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It has been for 15 years teaching and performing at the music camp “Sound Encounters” in Kansas. This year, I added to teach composition, and enjoyed working with students so much besides my usual piano classes. I performed several concerts with different faculties which is always very fun. Today is the last day of the […]

嬉しいじゃないですか・・・１０日間も満員御礼の札が出るなんて。国技館の熱い声援がここロサンゼルスにも聞こえて来たような、１５日間でした。白鵬関、２９回目の優勝（２９歳で！）おめでとうございます。貴方は、歴史に残る素晴らしい横綱です。まさに、「心技体」とは良く言ったもの。これは、白鵬関のことですね。立ち居振る舞いも美しく、相撲の取り口も素晴らしい。日本の誇る横綱です。稀勢の里関も終盤まで良く併走し、優勝争いを盛り上げてくれました。勢関、妙義龍関も良かった。十両からも、期待の星が出てきて、幕内での活躍が待ち通しいですね。そして、１５日間を通して、元気のある、闘志溢れる相撲が沢山見られたのが、ファンとしてはとても嬉しかったです。そして、往年のスター力士、現親方衆が、大相撲へとても貢献して下さっているのが、とても嬉しい事。大相撲協会の全員が一丸となって、今世代・次世代への相撲へ動いている事が、成果となって出てきているのではないでしょうか。次は、名古屋。７月を楽しみにしています。

This production is the conclusion of the Mozart/Lorenzo Da Ponte Trilogy (“Don Giovanni” in 2012 and “The Marriage of Figaro” in 2013). “Così fan tutte” provides a “forever” theme of a test of fidelity, an amazing humor (still works in 2014), and a perfect match between the music and the text. You may not cry during […]

I saw this movie a while ago.. It is a fantastic movie with a lot of imagination, fantasy, creativity and wit. I love this kind of films. It is about Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his […]

I have been fascinated by the life of Clara Schumann (Sep. 13 1819 – May 20 1896), a wife of Robert Schumann. Clara was one of most famous pianists in her time, and one of the great piano stars around Europe in the 19th century. She premiered new works by Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms, and […]

Joe was an amazing brother-in-law for me for the last 20 years. He passed away last Saturday with a pancreatic cancer. It was 10 months after the diagnoses. He went through very difficult treatments, but he gave us precious moments to share. He is in peace now. He helped me when I had to endure […]

Romance, Romance, Romance…! Composers tell love stories in their music. I will perform some of most beautiful music from Romantic and Impressionistic periods and talk about anecdotes on composers and pieces. Please join me!  

連日熱戦が続いている春場所。そして満員御礼の垂れ幕も良いですね。ああ、日本にいたら大阪に駆けつけるのにと、ロサンゼルスの青空の下で歯軋りしています。こんなにファンを沸かせる場所も、久しぶりでは？？九重部屋の５人の力士の躍進（何と言っても師匠は、私のヒーロー元横綱千代の富士ですからね。）、負け越しが決まったとはいえ、遠藤関の活躍、ベテラン旭天鵬関、安美錦関らの若々しい相撲、関脇を２年近く続けて何度か大関候補にも挙がった豪栄道関の闘志溢れる相撲、そして何といっても綱とりの鶴竜関の白鵬を破った完璧なまでの相撲。どの一点を取っても相撲ファンには堪えられない場面の連続です。今日が千秋楽。私は、鶴竜の琴奨菊戦は、どう見ても鶴竜に分があると思いますが、さてさてどうなることやら。熱い大阪場所も今日で最後です。最後まで応援していますよ。

I saw this movie a little while ago. Gloria (Poulina Garcia) is a “woman of a certain age” with 2 grown up children and has an office job, but still wants to feel young. The story is based in the life of Santiago, Chile. Though lonely after the divorce, she makes the best of her situation and fills […]

Los Angeles has been having a big rain. The city is not made for rain so anytime we have some rain it causes some troubles. Anyway, I was practicing Debussy’s L’Isle joyouse in my piano studio at Occidental College yesterday. I love my studio there. The building is historic (I discovered many century old sheet […]