsletter:🌐 Website: https://thepianopod.com 📱 IG: @thepianopod | FB: @thepianopod | TikTok: @thepianopod 🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thepianopod

The trailer for our upcoming episode is now live—and it offers a glimpse into one of the most reflective and quietly powerful conversations of this season.In Season 6, Episode 8 of The Piano Pod, I sit down with pianist and educator Anli Lin Tong for a deeply moving conversation about music as memory, faith, lineage, and moral witness.At the heart of this episode is Anli’s recent project, Bells of Nagasaki: Music for Contemplation—a concert created to honor the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. What began as a song her father used to sing, The Bells of Nagasaki, became the seed for a project shaped by history, spiritual reckoning, and the life of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a survivor who devoted his life to forgiveness and peace.Our conversation moves beyond repertoire and performance into questions that are rarely asked in classical music: What role can music play in healing and forgiveness? What responsibility does an artist carry when history is still unresolved?We also trace Anli’s artistic lineage—from early piano lessons guided by her father, to moving to the U.S. alone as a minor, to studying with legendary teachers and carrying their legacy forward through her work as a performer and educator.This episode is a reflection on remembrance, responsibility, and the artist’s calling—and on the quiet power of music to hold history, faith, and humanity together.✨ The full episode premieres Tuesday, December 16, at 8:00 PM ET on YouTube, with the audio episode released simultaneously on all major podcast platforms.📝 Learn more about Anli and her work HERE— Yukimi

In this episode, I sit down with pianist and educator Mirna Lekić for a conversation that spans continents, sound worlds, and the deeper layers of what music can mean in a human life.Born and raised in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War and now based in New York City, Mirna brings a rare perspective to the piano — one shaped by resilience, migration, devotion, and an unshakable belief in music as a stabilizing, healing force.We explore her acclaimed 2023 album MIRAGE, a breathtaking collection of sonic illusions and cultural crossings that reimagines the piano as a global storyteller — moving from Azerbaijan to Spain, Armenia to Java, and beyond.This episode dives into:how early musical experiences during war shaped Mirna’s artistic identitythe healing and stabilizing role music played during her family’s resettlementthe depth of Bosnian and Balkan musical influenceshow cultural diversity becomes musical philosophy, not performanceMIRAGE and its groundbreaking approach to sound, resonance, and identitycollaborative work with living composers, shadow puppeteers, and multidisciplinary artistshow educators can guide young musicians toward authenticity in a rapidly changing worldIt’s a conversation about healing, devotion, heritage, and the power of sound to help us make sense of where we come from — and where we’re going.🌟 SOUND BITES“Music was a healing presence.” “Music study demands devotion.” “Music can be a lifeline.”🎧 FEATURED LINKS FROM MIRNA'S WORKFrom the album Masks: Debussy, The Toybox (opening) Villa-Lobos: Negrinha, No. 5 from Baby’s Family From MIRAGE: Ali-Zadeh — Music for Piano Lachenmann — Guero Cowell — Aeolian Harp From Eastern Currents: Ramin Heydarbeygi — Aramesh Mirna’s Shadow Puppetry Collaborations: https://youtu.be/V5Tj2ZHDGS8?si=Aa05gwPs0R0evO8r https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duMJtVPVOIs&t=262sRead my review on Mirna's Album, MIRAGE on Substack

Here is the TRAILER — Between Worlds: From Sarajevo to New York: A Conversation on Cultural Crossings, Sonic Identity, and the Art of Connection feat. Mirna LekićThis week on The Piano Pod, I sit down with pianist and champion of new music Mirna Lekić for a conversation that moves between cultures, sound worlds, and the deeper layers of artistic identity. From Sarajevo to New York, we explore cultural crossings, sonic imagination, and the power of music to connect and ground us.✨ The full episode drops this Tuesday, December 9 at 8pm ET — and I’d love for you to join us.📺 Set Reminder for the YouTube Premiere🎧 Audio episode will be available everywhere simultaneously📝 Learn more about Mirna and her album MIRAGE on Substack See you on Tuesday for a powerful conversation on cultural crossings, sonic identity, and the art of connection.

Happy Thanksgiving! In this bonus episode, I’m sharing something deeply personal — a part of my identity I’ve rarely spoken about publicly. I am a third-generation Zainichi Korean, born and raised in Japan, and I’m finally stepping into that history through a new creative initiative called The Zainichi Music Project, now sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts.This episode marks the beginning of that journey — a project that will grow into a living archive of research, new music commissions, recordings, interviews, and documentary work.In this episode, I talk about:What the word Zainichi actually means,How Japanese colonial rule — not immigration — brought our community into Japan,How postwar restructuring and the San Francisco Peace Treaty left Zainichi Koreans stateless,What it meant to be born and raised in a country that never fully recognized us as citizens,And why this project is my way of honoring our history, resilience, and creative legacy.For those who want to go deeper, please read my Substack essay, “Behind the Mic: Reclaiming Voice Through Sound,” where I share more about my experience growing up Zainichi.Thank you for listening — and for being part of The Piano Pod community. If you’d like to follow this new project, you can subscribe to Substack and follow @zainichimusicproject on Instagram and TikTok.More soon, and thank you for supporting this next chapter.