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Season 7 begins with Yamaha Artist, composer, author, and UCLA professor Inna Faliks.
In this conversation, we explore her recent album Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack, the childhood compositions she carried with her from Odesa, her 2024 album Manuscripts Don’t Burn, her relationship with literature and contemporary music, Gabriel Prokofiev’s Minimoog concerto, her memoir Weight in the Fingertips, and the teachers and experiences that shaped her artistic voice.
From memory and migration to artistic curiosity and reinvention, Inna’s story opens our Season 7 theme: Culture & Courage.
🎧 Sounds of Inspiration — Season 7 Playlist: Listen to music mentioned throughout Season 7, including selections from Inna Faliks’s latest album, Stranger Things, on YouTube or Spotify
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From childhood compositions carried out of Odesa to performing a concerto on Minimoog, Inna Faliks has built an artistic life around memory, curiosity, and reinvention.
What happens when the music you wrote as a child returns decades later?
Here’s the trailer for the Season 7 premiere of The Piano Pod: Carrying Memory Forward, featuring Yamaha Artist, composer, and author Inna Faliks.
We talk about her latest album, Stranger Things: Piano Works from a Young Refugee’s Backpack, her other boundary-expanding recordings, memoir, and collaboration with Gabriel Prokofiev.
🎹 Premieres Tuesday, September 22 at 8 PM ET.
▶️ Set a reminder for the premiere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHO7Swp5Aw

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Welcome to Season 7 of The Piano Pod: Culture & Courage.
After six seasons and more than 100 episodes, the show is entering a new chapter. In this short introduction, host Yukimi Song shares what is changing, why the podcast is moving to a monthly schedule, and how her own evolving identity and work inspired this season’s theme.
What remains unchanged is the heart of The Piano Pod: thoughtful, authentic conversations that look beyond professional biographies to discover the people and stories behind the work.
Season 7 officially begins on September 22 with Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks.
Follow The Piano Pod on your favorite podcast platform and join us for the season ahead.

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Know someone who embodies Culture & Courage?
I'm currently curating Season 7 of The Piano Pod and looking for musicians, educators, composers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders who are expanding what it means to be an artist today.
If someone comes to mind—or if that person is you—I would love to hear from you.
Please submit your nomination here:
Nominate Guest Here

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How do we bring our full musical selves to the stage?
In this Season 6 finale of The Piano Pod, concert pianist, composer, arranger, educator, and artistic leader David Berry joins host Yukimi Song for a rich and deeply personal conversation on virtuosity, improvisation, composition, contemporary music, artistic identity, and the connections that unite seemingly different musical worlds.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School, Berry has built a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, curator, and advocate. Equally at home with Liszt, George Walker, James P. Johnson, contemporary composers, and his own original works, he embodies the spirit of this season’s theme: Creativity and Connection.
Throughout the episode, listeners will hear excerpts from Berry’s own compositions and arrangements, including Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.
Featured Music & Recordings
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Danse Andalouse by Joaquín Nin
James P. Johnson: Yamekraw – A Negro Rhapsody
Adolphus Hailstork: Chamber Works Featuring the premiere recording of Hailstork’s Piano Quintet Detroit with The Harlem Chamber Players. Spotify
Tiny Glass Tavern — Let Us Dance, Let Us Sing Featuring David Berry’s performance of Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. Spotify
Publications
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho for solo piano
David Berry, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart: 10 Stylish Arrangements for Solo Piano Lillenas Publishing Company, 2024
David Berry
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Season 6 Piano Music Playlist
Nominate Guests for Season 7: Culture and Courage HERE
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