Igor Lipinski

“The phenomenon of music is given to us with the sole...

Tue, 01 May 2012 20:38:30 -0400

“The phenomenon of music is given to us with the sole purpose of establishing an order in things, including, and particularly, the co-ordination between man and time.”

- Igor Stravinsky

Audio

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:52:39 -0400

"Music is not here to make us forget about life. It’s also here to teach us about life: the..."

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:26 -0400

“

Music is not here to make us forget about life. It’s also here to teach us about life: the fact that everything starts and ends, the fact that every sound is in danger of disappearing, the fact that everything is connected – the fact that we live and we die (…) Once you start playing a piece, there is a connection between every note. You cannot say, ‘I will not concentrate on this note.’ You cannot ignore things the way you do in the rest of your life. And being in an orchestra teaches you that you cannot be in the centre all the time, that sometimes you are not the soloist but have to become part of a bigger collective spirit.”

- Daniel Barenboim

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“I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:39:59 -0400

“I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. That’s what I want to explore. We’re all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.”

- Synecdoche, New York

“It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to...

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:33:02 -0400

“It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to have a soul to unburden yourself to. You know what I mean. I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.”

- Frédéric Chopin

“A good composer does not imitate; he steals.” -...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:03:00 -0500

“A good composer does not imitate; he steals.” - Igor Stravinsky

“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.” -...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:46:41 -0500

“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”
- Schindler’s List

"Art is trying to remind you of what there is to love."

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:44:02 -0500

“The first idea is that art should be for art’s sake - a ridiculous idea - an idea that art should live in a hermetic bubble and should not try to do anything with this troubled world. I couldn’t disagree more.

The other thing that we believe is that art shouldn’t explain itself, that artists shouldn’t say what they’re up to, because if they said it, it might destroy the spell and we might find it too easy. That’s why a very common feeling when you’re in a museum - let’s admit it - is, “I don’t know what this is about.” But if we’re serious people, we don’t admit to that. But that feeling of puzzlement is structural to contemporary art (…)

Art is about two things in all the major faiths. Firstly, it’s trying to remind you of what there is to love. And secondly, it’s trying to remind you of what there is to fear and to hate. And that’s what art is.”

From Alain de Botton’s talk at TED.com

Audio

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:52:12 -0500

Ever wondered how David Blaine did it? Photo by Jiyang Chen

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:47:00 -0500

Ever wondered how David Blaine did it?

Photo by Jiyang Chen

Photoshoot in Times Square, New York. Photo by Jiyang Chen

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:34:00 -0500

Photoshoot in Times Square, New York.

Photo by Jiyang Chen

Variety wrote a great article on Caroline Hirsch - owner,...

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:00:00 -0500

Variety wrote a great article on Caroline Hirsch - owner, producer and founder of one of the most important comedy clubs in the country: Caroline’s on Broadway. I had an amazing opportunity to meet Caroline and perform at her club during WQXR’s Classical Comedy Contest - a part of 2011 New York Comedy Festival. Read the entire article on Variety.com

After the show at Caroline’s on Broadway with comedian...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:52:00 -0500

With Robert Klein

With Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach

Charles Hamlen, Chairman of IMG Artists

With Elliott Forrest and Caroline Hirsch

Outside of Caroline's

After the show at Caroline’s on Broadway with comedian Robert Klein, Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach, Charles Hamlen of IMG Artists, Elliott Forrest of WQXR and Caroline Hirsch.

Photographs by Jiyang Chen

Victor Borge: The Funniest Man In The World

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:47:16 -0400

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”
- Victor Borge

This rare documentary reveals the unknown side of one of the most innovative and influential concert artists of the 20th century. One of Victor Borge’s achievements was the difficult, almost impossible, task of combining classical music with a different discipline. Mr. Borge introduced an element of surprise and comedy to a serious concert: the sense of unexpected, of wonder, the feeling that anything, at any given moment in time, could happen and he would make sure it would be the most wonderful, joyful moment of your life. Perfectionist in his craft, Mr. Borge was an old-fashioned gentleman that lived life, on and off stage, to its fullest. He’s irreplaceable, he’s my personal inspiration and he will be greatly missed for a long time.

The task of art is to transform what is continuously happening...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:37:55 -0400

The task of art is to transform what is continuously happening to us, to transform all these things into symbols, into music, into something which can last in man’s memory. That is our duty. If we don’t fulfill it, we feel unhappy.

- Jorge Luis Borges

WQXR's Classical Comedy Contest at Caroline's on Broadway!

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:36:00 -0400

The word is out: WQXR - the nation’s most listened-to classical radio station - invited me to perform at Classical Comedy Contest as part of the New York Comedy Festival.

The event will take place at the legendary club Caroline’s on Broadway in front of the live audience and celebrity judges: Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach, comedian Robert Klein, IMG’s Charles Hamlen and opera star Deborah Voigt.

Showtime: November 8th at 7PM.

Ticket info: Caroline’s on Broadway

Hope to see you there!

“Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:39:00 -0400

“Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life”

- Pablo Neruda

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back… People are always setting..."

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:38:54 -0400

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back… People are always setting conditions for happiness… I love life without condition.”

- Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)

Father and a baby dancing to piano music at Washington Square...

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:18:00 -0400

Father and a baby dancing to piano music at Washington Square Park.

“Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when...

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:37:00 -0400

“Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers - in my life, my music, my work. In my dark hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning.”

- Arvo Pärt