Transcriber: Joyce (Wan-Hsuan) Wu Reviewer: Ilze Garda
I'm here today
because I wanted to talk to you about a form of communication
that I believe to be more powerful than anything else.
You can probably guess what that is.
As you know, we live in a technology-driven society
where communicating has been taken to a whole different level.
We are texting, tweeting, instagramming, you name it.
It really does feel like we have the world at our fingertips.
So on the one hand, we're so connected to one another.
We all know each other's business.
But at the same time,
I feel like we're emotionally removed from one another.
I think that is where music plays a really important role,
in having that ability to connect people
of every culture, ethnicity, and age demographic
in a really beautiful way.
Music reminds us that despite these boundaries,
we're able to communicate and understand one another a lot better than we realize.
So as an international concert violinist, as a music educator,
I have, unfortunately, come across a number of people over the years
who have expressed their skepticism
towards the relevance of classical music in today's society.
I'm always puzzled by that, not just because that is what I do,
but because there are thousands of musicians in every country of the world
who choose this art form as their life's pursuit.
And the reason is really simple: there is a need.
It really is quite simple.
Music is incredibly human
because it communicates and expresses human emotions.
I think that's why classical music has survived for as long as it has.
That's why I think it will continue to thrive
because it moves us in ways that we can't really explain.
So whether you're a performer on stage or an audience member at a concert,
the second you hear that sound, we're communicating.
I think that experience is really unique, one of a kind, and empowering.
So I'd like to play for you a short piece, written, by all means, by an iconic man,
Johann Sebastian Bach in 1725.
And I'll be performing on a priceless instrument,
made by one of the greatest instrument makers of all time,
Antonio Stradivari.
It was made in 1689.
I know it's pretty amazing, this piece of wood gets better with age.
And, you know, here I am in 2014, and I think it's still relevant.
It's deeply meaningful to me, and I hope in the next few minutes to convince you
just how powerful classical music really is as a communication tool.
I'll play for you
the Adagio from Bach's G minor Sonata for Solo Violin.
(Violin music starts)
(Violin music ends)
(Applause)