Life in San Rafael

For over thirty years Tomoko has resided in San Rafael, California, the county seat of Marin County just north of San Francisco. Tomoko enjoys driving into the City for her teaching time, but she also appreciates returning to the lush scenery near home.

The town itself has a much longer history. Originally inhabited by the Coast Miwok, Spaniards built a mission here in 1817. Now the town boasts more than 70,000 residents, and has a strong entertainment industry and technology presence: LucasArts, Comcast, Autodesk, and several electronic gaming companies. Tomoko recorded her piano performances at the Lucas studio.

Geographically, San Rafael resembles a microcosm of habitats: marshland and estuary to forests and hills, the latter feature separating the more industrial southern part of town from the more suburban-looking northern part where Tomoko lives. Several parks dot the town. Climate-wise, San Rafael enjoys Mediterranean weather. Tomoko enjoys gardening in this climate, especially as she has a special affinity to nature.

Tomoko also used to drive through San Rafael west to San Domenico School where she taught piano for several years, and would drive north from San Rafael to Sonoma’s Redwood Empire Ice Arena (owned by cartoonist Charles Schulz) to take her daughter for ice skating lessons. Her husband Desy also used to work as a medical doctor in San Rafael as well.

Saint Rafael was named after the Catholic saint, patron of good health and travelers. He is an appropriate figure for Tomoko who has certainly traveled many roads in her life and continues to have a healthy life.

.

The Impact of Immigration

In this climate of nationalism and concern about immigrant populations, it is important to remember the richness that immigrants bring to this nation. Tomoko and her husband exemplify the impact of immigrants to the United States – and the impact that people in the United States made in helping them succeed.

Tomoko recounts her career journey. “I wanted to get out of Japan. Europe was the cultural center, but the US was very welcoming to musicians such as Paderewski. I got an exchange student status, but I had to have a job to pay tuition. Tomoko came to the country with little money: “I didn’t want to be tempted to go back home.” Her musical skill opened doors for her. “Fortunately, UCLA had a special opera workshop, and a Japanese composer was there, so I was an accompanist for the program.” The Japanese community also welcomed her as a piano teacher for their children.

Tomoko also notes her professional opportunities in the US. “I was the first Asian teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The first non-white was a black woman who did jazz.” Tomoko mentions the diversity of the conservatory. “There are lots of Eurasian students now. It is good for them to connect with different cultures.” Tomoko asserts: “Without music you don’t see as much of the world, and you don’t see the challenge.”

Because of her musical contributions Tomoko was able to become a US citizen five years after she got her green card (being single, it took her longer than if she were married at the time). She had to be interviewed, and was worried because of the spelling test. But the interviewer said, “I am a member of the Marin Symphony,” so it was an easy process.

One of her witnesses at the interview was her future husband Desy. He too is an immigrant: a refugee from the Hungarian Revolution. He was a medical professor at the University in Budapest, but had to redo his residency when he arrived in the United States. He had only one suitcase and $30 when he was dropped at St. Mary’s Hospital, and sometimes had to sleep in the park because he could not pay for lodging. Nevertheless, he once again became a successful and very regarded doctor.

The United States is richer because of Tomoko and her husband – and their talented daughter.

When asked what she liked about America, Tomoko responds: “I love the freedom. It is very comfortable, like a flowing painting. There is not tension and stress that I felt in Japan. It’s “high tech high touch.”

Traveling Music

Transportation has played an important role in Tomoko’s musical journey. Every week Tomoko drives into San Francisco to teach.“I love to drive!” Her love of travel started early; “I remember looking over the Yokohama harbor, and wondering where the ships were going.”

Tomoko took public transportation to get to her early music lessons and high school, and she traveled over an hour from Yokohama to the Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku).

When Tomoko left Japan for the U.S. she saved her money, and flew across the Pacific. Professor Herbert Jan Popper facilitated her immigration by listing her along with a group of Japanese singers for a Japanese opera that was going to be performed for UCLA. She was also able to get exchange student student to help her stay in the U.S.

