The Piano Pod

The Piano Pod ...where tradition meets innovation. Together, we bring PIANO into the Future. Hey 🎹 lovers out there!

A global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music.
🎧 Biweekly Episodes | 🎶 Live Shows | 🌍 Connecting Piano Communities Thanks for stopping by -- 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.

09/21/2026

From childhood compositions carried out of Odesa to performing a concerto on the Minimoog, Yamaha Artist Inna Faliks has built an artistic life around memory, curiosity, and reinvention.

What happens when the music you wrote as a child returns decades later?

Here’s the trailer for the Season 7 premiere of The Piano Pod: Carrying Memory Forward, featuring Yamaha Artist, composer, and author Inna Faliks.

We talk about her latest album, Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack, her other boundary-expanding recordings, memoir, and collaboration with Gabriel Prokofiev.

🎹 Premieres Tuesday, September 22 at 8 PM ET.

▶️ Set a reminder for the premiere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHO7Swp5Aw

Meet Our Guest:  FaliksSeason 7 of The Piano Pod begins with Yamaha Artist, composer, author, and UCLA professor Inna Fa...
09/17/2026

Meet Our Guest: Faliks

Season 7 of The Piano Pod begins with Yamaha Artist, composer, author, and UCLA professor Inna Faliks.

I first learned about Inna earlier this year through her new album, Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack. The title immediately caught my attention.

At the center of the album are two pieces Inna composed as a child in Odesa, music she carried with her when her family left the Soviet Union and eventually came to the United States as refugees. Those childhood works sit alongside Wagner, Schoenberg, and Brahms, creating a deeply personal program shaped by memory, migration, and return.

In our conversation, we also talk about her 2024 album Manuscripts Don’t Burn, her memoir Weight in the Fingertips, contemporary music, teaching, artistic lineage, and her recent premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Synthesizer Concerto No. 1 on Minimoog.

It felt like exactly the right conversation to open our Season 7 theme: Culture & Courage.

Season 7, Episode 1
Carrying Memory Forward
On Odesa, Stranger Things, and the Courage to Reimagine

Premieres Tuesday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Read the full Meet Our Guest post here:
https://thepianopod.substack.com/p/2cca2824-12dd-4aac-904f-5fd2a07d8ecf?postPreview=free&updated=2026-09-16T14%3A48%3A24.921Z&audience=everyone&free_preview=false&freemail=true

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/RIHO7Swp5Aw?si=pnDgEPWaecEyRZy2

Or listen to the audio episode, released simultaneously on all major podcast platforms:
https://rss.com/podcasts/the-piano-pod/

Meet Our Guest: Inna Faliks 🎹 Inna Faliks What happens when music you wrote as a child comes back to meet the artist you...
09/17/2026

Meet Our Guest: Inna Faliks 🎹 Inna Faliks

What happens when music you wrote as a child comes back to meet the artist you are decades later?

For our first featured episode of Season 7, I’m joined by Yamaha Artist, composer, author, and UCLA professor Inna Faliks.

Her latest album, *Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack*, brings together two pieces she composed as a child in Odesa with music by Wagner, Schoenberg, and Brahms.

But the story goes much further.

We talk about memory, migration, her mother and early teachers, *Manuscripts Don’t Burn*, her memoir *Weight in the Fingertips*, and what it was like to premiere Gabriel Prokofiev’s Synthesizer Concerto No. 1 on Minimoog.

It’s a conversation about what we carry, what shapes us, and how an artist keeps moving forward.

Season 7, Episode 1
“Carrying Memory Forward”
On Odesa, *Stranger Things*, and the Courage to Reimagine

Premieres Tuesday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Full Meet Our Guest post + episode links in bio.

Season 7 of The Piano Pod begins next week.This season, we are going even deeper—with 12 main episodes, a few shorter al...
09/10/2026

Season 7 of The Piano Pod begins next week.

This season, we are going even deeper—with 12 main episodes, a few shorter alumni conversations, another live event in the works, and a stronger focus on the human stories behind the music.

Tuesday, September 15
Our Season 7 introductory episode, Change Is Happening—about what is changing, what remains at the heart of the show, and why I chose this season’s theme: Culture & Courage.

Tuesday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Season 7 officially opens with Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks and a conversation about music, memory, heritage, and her new album, Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack.

Save the dates—and welcome to Season 7.

Season 7 of The Piano Pod is here.This season’s theme is Culture & Courage, and the show is changing in a few important ...
09/10/2026

Season 7 of The Piano Pod is here.

This season’s theme is Culture & Courage, and the show is changing in a few important ways: a new monthly schedule, more focused storytelling, alumni bonus episodes, and more of my own perspective in the conversations.

First, on September 15, I’ll share a special introduction episode, “Change Is Happening,” explaining what is changing, why I made these decisions, and what you can expect from the season ahead.

Then, on September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET, Season 7 officially premieres with Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks.

We talk about her new album, Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack, the music and memories she carried from childhood, and how heritage and personal history continue to shape her work.

Save the dates, subscribe on YouTube, or follow The Piano Pod wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to Season 7: Culture & Courage. đź’—

07/08/2026

Know someone who embodies Culture & Courage?

I'm currently curating Season 7 of The Piano Pod and looking for musicians, educators, composers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders who are expanding what it means to be an artist today.

I'm especially interested in people who bring curiosity, courage, and cultural depth to their work—artists who are building something meaningful, crossing disciplines, challenging expectations, and shaping the future of our field.

If someone comes to mind—or if that person is you—I would love to hear from you.

✨ Guest nomination form — https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevJ7pyDGk4t3Qdn42YEv8bvWw1bHjM7g4V5SznJ8N-QP8xPA/viewform?usp=preview

06/18/2026

🎙️ ICYMI • Part 1 — In honor of Juneteenth

Why has the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho resonated so deeply within the tradition of African American spirituals?

In this excerpt from our Season 6 finale with pianist, composer, and educator David Berry David Berry , we explore how spirituals carried more than melodies—they carried messages of faith, hope, and perseverance.

For many enslaved Black Americans, biblical stories offered powerful imagery that could speak to themes of freedom, resilience, and the conviction that injustice would not have the final word. In the spiritual Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho, the image of the walls tumbling down has often been understood as a symbol of barriers giving way and the possibility of liberation.

David reflects on the history and significance of this spiritual and how it inspired his own concert work based on the beloved song.

Sometimes music preserves history.

Sometimes music sustains hope.

🎧 ICYMI: Season 6 Finale
Spirit, Body, and Soul: Pianist David Berry on Virtuosity, Creativity, and Artistic Identity

Watch or listen to the full episode (link in bio)!

ClassicalMusic Piano ICYMI CreativityAndConnection

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