As a concert pianist, the stage is my life. But the pandemic taught me to love the livestream
LA TimesOn Nov. 9, 1966, Alex Trebek famously interviewed a shy Canadian pianist by the name of Glenn Gould, who had boldly proclaimed the death of the live concert and retired into the confines of a recording studio. Nothing could have been more shocking at a time when Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones were soaring to new heights with worldwide concert tours and Joel Grey was in previews playing the Emcee in “Cabaret.” The past year of COVID-19 isolation has led many performers on a soul-searching quest for the true meaning behind artful communication. I was quite excited about the idea as my good friend and trusted audio engineer, Steven Norsworthy, had just brought in a beautiful, handcrafted Fazioli F308 concert grand from Europe, also known as “the longest piano in the world market.” It seemed like the perfect instrument to kick off a new recital series — or so we thought. Over time, as the technical challenges subsided, I reveled in the sheer joy of reaching thousands of viewers scattered around the globe, which inspired me to take on greater artistic risks and reach a new level of musical intimacy in my virtual performances: improvising on popular tunes, taking requests from the audience and performing world-premiere works by living composers. You can even simulate the acoustics of L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall — Row 7 — right from your living room using a digital audio workstation on your PC or Mac, together with an advanced signal processing plugin designed by Waves Audio.
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