A few weeks ago that appreciation came to visit me again when I interviewed Alpin Hong. And even though he had mastered Debussy's Preludes at about the same age I was trying to get Twinkle Twinkle Little Star down pat, there was a familiarity and down to earth vibe that is undeniable about this man.
Alpin arrived in a crisp red t-shirt, black oil-slicked jeans, and a fresh pair of red Lebron’s which is totally opposite what one might expect from him. A pre-med student at UCLA who then went on to attend Juilliard and now is a world renowned classical pianist, he shines as brightly in 1000 seat concert halls as he does in small rooms, like detention centers, hospices, and schools. The 7500 staff was treated to a private concert in our college cafeteria hall, on a rickety schoolhouse piano badly in need of tuning. At 10:00AM, Alpin Hong took us on a chamber music version of Bill and Ted’s adventure through time. Alpin weaves together Wagner and Imagine Dragons, Chopin into the Star Wars Theme and music from Super Mario Brothers, and it’s all held together by threads of commonality, expressed in a practiced and polished piano performance. |
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How much of a priority is arts education in your career now?
“Well, a lot. On the road I’ve been known for doing educational outreach, playing for younger uninitiated audiences, which does mean schools, hospitals, hospices, detention centers, and playing for the people who may not be able to afford to, or aren’t interested in going to a piano recital. But all of that work is culminating in what I’m doing just right now in Riverside, with the Alvord School District. This district has not had elementary music education since the financial crash 15 years ago. It wiped out funding for teachers, instruments, all those materials." |
Is there one underlying message in your work?
“What is the purpose of the arts? My answer is to create a more informed electorate. We’re being sold to so much, and what we’re being sold is products and this idea of the way we should be, that there’s red and blue, there’s north and south, and there’s us and there’s them. And that has fractured our politics to the point where we can’t get anything done. And people make money on that division. And it’s gotten to the point now where it’s very serious. If you look at the election right now, it’s like a South Park episode, it’s so polarized, so angry, and so juvenile. This is not what I want my kids to grow up with. I want them to know what a leader is, and what is considered responsibly in terms of public service. That dialogue has become so poisoned, because people are not searching for solutions anymore. They’re actually profiting more from the divisions and the problems not being solved." |
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