As a Japanese pianist learning to play all the European masters, I approached it by “pretending” to be Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, and others. I did everything possible to assimilate European culture by studying Italian, French, and German. Whenever I played the piano, I felt like I was “channeling” these composers. Thus began my journey of “pretending” to be somebody else.

I also did some theater in Japan and continued to express myself in the US through Improv Comedy (Improv Boston), Actor’s Workshop, and eight years as a member of Energy Theater. Stepping into different characters became my way of expanding my consciousness, deepening my empathy and understanding, and developing a more comprehensive range of emotion and expression, which benefitted my musicianship.