A Summer of Music, Memories & Inspiration

This summer took me on a remarkable journey through Geneva, Venice, Vienna, and Salzburg—a journey filled with family, old friendships, unexpected reunions, extraordinary music, and moments that I will carry with me for a long time.

Geneva - Music, Family & Memories

The journey began in Geneva with an unforgetable family reunion spanning four generations. My cousin’s family, once a family of six, has now grown to a lively fourteen!

Geneva also brought an especially moving musical moment. My uncle had been an important part of our musical life: when he visited us in California, he accompanied me in concertos and played piano four-hands with my mother. When my cousin asked if I knew his father’s favorite Mozart piece, the one my uncle used to play all the time, it brought back a flood of memories.

I guessed correctly on my first try. Although I had not played the piece since I was a child, I sat down at the piano that belonged to my uncle and played it to the end. It was a surprisingly emotional moment for all of us.

Venice - An Unexpected Reunion

In Venice, another wonderful surprise awaited. A dear friend and singer whom I had not seen in more than 20 years literally flew in at the last minute to spend three days with us.

It was a joyful reunion and a beautiful reminder of how friendships formed through music can endure across decades.

Vienna - Music, Friendship & Unexpected Connections

Vienna brought yet another special reunion with a dear old friend, a conductor and pianist who now calls Vienna home.

He proved to be the most wonderful guide, showing us his Vienna, welcoming us into his beautifully decorated and charming apartment for a delicious homemade dinner, and even squeezing in a necessary visit to the famed Naschmarkt for a refreshing Viennese Spritzer.

Our visit to Beethoven’s House (where he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament) brought another unexpected and delightful encounter. While I went upstairs to see rest of the house, my mother waited in the courtyard garden. There, she happened to meet a group of high school students visiting from Taiwan.

They struck up a conversation and insisted on taking a group photo with my mother, with the students sitting around her on the garden floor. By the time I came back downstairs, they had already hurried off to catch their bus. I only wish I could have witnessed the moment myself!

Salzburg - The Grand Finale

And then came Salzburg—the grand finale and, ultimately, the greatest musical inspiration of the journey.

We visited Mozart’s birthplace, where my mother, with remarkable determination, climbed three flights of stairs so she could experience as much of the museum as possible. Watching her make the effort to be there made the visit even more meaningful.

Then came the Salzburg Festival.

The four performances I experienced at the Salzburg Festival were extraordinary: Grigory Sokolov’s Schubert D. 960; Markus Hinterhäuser and Matthias Goerne in Schubert’s Winterreise; Benjamin Bernheim as Werther in Massenet’s Sorrows of Young Werther; and Evgeny Kissin’s Schumann Kreisleriana.

Each performance offered something different and mesmerizing, yet Winterreise left me utterly spellbound. Schubert’s profound exploration of grief, despair, fleeting hope, isolation, and the longing for connection felt immediate and alive.

When the performance ended, I remained seated as long as I was allowed, wishing the evening would never end.

The experience was equally moving for my mother, who remembered first encountering Winterreise as a music student in Taiwan. To hear the song cycle again, decades later and together in Salzburg, created another extraordinary connection across generations.

The journey ended with one more unexpected and delightful moment. At breakfast, Lang Lang was seated at the table next to ours, sparking a spontaneous conversation and a wonderful encounter. I was particularly touched by the tremendous warmth and respect he showed towards my mother, a lifelong piano teacher.

I returned home deeply inspired… not only by the extraordinary music I heard, but by the people, friendships, family memories, and generations of musicians and teachers who continue to shape our musical lives.

Some journeys stay with you long after you return home. This was one of them… I was already wishing we could stay longer before we had even left.