Awarding Piano Performance Internationally

Particularly when Tomoko was young, she participated in several piano performance competitions. Besides the regional competitions, Tomoko had the honor Tomoko had the honor to participate in the Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, which promoted classical music. This biennial contest was

created in 1943, in the midst of World War II.

The following year she entered her most memorable international competition: the 1968 Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition. First of all, this Queen did not rule in England. She was born in Bavaria, and was the wife of Belgium’s King Albert I. This Queen Elisabeth as a patron of the arts and set up the competition in 1937, only to have it interrupted by World War II.  In 1951 it was re-activated and named in honor of the queen.

A more recent international award is the program of Excellence Piano Awards, which awards piano solos, duos and trios from around the world. Categories include classical, jazz, film music, minimalist, pop covers and original compositions. Unlike Tomoko who had to fly to these international competitions, current competitors submit their recorded performances online.

The website Musical Chairs (https://www.musicalchairs.info/piano/competitions) lists national and international piano competitions for performers of classical music.

Tomoko’s daughter also completed professionally – in ice dancing. She won several awards nationally, and even competed in the 2002 Winter OIympics.

When asked why she did such competitions, Tomoko replied, “Humans need competition. Pressure transforms to energy.” She continued, “Enjoy life with its challenges – then succeed.” 

Tomoko’s Christmas Memories

 

As Tomoko demonstrates, Christmas certainly builds lifelong musical memories.

Tomoko attended Ferris Academy: an elite Dutch Reformed school for girls, located in Yokohama. “At Christmas time everyone memorized Bible verses and performed Christmas music,” Tomoko remembers.  

She also recalls: “The Dutch Reformed school received Christmas cards from the U.S., and the images showed a very rich and full Christmas. The teachers would cut the cards with zigzag scissors, and sell them at the school Christmas bazaar (an American tradition brought to the school). In Japan at that time, every scrap of paper was dear, so the cards were very popular. “

When Tomoko attended the Conservatory of San Francisco, she spent the Christmas break with her classmate. Tomoko remembers dressing in a pale flowered kimono, and playing a board game at her friend’s home.

Tomoko’s musical memory of Christmas also extends to her daughter Beata’s ’s piano playing. The little girl was  frantic one evening, when she told her mother, “Mummy, the school Christmas program is tomorrow, and I have to play “Up on the Housetop! I told the teacher that I couldn’t do it, and she said that you would help. Help! What am I going to do??” Tomoko thought to herself: “That’s too much pressure for a little girl.” To Beata, though, she said calmly, “Let’s go to the piano.” Tomoko sat down beside her. “Don’t worry. The most important thing is the rhythm. Now play middle G, and sing the song, tapping the key for each note.” Tomoko listened and observed closely, and gave Beata some encouraging suggestions. Beata practiced for the next half hour, with Tomoko’s gradual release of coaching. The next day, Tomoko asked Beata, “How did the program go?” Beata smiled, “The teacher didn’t even notice that it was just one note!” Tomoko wasn’t surprised, and hugged her daughter.

As a teacher, Tomoko advised parents: "Your actions speak volumes. And your musical investment of time can bring untold value to your children. You can share Christmas carols as a way to share your love of music with your children. You and your children can grow together through music.”

Tomoko also sees Christmas as a universal musical experience. Tomoko sees the importance of experiencing music through the lens of a country, and comparing those different expressions. She suggests: “Compare Christmas songs from different countries. They are a way to connect with culture.”

 

Mothering Music

 

Tomoko knows that it often takes a family to raise a young pianist. Not only does the family have to sometimes sacrifice to pay for lessons, but they need to provide the home conditions to facilitate daily practice – and reinforce its importance, not only to develop technical skills but also to develop self-discipline and perseverance.

Not surprisingly, Tomoko started teaching her own daughter Beata how to play the piano. Even though Beata does not perform professionally, she has dueted with her mother at occasional recitals. And music is an essential part of Beata’s life as she HAS performed professionally as an ice dancer, where the choice and leverage of music is key.

Tomoko knows her students well, and works hard to match the music with the specific needs and interests of each student. She observes and interacts with parents in order to provide appropriate support for the family so that the piano student will succeed. She What advice does Tomoko give to mothers of blossoming pianists?

• You may think your child is gifted, but you are probably not the best judge. It is more useful to support the child’s hard work and self-discipline.
• Encourage your children to share what they learned in their lessons.  
• Don’t judge by grades; they can be misleading.
• Don’t get too stressed or competitive; skill takes effort but it should also be satisfying and rewarding.
• Technical skills provide a strong foundation, and muscle development and muscle memory can start early. But technical is not enough; the player needs to bring personal interpretation and emotion, and that takes maturity so be patient.
• Let the teachers choose the music; they have a larger repertoire and they know what is appropriate for the child’s ability.

