In this special video episode of A Musical Life, I wanted to talk about the world of the piano from the perspective of a professional pianist. Contrary to what you might think, I’m actually embarrassed to confess how little I’ve actually known about the different makes and models of pianos, much less how they actually work to make beautiful sounds beyond my own instincts and musical training. If a professional pianist has a hard time understanding the differences between piano manufacturers and the mechanical details of what makes one piano different from another, then how is an average lay person or first time piano buyer supposed to fare? To that end, I’m incredibly grateful to author Larry Fine, a piano technician who wrote the pioneering book, “The Piano Book”, and then went on to share his in-depth knowledge of pianos on his website, http://pianobuyer.com

Larry recently published a compendium to his massive website, titled “The Best of Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer“. This is a fantastic guide to everything about the piano – what they are, how they work, how to care for them, and even how to restore older pianos and dispose of unwanted ones. The book includes an overview of 80 brands of major piano manufacturers, and is an essential guide for everyone interested in pianos.

You can purchase a copy of “The Best of Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer” at http://pianobuyer.com or on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2CxfiH3 or at local bookstores everywhere.

In 1976, Nelly Berman immigrated to the United States from Odessa, the former Soviet Union, as a single mother and piano teacher with two children, $17 in her pocket, and a suitcase full of music scores. A gifted piano teacher, Nelly passionately loved classical music and wanted to teach children who love music to play on a professional level, regardless of their future careers. She dreamed that classical music in America would one day be as celebrated as much as sports, if not more so, as it was in her former homeland of Russia.

In 1995, Nelly founded the NBS Classical Music Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide merit-based scholarships to students as well as to bring high level classical music concerts and competitions to the community. The “Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow” competition was her creation. The Nelly Berman School revived the competition this year in Nelly’s memory, and it is now hailed as “one of the top classical music competitions on the east coast” by the distinguished panel of judges, representing the Philadelphia and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, several prominent university music programs and schools, and international performing artists.

On Sunday, June 18th, the Nelly Berman School of Music and the NBS Classical Music Institute will present the Gold and Platinum winners of the “Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow” International Music Competition in concert at the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Center. Gold winners will perform in the 10:00 am concert, and Platinum winners will perform in the 3:00 pm concert featuring guest performer Derek Barnes, cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

To purchase tickets, please call the Kimmel Center box office at 215-875-7633 or visit their website at kimmelcenter.org. To learn more about the competition and the concert, visit nbsmusic.com. 

Two podcast hosts meet in person for the first time at NAMM 2017! Hugh Sung from A Musical Life and Jason Heath from Contrabass Conversations talk about what they’ve learned and experienced at NAMM, which stands for the National Association of Music Merchants convention, one of the largest of its kind for the music industry.

Watch the video

What does it take to win an audition? What are the secrets behind those musicians who have won orchestra jobs and prominent teaching positions? Jason Heath, host of the popular “Contrabass Conversations” podcast, has just written new book, “Winning the Audition”, where he sits down with 27 successful audition winners and finds out what they did to prepare and win. This Thursday, November 17 at 9 pm EST, I will be co-hosting a webinar with Jason to explore what it takes to win an audition.

To sign up for this free webinar, go to amusicallife.com/audition.

Are you a musician struggling to find work? Wondering how to find and meet the right people to get the gigs you really want to play? This Thursday, Oct. 13 9 pm EST I’ll be co-hosting a special webinar with Seth Hanes, author of, “Break Into The Scene”, a new book that gives you all the tools you need to take control of your musical life and create your own musical opportunities. In this free webinar, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and get actionable advice to get the gigs you want to play and “break into the scene”.

Seth Hanes is a musician, digital marketing consultant, speaker, and founder of musiciansguidetohustling.com, As a digital marketing consultant, Seth has worked with multi-million dollar organizations, book publishers, and musicians from ensembles like the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. His new book, “Break Into The Scene”, is a guide for musicians looking to start their careers and create their own opportunities in music.

To sign up for the webinar, visit https://www.amusicallife.com/mastermind/webinars/break-scene-webinar-seth-hanes/

Thank You!

In only 7 months and 35 episodes since “A Musical Life” launched, the podcast has reached over a quarter of a million downloads!

It has been such an honor and a privilege to share the stories of some of the world’s most remarkable musicians with you each week! Thank you for all your support!

If you’d like to continue hearing these amazing stories week after week, please help us cross the next quarter of a million downloads by the end of the year by telling a friend about this show and posting a quick review on iTunes.

I’m so excited about the amazing roster of artists we have scheduled for future episodes! And as always, I really appreciate all of your wonderful feedback! If you have a story or an artist you’d like to suggest for the show, feel free to send an email and let me know.

All the very best,

Hugh Sung

“Inspiration to Compose You” by pianist Margaret Wacyk is a delightful new podcast that explores ways in which music inspires, heals, and refreshes us. She asks some terrific questions, like: which composer would I want to meet and what would we drink together? We look at some of the ways that I work and live as a modern music entrepreneur – I share a new idea for creating a “live” version of my own podcast show with guest musicians combined with great food – how I teach people all over the world how to play “Clair de lune” from scratch, and how a special sermon inspired my parents to get me started in music. Thank you, Margaret!

http://musictocomposeyou.com/2016/03/an-interview-with-hugh-sung/

This coming Thursday, March 10th, if you happen to be in the Indianapolis area, I will be giving a performance lecture as part of Anderson University’s Intellectual Innovation IDEA-U series on my life as an entrepreneur artist and vision for changing the world through artistic innovation. The presentation begins at 7:30 pm in Anderson’s York Performance Hall, and I’ll be joined by violinist Gert Kumi demonstrating my iPad as a digital sheet music reader and my AirTurn pedals for turning pages hands free in performance. The lecture performance is free and open to the public, so I’d love to see you there. For more information, visit www.anderson.edu/arts-events or call Anderson University’s School of Music, Theater and Dance at (800) 619-3047.

To book me for music entrepreneur lectures or workshops, visit my Speaking page.

Continue Reading …

In this episode of the “Classical Classroom” podcast, host Dacia Clay interviews Hugh Sung, who is a modern classical music renaissance man: He’s a podcaster, a techie, a pianist who’s collaborated with people like Jennifer Higdon and Hillary Hahn, an author, an inventor, a former Curtis Institute Professor who now teaches online. Sung has crafted a life — and a career — that keeps him close to his passion and that constantly engages his busy mind. In this MusicWorks episode, learn how and why Hugh does it, and be inspired to create your own Musical Life.

Classical Classroom MusicWorks, Ep 120: A Musical Life, Indeed – With Hugh Sung

Musical selections performed in this episode:

• Myths Op.30: I. The Fountain Of Arethusa. Karol Szymanowski. Performed by Aaron Rosand with Hugh Sung.
• Man of Steel. Hugh Sung
• Capriccio-Waltz In E Major Op.7. Henryk Wieniawski. Performed by Aaron Rosand with Hugh Sung.
• Four Souvenirs: Samba. Paul Schoenfield. Performed by Jasmine Choi and Hugh Sung.

Visit Hugh’s personal website at http://hughsung.com

MusicWorks is a Classical Classroom subseries that takes a look at what people are doing in the classical music world today.