It’s so much better together. Why live performances bring out the best in all of us!
If you were in Lincoln Hall this past Sunday and were there to feel the communal wave of glee by the time Evren Ozel played his encore, you’ll know exactly what I mean: Listening to a recording at home while you’re cooking, popping in your AirPods while working out, or tuning in to your favorite radio station on your morning commute is simply not the same kind of musical experience as sitting in a hall surrounded by other people, watching a one-off event unfold in real time.
If you were not there for our exhilarating season opening on Sunday (Evren was everything we hoped for, and more) and need some more coaxing to leave the comfort of your couch, maybe I can nudge you towards the concert hall by offering an unexpected and (for classical music lovers, at least) somewhat unorthodox example: Consider the phenomenally popular Netflix movie K-pop Demon Hunters and its implicit call to action.
The background: As of August 27, 2025, K-Pop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most-watched film ever with 236 million views, also seeing significant theatrical success at the U.S. box office. Its soundtrack boasts multiple songs in the Billboard Top 10. According to AI, the film’s popularity “is attributed to its blend of K-pop, action, music, and supernatural elements, resonating with global audiences and becoming a cultural touchstone for many.”
Naturally, I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down to see this “phenomenon” or remotely considering it ever becoming a personal “touchstone”. Yet, there I was, a few Fridays ago, on the couch, soon nodding and humming to the beat of the hit-song “Golden” and staring in awe and befuddlement at my enraptured tween girls with their eyes glued to the screen. Was some strange supernatural phenomenon taking hold of us all?
It wasn’t. But, as the last ten minutes of the movie approached, I suddenly had a clear visual for what was happening to us – a visual that I don’t think any movie ever pin-pointed so powerfully: A sea of devoted fans beaming and swaying to the music, their gleaming, shimmering hearts visibly rising like luminous vapor and filling the entire space in multicolored beams of shared ecstasy.
This, I thought, is the power of live music. This is exactly how we feel listening to our piano heroes. This is how it feels when your heart starts floating out of your chest with the sheer joy of hearing something beautiful. More important: This is how it feels to be in the same space with like-minded people. Feeling the radiant light of musical rapture also happens in solitude, sure … but in a crowd? Infinitely more powerful. Almost transcendent.
“This is what it sounds like!” the girl-band in the movie chants as audience and performers share the realization that only the music will save them.
At PPI, we’re not as grandiose as to claim that we can save the world from destructive demons one piano recital at a time, but believe us when we say: We sure are giving it our best shot! If you aren’t already a subscriber and/or missed our season opening, it’s never too late to join our club. Feel the power of communal musical transcendence when Boris Giltburg takes the stage on October 5th for Timeless excellence, and when Anderson & Roe join us on October 14th for Boundless joy. Come join us. It’s simply better together!
PS: A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to hear Evren on September 7th. We are delighted to have kicked off our 48th season with such a bang and we couldn’t have done it without you!