And piano students should thank their mothers for encouraging and supporting their interest in the piano. Not just on Mother’s Day but every day.

Relating to Bartok

 

When I met Tomoko in 1983, the first question she asked me was: “Who is your favorite composer?” I answered “Béla Bartók.” Tomoko was impressed because he is usually not mentioned among the Big Bs (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms). Bartók has a way to connecting people, and there are many pieces of evidence that link Tomoko and her family to him.

One of the first connections between Bartók and Tomoko was Bartók’s country of birth: Hungary. Tomoko’s husband Desi was a Hungarian refugee. Like Desi, Bartók had to leave his country; when his father died, Bartók (age seven) and his sister were taken by mother first to the Ukraine and then to Slovakia. Indeed, when World War II started, Bartók immigrated to America; Desi immigrated because of the Hungarian Revolution. Tomoko also immigrated to the US as an adult.

Like Tomoko, Bartók started piano lessons as a young boy. Unlike Tomoko, Bartók wrote his first piano composition at age nine, and performed at his first public piano recital at age 11.

Also like Tomoko, Bartók was influenced by the music of Richard Strauss, Debussy, and Brahms.

Both Tomoko and Bartók appreciate folk music. Interestingly, Bartók started his interest in folk music when he heard an nanny singing folk songs to the little children she took care of. Tomoko routinely sang Japanese nursery songs to her daughter Beata when she was a baby, and how both of them sing those same traditional songs to Beata’s son Kai.

Both Tomoko and Bartók are nature lovers. Nature inspired Bartók in his Night music, which evoked sounds of nature. Another example is his Out of Doors sonata.

Moreover, both Bartók and Tomoko recorded their performances, and both were music teachers. Among Tomoko’s CD recording are pieces by Bartók, making a full circle in their relationship.

 

Penguins and Tomoko

 When Tomoko saw a building sign indicating a skating rink, she thought of her little girl Beata. "That could be a fun activity for her." How, forty years later, Beata and her husband Charles Sinek work and love skating still, and have a life full of skating memories -- over twenty of them together, including their ice dancing competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Where do penguins come into the picture? January 20 is National Penguin Awareness Day, which is coming up very soon. When you think of penguins, you probably think of winter and snow and ice -- which are mental images associated with ice skating too. 

Here is Beata's and Charles' information their own company Penguin Specialty Products (https://rockerzskateguards.com/company). 

"Penguin Specialty Products was founded in 1997 upon the creation and development of its first product, Sk8tape®. The company’s founders and owners, figure skaters Charles Sinek and Beata Handra, developed Sk8tape® to not only protect their skating boots during rigorous competitive training but also to give their skates an impeccable gleam in competition. So what began as a personal endeavor to save a boot worn down from countless lunges quickly evolved into a multi-functional product that inconspicuously protects leather, replaces polish, secures laces, and can be worn in practice and in competition. Within the company’s first year, black and white Sk8tape® rolls were distributed and sold to fellow skaters around the world. Beige Sk8tape® shortly followed, and it continues to be a favorite among synchronized skating teams.

Critter Covers® fur blade covers soon joined Sk8tape® on the Penguin product line. With thick foam padding and durable fabric, these animal-style plush soakers were designed to ensure full, long-lasting protection of skate blades. For its tenth anniversary year, Penguin Specialty Products introduced Zookerz® to the skating world. The name is a fusion of the words “zoo” and “soakers”. Like Critter Covers®, these plush animal soakers provide excellent protection for blades, yet Zookerz® come complete with heads, feet, tails, and a voice box. Yes, these furry soakers talk.

The early successes of Penguin enabled the company’s owners to pursue their competitive ice dancing career. In 2002, Handra and Sinek earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team for the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Without the continuous support of Penguin’s customers, this Olympic dream would not have been possible.In 2011, Rockerz® skate guards hit the market with a big splash of color. These ergonomic skate guards hold two design patents, and a lifetime of skating experience went into the design. Full understanding of what skaters want and don’t want in a skate guard was critical to the success of Rockerz® guards. Skaters love the comfort and safety that Rockerz® guards offer as well as the custom fit and attractive color choices. Manufactured in the United States, Rockerz guards are a top quality product and a green product as well. Domestic manufacturing ensures that every pair of Rockerz® meets the highest quality and eco-friendly standards. Rockerz® are also made with recycled materials and are 100% recyclable."

Japan, the Olympics and the Paralympics: Family Affairs

 

The world is watching the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, thanks to the media. Especially with the pandemic, few people get to set foot at the actual venue, but billions can watch – even on a cell phone!

