This episode is brought to you by Juneteenth LP — celebrating Black artistry and legacy in classical music. 🎉 Get Your Ticket: https://publictheater.org/performances-jp/2025/j/juneteenth-lp/

🎹 What does it mean to live and create with authenticity?

In this powerful season finale, we sit down with Dr. Maria Thompson Corley — pianist, composer, novelist, poet, educator, and advocate — for a conversation that is as multifaceted as her artistry. From performing her compositions to championing music by Black composers and writing novels and librettos, Dr. Corley shares how her lived experiences—as a mother, artist, and scholar—fuel a profoundly human and inclusive vision for classical music and beyond.

💡 In this episode, we explore:

• ✅ What true inclusion looks like in classical music today
• ✅ How Dr. Corley integrates underrepresented composers into mainstream repertoire
• ✅ Her experiences raising two creative children, one of whom is neurodivergent
• ✅ Writing opera, novels, and poetry as extensions of her voice
• ✅ Co-founding Silence-Optional concerts for sensory-sensitive audiences
• ✅ Her reflections on legacy, authenticity, and creative purpose

Whether you are a musician, educator, or listener seeking a deeper connection through music, this conversation will move you, challenge you, and expand your sense of what classical music can be.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Corley:

• 🌐 Website
• 📘 Facebook
• 📷 Instagram

📰 The Piano Pod Links

• 🎧 Sounds of Inspiration (Season 5) - all the music mentioned
• 📝 Substack VIP Access
• 🎁 Make a Donation: https://bit.ly/3EsvRDg
• 🌐 Website: https://thepianopod.com
• 📢 Link Hub: https://linktr.ee/thepianopod
• 📸 Instagram: /thepianopod
• 👍 Facebook: /thepianopodnyc
• 🎵 TikTok: /thepianopod

This episode is brought to you by ‪Juneteenth LP — Celebrating Black artistry and legacy in classical music.

🎧 What if every child could see themselves in the music they study? In this robust conversation, Dr. Leah Claiborne —pianist, Yamaha Artist, educator, and founder of Ebony Music Inc.—joins The Piano Pod to discuss her mission to expand and redefine the classical canon.

From her work on the 100 Works by Black Composers project to her publications and courses on inclusive teaching, Dr. Claiborne is shaping the future of music education through artistry, purpose, and a sense of belonging.

🎹 In this episode, we explore:

• ✅ The groundbreaking 100 Works by Black Composers project (Sphinx Venture Fund)
• ✅ Why beginner repertoire is where real change begins
• ✅ How identity and community shape pedagogy
• ✅ Tools for teachers committed to diversity and inclusion
• ✅ Her musical journey—from a jazz-rooted upbringing to classical advocacy

Whether you are a piano teacher, student, performer, or arts leader, this conversation will leave you inspired, challenged, and equipped to make classical music more inclusive and representative.

Connect with Dr. Claiborne:

• 🌐 Website
• 🌐 Ebony Music Inc

Dr. Claiborne’s Publications – Expanding the Repertoire (Hal Leonard):

• 🔹 Level 1
• 🔹 Level 2

About Our Sponsor — Juneteenth LP

Founded by pianist and cultural leader Dr. Nnenna Ogwo, Juneteenth LP is now in its 10th year of celebrating Black classical musicians through transformative performances, education, and community events. From their annual concert at Joe’s Pub to their ongoing advocacy, Juneteenth LP is helping to reshape the future of classical music through the lens of heritage, liberation, and joy.

🔔 Like, comment, and subscribe to The Piano Pod for more conversations at the intersection of artistry, equity, and innovation in classical music.

In this inspiring episode of The Piano Pod, "Bach Reimagined - Artistic Innovation of Timeless Music for All Audiences," Eleonor Bindman - pianist, arranger, and recording artist - joins us for an intimate conversation about her groundbreaking work reimagining the music of J.S. Bach for solo and four-hand piano.

From her bestselling Brandenburg Duets with Jenny Lin to her most recent solo project ABSOLUTE—featuring beautifully idiomatic piano transcriptions of Bach’s Lute Suites—Eleonor’s artistry invites musicians and listeners of all levels to discover the joy, depth, and brilliance of Bach.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why she believes “there is no one way to play Bach”
• Her transcription philosophy and creative process
• Advocating for accessible classical music—without compromising quality
• How piano duets can foster collaboration, joy, and musicianship at every stage
• Tips for navigating polyphony, articulation, pedaling, and ornamentation in Bach’s keyboard works
• Her Stepping Stones to Bach series and empowering adult amateurs and young students alike
• Legacy, innovation, and what it means to be a 21st-century artist-educator

🎧 Whether you are a teacher, performer, or passionate amateur, this episode is packed with insights, artistry, and heart.

[Eleonor Bindman]

• Website
• Spotify:
• 🎹 Prelude, BWV 998 (from ABSOLUTE)
• 🎹 Stepping Stone Excerpt
• 🎹 Four-hand Orchestra Suite
• 🎹 Brandenburg Concerto
• 🎹 Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 - I. Prelude
• 🎹 Allegro from Prelude, Fugue and Allegro BWV 998