Last night, pianist Hugh Sung was kind enough to join Roy and me on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner to share his dual enthusiasms for music and science fiction. Despite the facts that I’ve worked in classical music and lived in Philadelphia for over 30 years, and Hugh studied and worked often within several blocks of me, at the Curtis Institute of Music, we never actually met until a year or two ago, when Roy introduced us at his church, where Hugh serves as music director!
So it was great to be able to spend a little time with him and to hear just a bit about his experiences at Curtis, especially with his teachers, the long-lived Eleanor Sokoloff (who died in 2020 at the age of 106!), who I used to wave to every morning as I walked my dog, and Jorge Bolet, world-famous for, among other things, his recordings of Franz Liszt. Hugh himself has made innumerable recordings and has accompanied musicians from the legendary (Aaron Rosand and Julius Baker) to the contemporary (Hilary Hahn and Jasmine Choi). During the course of the show, he also talks about some technological innovations he devised to assist classical performers in the digital age.
His love of science fiction reaches back to his childhood and obviously continues in the present, as evidenced by some of the videos he’s made of sci-fi and fantasy themes, often with his wife, pianist Madalina Danila. In fact, it was one of those videos that got the show yanked last night from Facebook, for alleged copyright violation, but you can still view it complete on YouTube, by following the link.
Ha! Totally missed out on this! Hugh’s also a foodie. Poke around his website for more fun.
His arrangement of “Black Coffee,” played with Philadelphia Orchestra principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner
Thanks for the visit, and the music, Hugh Sung!
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