This content was created by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This content was uploaded by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This is a YouTube video titled "Welcome to Season 6 -- Season of Creativity and Connection!" (published 2025-09-03). It is a season-launch monologue by Yukimi Song, host of The Piano Pod, announcing Season 6’s theme (Creativity and Connection), previewing upcoming episodes and guests (first episode with Chad Lawson on Sept 9; Madalina Danila and Hugh Sung on Sept 23), and outlining a live concert on Oct 4, 2025 at Stiefel Hall at The New School in partnership with Mannes Prep. The host also previews alumni guests (Donna Wang Friedman, Dr. Jihoon Kerska, Dr. Nana Agboh, Eleanor Bindman), Substack subscriber content (free “Meet Our Guest” posts and paid “Behind the Mic” posts), three bonus mini episodes, and calls to subscribe, follow, and attend the live event. The announcement references previous season metrics (20 episodes, 6 sponsors, ~350,000 downloads, ~3,000 YouTube subscribers) and media recognition. The language is English and the piece functions as a promotional/introductory episode rather than a multi-person conversation.
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Hello friends, and welcome back to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. I am so excited to kick off Season 6 with you. I hope your summer gave you space to recharge, to create, and even to stumble into some unexpected musical discoveries. As we step into this new season, I want to invite you into a theme that has been sitting on my heart for months: Creativity and Connection. This season, we're going to go deeper. Beyond polished performances, beyond perfect takes, we are celebrating the stories behind the curtain, the moments of process, risk, and rediscovery. Because let's be honest, art doesn't come from perfection. It comes from that honest, messy, exhilarating work in between. Last season was such a milestone for The Piano Pod with 20 episodes, 6 generous sponsors, over 350,000 downloads, nearly 3,000 YouTube subscribers, and recognition in outlets like Yahoo Finance, Insider, and the Quill Podcast Awards. None of that would have happened without you—your listens, your shares, and your support. Truly, this is as much your community as it is mine, and I am so grateful. So what's ahead in Season 6? We are starting strong. First up is Chad Lawson, Slimey artist, Billboard-charting composer, and United Nations Arts Ambassador. Chad has reimagined classical piano as a space for stillness and connection. Through his recordings and his podcast, Calm It Down, he invites millions of listeners to slow down, breathe, and find calm in the middle of life's chaos. This first episode of Season 6 will drop next Tuesday, September 9th, at 8 PM Eastern Time everywhere you listen to podcasts and of course on YouTube. I hope you will join us. Then we'll hear from Madalina Danila and Hugh Sung, the award-winning Mada and Hugh Piano Duo. Their partnership is extraordinary— two brilliant artists daring to take risks together. Their artistry radiates joy and creativity, and their innovative arrangements and collaborations show us how music can bridge cultures and remind us that classical musicians are not just performers; we are creators, shaping music in many forms. That episode premieres on Tuesday, September 23rd at 8 PM Eastern Time on our YouTube channel. And here is something I have been bursting to share. For the very first time, The Piano Pod is stepping onto the stage for a live concert. On October 4th, 2025, at Stiefel Hall at The New School, we'll gather for an afternoon of performances, interviews, and conversation, presented in partnership with Mannes Prep at The New School, a pre-college music program offering comprehensive and nurturing pre-professional training. In this special live concert, you will hear from our alumni guests, multi-award-winning filmmaker and pianist, Donna Wang Friedman, MIT-trained engineer and founder of Keys to Success, Dr. Jihoon Kerska, pianist and founder, artistic director of Juneteenth LP, Dr. Nana Agboh, and pianist, arranger, and recording artist, Eleanor Bindman, known for her innovative Bach transcriptions. Together, these four visionary women will share powerful performances and meaningful conversations that highlight the many ways music builds, impacts, and sustains community. This season is also expanding how we connect. On Substack, you will find Meet Our Guest, my reflections on each artist's creative pulse. For paid subscribers, Behind the Mic, exclusive posts where I share personal stories, production notes, and creative lessons I have learned along the way. And in addition to our regular lineup, I'll be sharing 3 bonus mini episodes, casual intimate catch-ups with past guests. This season of creativity and connection is an invitation —to listen more closely, to feel more deeply, and to experience classical music not as a finished product but as a living story in motion. Thank you for being here, for making this community possible, and for believing in the power of music and human connection. If you'd like to support this work, please subscribe to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song on Substack and YouTube, Follow us on social media, share an episode with a friend, and if you are in New York, join us live on October 4th at Stiefel Hall in New York City. I am Yukimi Song and this is The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. Let's make Season 6 a space where music isn't just heard but felt, shared, and reimagined together. See you next week, September 9th at 8 PM Eastern. For our first full episode with Chad Lawson. You don't want to miss it.