As a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, money was tight for Tomoko. She tried for a San Francisco Foundation award that would help finance her studies. Tomoko remembers, “ That morning was rainy, and I had only one dollar, not even enough to take a taxi.” Instead, Tomoko took a bus, holding her umbrella to keep her nice outfit dry. She thought to herself: “I am going to make it.” When she got to the auditorium, a competitor arrived in a Cadillac, and someone held out an umbrella over her head. After Tomoko played the required selection, the judges liked her performance so much that they asked her to play another solo piece. The competition took all day, and Tomoko had to go home alone on the bus at 8pm, when there were few buses at that hour. Two days later she found out that she won.

Tomoko had always wanted to visit Europe because of its long musical tradition. When she graduated from the Conservatory, Tomoko also wanted to compete internationally. Her friends helped pay her flight, and they connected her with other musical supporters. After her competition, “I traveled around Europe -- Rome, Firenze, Nice, Cannes, Munich, Zurich, Sweden -- on a Eurail pass for two months.” Tomoko adds, “I always thought this would be my last trip to Europe.”

Since then, Tomoko has traveled several times to Europe: for other piano competitions, to support her daughter’s skating competitions, and to visit the homeland of her Hungarian husband.

And she still loves to drive around Europe….

Hardship and Heart

Tomoko understands hardship, and she knows that it can help one personally and professionally.

As a child in war-worn Japan, Tomoko experienced shortages of food and other supplies. Neighbors sold their organ to Tomoko’s family because of financial constraints, which led Tomoko and her brother eventually to become professional musicians. She remembers her high school teachers promising her and other students chocolate in order to motivate them to memorize music.

When Tomoko arrived in the United States, her English wasn’t very good, so she had to learn the nuances of the language to get around. To a large extent, she had to make it on her own; she built on her experience to give piano lessons to help pay tuition and daily expenses. Tomoko’s hardships have helped her build resilience and inner strength.

Tomoko’s family has also experienced hardships. Tomoko’s husband Desy also experienced hardships. He was a professor who fled Hungary under Communist rule. When he arrived in San Francisco he had so little money that he had to sleep in the park. Their daughter Beata had to make sacrifices for her skating, traveling a distance to practice at the rink sometimes before the sun came up. Both husband and daughter have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers.

Having dealt with hardships, Tomoko knows how to encourages her piano students who themselves experience hardships. When parents do not support their children’s playing, Tomoko encourages her students to keep up their hope. When a piece challenges a student, Tomoko helps them take one step at a time to overcome the musical obstacles.

Tomoko philosophizes: “When you have hardship, you understand more.”  She continues, “Then I tell my students that everything is possible.” Tomoko should know.

Love of Music, Love of Family

You don’t have to be a performer to love music and to be impacted by it. Tomoko’s family is a great example of that.

Tomoko’s mother loved to move to music as she worked around the house. She and her husband loved music enough to obtain a pipe organ from the neighbors so Tomoko and her sibling could learn to play. Tomoko’s older brother was an inspiration for her; as a little girl she would follow him to piano lessons. He chose music as his career, as did she.

While visiting Europe for the first time in the late 1960s, Tomoko attended a Hungarian dance part. There she saw “the most handsome boy from East Germany.” She noted, “He was a good dancer, but I could not dance.” Two years later, Tomoko saw him again, and invited him to a recital. In 1970 they got married in Salzberg.

Tomoko’s daughter Beata also loves music, dancing to it – on skates. Tomoko started her daughter skating at a very early age, mainly for exercise and recreation. However, Beata came to love skating so much that she has pursued it as a vocation, and performed in the Olympics. She also married her dancing partner.

“Every family can enjoy music, listening to the radio, watching TV and films.” Tomoko thinks that music as a family affair. “Families can also create music together with their voice as well as with instruments.” They can now also go online.

You can sample Tomoko’s musical performance at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TomokoHagiwara