Tomoko left Japan to study piano at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music (SFCM). She had few connections or money, so there were
many challenges. Fortunately, along the way, Tomoko was able to get support
from kind people. She recalls…
“The Conservatory was closed on Sundays so I went to Lone
Mountain College and got permission from the music department to practice there
on Sundays. Some friends from Lone
Mountain told me about a church on Octavia Street where the Japanese community
gathered. One of the girls I met at the church was a fashion designer, and
before she left San Francisco to return to Japan, she told me about Mrs. Bine’s
house where she was staying and housesitting. She said, ‘Why don’t you meet her?’
That’s I how I ended up staying with Mrs. Bine.”
Mrs. Alma Bine was a Jewish widow of a doctor. They had three
children who graduated from Stanford. Mrs Bine’s cousin was Mischa Elman, a
famous violist. The family lived in the wealthy part of San Francisco called
Sea Cliff. The Japanese consulate lived three blocks away; Tomoko notes: “ I
taught his two children brought by the nanny.”
Tomoko continues, “Mrs. Bine let me stay with her in the
house; I just had to give her breakfast every day. She had a piano, and loved
to listen to me play. I enjoyed the
space; the house was huge with beautiful views of Pacific Ocean. Several neighbors
and Mrs. Bine’s granddaughter and their friends took lessons from me there. One
neighbor in particular was very kind: Mrs. Wildberg; before I left for an international
competition in Paris, she gave me French money.”
Tomoko lived in Mrs. Bine’s home for three years, and had
several good memories during this time, which she lists:
- I won a San Francisco Symphony competition.
-I decided to stay in the US and applied for my green card.
-I received a teaching position at SFCM after graduating.
- My 27th birthday party: I invited my close friends to Mrs. Bine’s
house and garden, and the neighbors and relatives came. I had no idea what a
birthday party in America was like; I never had a birthday party before this
one.
Tomoko has that same giving nature, and has helped many
people attain their musical dreams too.
