Joyce Yang Photo: KT Kim
Pianist Joyce Yang is in New Zealand to perform Leonard Bernstein's 'Symphony No 2, The Age of Anxiety' with the NZSO.
Joyce talked with Three to Seven host Bryan Crump about leaving South Korea for the United States at age 10 to study at Julliard, her focus in recent years on promoting creative ways to introduce classical music to new audiences and how to make the concert hall more welcoming, and the power of experiencing classical music in a live setting.
"I really feel that there's the fear that classical music is this stuffy, very formal thing for people that only know about it, and as an outsider it can be intimidating."
"But I always tell them most people have no idea what piece they're going to hear that night. It's not common that people are there to hear what they like to hear, they're there to experience something new."
"And even if you know the piece very well, it's about really just sitting there, opening your heart and allowing something to reach you."
"I think it's one of the most powerful things you can experience."