For Tomoko and her family, this event has special meaning. The Olympic Games are being played in their native country, and she attended the university in Tokyo. For Tomoko’s whole family, the Olympic Games have special meaning because Tomoko’s daughter Beata and her husband Charles competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics as ice dancers. Of course, Tomoko and her husband Desi watched Beata and Charles ringside. The family was particularly lucky because the 2002 Olympics were held in Salt Lake City: as close to their homes as possible.

But the connections don’t stop there.

In 1948 the Paralympic Games was launched, mainly to benefit injured war veterans. By 1960 23 countries were represented in the Paralympic Games. Since 1992 both the winter and summer Paralympic Games take place a fortnight after the Olympic Games, in the same arenas and other competition venues.

Since the 2002 Olympics, Handra and Charles have had the opportunity to skate in the Opening Ceremonies for the Paralympic Games. “We felt very lucky to have been able to return to Salt Lake City again and see the Paralympians experience the same exhilaration we did in our Opening Ceremonies,” said Charles.

Beata and Charles returned from the Olympian and Paralympian trip to Washington D.C. feeling refreshed. “For three fun days we hung out with fellow U.S. Olympians and made new Paralympian friends, said Beata. “We all attended two black tie dinners, a lunch hosted by the Speaker of the House, and visited the White House where the President gave a speech to the athletes on the South Lawn.”

Tomoko’s family demonstrates their own great achievements through talent, discipline and perseverance – and they applaud other’s determination and passion as well. It is truly the Olympic/Paralympic spirit!

Laboring for Love

Today is Labor Day, and Tomoko exemplifies a strong work ethic. Referring to Millet’s painting “Man with a Hoe,” Tomoko notes how the worker holds his body. “He is tired after a day of harvesting. He is braced against a stick to hold himself up.” Tomoko knows the feeling of a long day of hard work.

 

Tomoko has never been afraid of hard work. She began teaching piano lessons as a teenager – and sixty years later she continues to do this, sharing a lifetime of experience and expertise.

 

Tomoko also knows that learning how to play the piano requires dedicated practice and work. When a piece has been mastered, playing it can bring instant gratification, but getting to that point of fluid performance can demand much time and effort, and in the process it can feel as if that day of mastery, those positive results, will never arrive. “Practice is like gardening,” Tomoko asserts. “You need to do it every day and pay attention to all the details.”  She adds, “It requires patience. Sometimes you don’t see the growth for a long time, but it is worth the ongoing effort.” Tomoko remarks, “Many people don’t plan for practice. Since I was 12 years old, I have planned time for practice.” That kind of discipline exemplifies Tomoko’s attitude to music and work.

 

Tomoko also passed this work attitude to her daughter Beata. Beata began serious skating at age 6, but didn’t compete until the U.S. Nationals, rather perfecting her form first. Tomoko supported Beata’s persistent interest throughout the school years, driving her to practice, and paying for lessons through teaching piano. Tomoko notes, “Both ice skating and piano require lots of sacrifice. Even one week without practice will be embarrassing.”

 

Performance requires even more focused work as the pianist – or the ice dancer -- has to analyze and master each piece.  The performer has to over-prepare so that the physical action is almost automatic, and the spirit of the work can be freely expressed. Both the stress level and the level of accomplishment are higher. But the payoff and the exhilarating feeling are worth the effort hopefully. The performer lives for this moment, and is IN that moment. All the components are there, "But reaches a higher energy plane," Tomoko explains. The playing itself is both automatic and intentional, precise and personal, deliberate and freeing. It is ultimately a universal yet intimate conversation with the audience. It is not like daily life. It is a heightened reality. Tomoko asserts, "It can be a mystical experience. An 'out of this world' performance."

 

So work becomes play, play that is hard earned.

.

Skating to the Music

Tomoko's daughter Beata performs and coaches ice dancing, echoing Tomoko's double professional life as piano performer and teacher. Both of them have a long-long love of music. Both choose their music pieces carefully to showcase their own performance expertise.

Among Beata's accomplishments was her -- and husband Charles' -- performances at the 2002 Olympics. That year their show performances included: "Tango: Fugata" by Astor Piazzolla and "Samson and Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saëns.

 Astor Piazzolla was a 20th century Argentinian tango composer, possibly the world's greatest. He created a new style of tango, which incorporated classical music and jazz. His new sound was controversial in his country, but his music was accepted in North America and Europe.. Written in the 1980s for a virtuoso guitar duo, Piazzolla's Tango Suite includes Fugata (meaning "fugue"), Milonga, and Libertango. "Fugata" introduces a short melody that is developed by interweaving several parts. The piece offered a suspenseful way to build up dance drama and showcase final bravura performance by Beata and Charles.

