At what age did you start the piano?

My mother was my very first teacher, and she started to teach me when I was nine months old. It wasn’t really like having lessons, because it was a very natural development - we just sat down together at the piano everyday for about ten minutes. At the age of two, I went to my first piano lesson with another teacher, and gave my first performance at age three. At the age of six, I started more serious studies with another teacher, and stayed with her until I was eighteen, when I moved to New York City to pursue further studies.

Were you one of those overachieving Asian-American kids who played 5 instruments and excelled in math and science?

Um, no - I actually had a pretty normal childhood, considering how music and performing were such a large part of it. I did go to an academically demanding school, which was great because it allowed me to stretch in many other areas of my life, and helped fuel my interest in diverse subjects. But there was never any pressure from my mother or family to “be” something - in fact, I don’t remember her ever telling me to study or practice! I was raised very freely, and was always given a choice in what I wanted to do. I do tend to be a perfectionist, but I think this is an inherent trait of a classical musician, something that we acquire in the act of studying our art. As for other instruments - I did play violin in my school orchestra, but was absolutely terrible at it. I did enjoy the sciences, biology and physics in particular, and actually was thinking of becoming a doctor, rather than a pianist. But I also loved English literature, European history, Latin, and a multitude of other subjects - in the end, I chose my own path and become a musician.

What’s your daily life as a concert pianist like?

That depends - if I’m at home, and not on tour, it usually means that I’m practicing up to six hours a day. This involves learning new works and repertoire for upcoming performances, as well as revisiting and reworking pieces that I’ve already performed. If I’m performing chamber music, it also means several hours of rehearsal with other musicians. In addition to the practicing, a musician’s life involves numerous phone calls, emails, and meetings with managers, publicists, travel agents, assistants, concert presenters, etc. in order to work out travel schedules, itineraries, contracts, visas, concert and rehearsal details, and so on. I also founded a non-profit educational organization in Hawaii, and that involves daily administrative work. This is, of course, all on top of the daily tasks involved in keeping up with all the other aspects of managing my career.

When I’m on tour, I do all of the above, but I’m not able to do as much daily practice simply because I can’t travel with my instrument, and whether or not I can practice, and for how long, depends upon the availability of a piano in the location I’m at. Instead, though, there are a bunch of other things I usually need to do such as press and radio interviews, meetings with local presenters, concert rehearsals, masterclasses or community outreach events, inevitable travel delays and problems, jet lag, and, in general, trying to catch up on enough rest and sleep so that I can focus on performing well.

Besides all of the above, the mental practicing and concentration, and the emotional and intellectual nourishment and stimulation needed to continue to grow artistically, goes on all the time.

Have I mentioned that I tend to be a workaholic?

Can I ask you for advice on how to make my child/ grandchild/ niece/ nephew/ cousin a concert pianist or professional musician? Who should they study with, what school should they attend, how many hours should they be practicing, what pieces should they be learning, etc.?

No, I’m sorry - I get a lot of questions regarding this, but I do not feel comfortable giving advice to anybody particularly if I have not met the person in question, have not interacted with them, and have not heard them play. A life and career in music is a very personal and individual one, and the path differs greatly with each person.

If you want to ask me about something else, feel free.

Why the name “Stretching Intervals”?

In simple music terms, an interval is the difference in pitch between two notes. Artistically, and on another more metaphorical level, I have always believed that part of what sustains an interpretation depends on truly searching, listening, and finding the music that exists between notes, that exists in the intervals (this would require a whole other post to truly explain, which I hope to get to someday…). I always thought that this blog would be another way for me to stretch and grow creatively, to search for another layer of understanding about myself as a person and as an artist - thus, Stretching Intervals was born.

What kind of camera do you use?

I have a simple point-and-click Panasonic Lumix camera that I got in Tokyo several years ago. I am not very happy with it, but it’s small enough for me to take it on my travels without adding weight. I am hoping to soon invest in a digital SLR camera as I am very passionate about photography - my only concern is whether or not it will be too bulky or difficult to bring with me on my travels. I have finally acquired a camera that I’m very happy with - I call her my new best friend. I use a Nikon D40, currently with a 18-55 mm lens (I hope to expand into using other types of lens soon). I shoot all my photographs in RAW, manage them in Adobe Lightroom, and do post-processing in Photoshop CS.

How does this site work?

This site is powered by Wordpress, and put together through the use of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop CS, and of course, my baby, a Macintosh Powerbook that I am madly in love with. Other tools that I use include: Transmit (for ftp upload); Ecto for posting; some of the amazing Illustrator vectors from Bittbox; and the gorgeous Photoshop brushes by Jason Gaylor over at Designfruit. I do the complete logo and masthead design, css, and coding for the site (if you don’t think it’s all that great, please don’t crucify me - I’m learning as I go).

How can I contact you?


If you want to send me stuff or for any blog/press/business/performance inquiries, please contact my manager directly at:
arronte AT arscentrum DOT com



For personal/non-business related/other messages, there are three ways to contact me:

1. The best way to contact me directly is to leave a comment either here on this blog, or on my official site. I always see and read those comments immediately. I also prefer the format on Twitter, so if you set up an account there (it’s free and very addicting) and follow me, you can send me a message or @reply, and I can respond.

2. You could also send me a message via MySpace or YouTube - either through the comments or through the messaging systems there. However, this may take a little while to reach me, as I don’t directly monitor those accounts.

3. You can send me an e-mail at: comments AT gracenikae DOT com. I have a huge amount of e-mail piled up in that account, and that’s the one that takes the longest for me to get to and reply to. Please do not take it personally if I do not reply - I do read every e-mail that comes in, but sometimes I simply do not have the time to respond. Every e-mail is valuable to me, though, so I’d love to hear from you.