We’ve all had days like this. It’s not always easy to wake up full of energy, to know what you want, and to go for it with excitement and passion. 

That’s what we are here for. 

I am Yael Weiss,  the “voice" you hear on the Classical Minutes programs. I'm really happy that you are visiting today, so let me tell you a little about myself and about how the show was born.

I've worked with and have been inspired by many artists, collaborating with great conductors and instrumentalists. While on tour, I've had the privilege of engaging in conversation with many wonderful people - musicians and audiences from all sorts of different cultures and backgrounds. I'm lucky to have had great role models - when I was a student, it was always refreshing to hear the intriguing words of teacher-performers such as Richard Goode and Leon Fleisher. Also I gained much insight from time spent with many other great teachers such as Arie Vardi, Ellen Mack, Yoheved Kaplinsky and Edward Aldwell. It was a great ride - getting to know my teachers, working out the contradictions among them, seeing how varied, rich and endless the search for instrumental excellence and truth in music can be. 

It has always been a joy to continue in the traditions I've grown with,

performing regularly in recitals, as soloist with orchestras, and with my piano trio,

the Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio. Also, it has always been important for me to learn from the realities of living a life traveling and performing. The lessons learned in the "real world", as well as information passed on to me by pedagogues, combine to create the core of my teaching.

I am passionate about helping others live better lives as musicians and people. For years I've worked with hundreds of students as professor at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and at the University of California Santa Barbara. I now live in New York and travel often to give masterclasses - Princeton University, UCLA, NYU, the Cleveland Institute, Peabody and the Chicago Institute are some of the schools where I've been working with musicians. 

I've learned over the years that

we all face similar challenges

in understanding, enjoying and practicing music. I also know that the lessons that can be learned from this discipline are of great value to our life outside of music, and can help us grow, improve and achieve our goals in many other areas. And I learned that consistency is a key to growth. You can discover a great idea once in a while, but then life often takes over, you get distracted, and you never come back to that thought, apply it, or gain the benefit from it.                                               

                                             

                                              

                                           

                                             

These days I live in New York? with my wonderful family, determined to enjoy each moment with music to the fullest…

come join me?

Questions, comments, thoughts? Let me know!

Now you can see where Classical Minutes came from, and why I've decided to make this a daily show. Friends and students have been asking me about sharing ideas online, so I got myself a microphone, and here we are - nuggets of information, suggestions and advice that take hardly any time to listen to and are available to you every day!