French composer Saint-Saëns wrote the opera "Sanson and Delilah" as choral music was experiencing high interest, although Biblical subjects were not popular on the French stage. Instead, in 1877 the opera opened in Weimar, Germany, thanks to Liszt's support. The work is framed as a duet between the protagonists, which Beata and Charles leveraged in their dance routine.  

The pieces also echo Beata's and Charles' -- as well as Tomoko's -- years of work to be accepted and applauded.

Waltzing Through Life

Among the genres of classical music that delights Tomoko is the waltz. That love also reflects Tomoko’s enjoyment of dancing. Even her high school’s physical education program included dance-like activity. 

Waltzes, in particular, have played a significant role in Tomoko’s life.

Tomoko met her future husband at a Hungarian society ball in San Francisco. Desy was sitting with a group of bachelors when he was introduced to Tomoko, although Tomoko wasn’t looking for a husband. Her first impression of him was positive though. “He is the most handsome fellow of the group,” she decided, “and he dances well,” as she recalled the ballroom waltzes.

Tomoko’s daughter Beata also enjoys waltzes. Tomoko remembers when Beata wanted to quit skating at age nine. Tomoko aw that the rink had group lessons. Beata thought that group dancing was fun. “I love waltzing,” she said. Beata went on to win medals for her ice dancing, and both performs and coaches ice dancing. 

Tomoko has played the piano waltzes of several composers: Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and Poulenc.

Among the waltzes that Tomoko enjoys playing is Shostakovich’s “Valse-Scherzo.” Russian Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the major composers of the twentieth century. Even as a child, Dmitra showed a gift for the piano and music in general. At age 13 he entered the Petrograd Music Conservatory, and he wrote his first symphony at age 19. Much of his work was theatrical, and he was known for his film music. Nevertheless, he also wrote for the piano, including waltzes. 

Tomoko’s performances of waltzes showcase her flowing movement and romantic undertones.  

Tomoko's Movie Life

When Tomoko was a teenager she went to the movies every week – for free – because of her father’s business connections. Tomoko continues to enjoy movies for several musical reasons.

Tomoko’s own history has impacted her movie watching. For instance, Tomoko was a child during World War II, which was a very hard time for her and her family. So she was very reluctant to see the 2002 movie “The Pianist,” even though her friends said the piano music was worth the watch. The final piece that the main character played was one of Tomoko’s favorite: Chopin’s Grande Polonaise brillante. That piece redeemed the movie experience, although Tomoko also thought that the movie plot itself was also moving.

The 1990 movie “Green Card” also hit home for Tomoko because it addressed issues of immigration, which Tomoko experienced coming to the U.S. from Japan.  However, Tomoko did not need a marriage to stay in America; her professional experience tipped the scales and speeded up her naturalization. However, the movie did feature the music of another favorite composer of Tomoko: Mozart. Mentioning a more contemporary composer for the film, Tomoko remarks: “Enya's scores for that movie captured the essence of a river, waterfall, and storms. Music can imitate the sound of nature."

Another time, Tomoko saw a movie about Chopin: “A Song to Remember.” Having read about Chopin, and visited the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, Tomoko saw several errors in the film biography. For instance, his home was shown near the ocean; “That wasn’t real,” she asserts. Next door to his place was a monastery, instead, because of his asthma, which was not mentioned in the film. But you can still enjoy the music.” On the other hand, Tomoko says, “When you see the countess in the movie, well-dressed and peaceful, she will remind you of Chopin’s etude 25 #1 melody.” As a side note, Tomoko played Chopin’s raindrop prelude on the museum’s piano.

“Movie makers can interpret a scene so eloquently with music. Take the movie Madame Sousatska with Shirley MacLaine.” Tomoko has a strong connection with this film because it centers on piano teaching and learning, and includes almost twenty classical selections. Tomoko names a couple of her favorites: the Spinning Song of Mendelssohn and Scriabian’s Etude in D sharp minor no. 12. “Rubinstein performed that etude in Russian,” Tomoko says. “Their choice of music for the specific scene is amazing, such as Beethoven’s last movement from his Sonata in C major when the piano student arrives. Schubert’s Fantasy in F minor is played during the funeral, and the movie ends with Chopin, which is most fitting.”

Movie music fascination has been handed down to Tomoko’s daughter Beata. She recalls: “I obsessed about the movie ‘Amadeus.’ It was my secret life.  I listened to Mozart every night under cover.”  As a teenager, Beata didn’t want to be known as liking classical music. However, as an ice dancer, Beata shines when she performs to classical pieces.