Tomoko's Musical World of Vienna

Tomoko has traveled several times to Europe, and one of her special cities is Vienna. No wonder – with its musical history. For instance, Tomoko visited Beethoven’s house in Vienna, which was made into a museum. 

Vienna is sometimes called the capital of classical music, largely because it was the hub of 19^th century musical composition and performance. Music was a booming industry then, attracting such luminaries as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Strauss, and Berg. 

Several of Tomoko's favorite composers, teachers and performers were connected with Vienna.

Mozart spent much of his life in Vienna, starting with an invitation for him to play a concert at the Habsburg family Schonbrunn Palace.

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He lived several years in Vienna, and was largely influenced by the Viennese classical tradition of Mozart and Haydn. 

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius fantasized studying in Vienna under Brahms or Bruckner. Both of them rejected Sibelius, but he was able to study informally in Vienna and networked with musicians in the city. Sibelius wrote to his family: “Vienna is all laughter and waltzes.”

Tomoko studied under Adolph Baller, and she earned money as a page-turner for him when she was a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Baller was sent at age eight to Vienna to study the piano; he debuted with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at age thirteen.

One of Tomoko’s earliest musical inspirations was pianist Lili Kraus. Tomoko collected her LPs as a youngster, and crossed paths with Lili several times. In her early career, Lili was a professional performer and professor at the Vienna Academy. She also met and married Austrian philosopher Otto Mandl in Vienna.

Vienna continues to hum with music, offering a wide range of music: from classical to progressive jazz and rock concerts. Although Tomoko doesn’t travel abroad much now, her mental memories of Vienna still roam in her mind.

Friends for Life

Friends are important, as Tomoko well knows. She has made good musical friends, and continues to keep in touch with them throughout her life.

A case in point? Tomoko still connects with her high school friends, including at reunions that they hold to this day. “We were all in the same situation,” Tomoko recalls. “It was after the war, and materials were not available. We all made do.”

Tomoko didn’t know anyone in San Francisco when she arrived to study at the Conservatory, but she soon made friends through her classes. She was invited to their homes to celebrate holidays, and even flew one time with a couple of her classmates to Arizona State University to see Pablo Casals in person. “My friend was particularly inspired by him,”Tomoko notes. “We even met him at the airport, and shared a meal with him.”

Tomoko herself idolized Lili Kraus, an internationally famous pianist. In 1962 Tomoko and Lili were both practicing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and started a professional conversation that bloomed into a long-time friendship. 

Several of Tomoko’s friends began as performance partners. For instance, Tomoko met violinist Ernestine Chihuaria in 1968 through the Peninsula Symphony. Ernestine needed an accompanist at the last minute, and Tomoko performed with her at the DeYoung Museum. They continued to perform together as a duet for thirty years, and Tomoko kept in touch with Ernestine until she passed in 2014. 

Tomoko also became a friend to many of her students and their families. George Duke, who become a jazz musician, was an early student of hers. She was very impressed with his dedication and his kindness. She performed Brahms and Prokofiev with him, and continued to keep in touch with him.

Tomoko’s friendships were certainly reflected in a recent recital that she arranged, and in which she performed with her current and former students. The audience was filled with her friends, who love her artistry – and her personality. It’s music to her heart.

Music Makes Friends

Throughout her life, Tomoko has made friends because of music. “I enjoy other people’s lives and challenges,” says Tomoko. “Through music I meet so many people.”

In college in Tokyo, Tomoko had fun with the other music majors. “We pianists were all together and are still good friends. We would  study in the morning, and practice the rest of the day.” 

When Tomoko came to the the United States, she knew very few people, but music provided a way to make friends at the Conservatory of San Francisco. Tomoko would also be invited to her colleagues’ homes for the holidays.  She also remembers going with a couple of Conservatory girl friends to visit Pablo Casals at Arizona State University, where a library was being dedicated to him. Tomoko now sees parents chatting together at the Conservatory where she teaches. “You have a place to share, and can help each other,”  Tomoko recalls in her decades of experience there.

Tomoko’s students sometimes contact her years after they have grown up or moved. It was their continued friendship that led to the honorific concert in May 2013. Tomoko also remembers her own teachers, and remet an old professor in London, 40 years after studying with him.

Tomoko has also made friends with other professional musicians. For instance, Lili Kraus was a concert pianist and master class teacher. Tomoko met her twice in Japan, and Lili said to Tomoko: II have to learn from you about the piano.” They shared their love of music and became good friends.

Music also brought Tomoko and her husband together; they met at a Hungarian dance party!

More generally, Tomoko explains how music brings people together. “People can welcome music anytime. Music is powerful. I don’t have to say anything."