Recently a friend of mine suggested that I interview Elaine Kwon. After googling her, I could see why he had suggested her to me. Born in Seoul, South Korea. Debuted with the Washington-Idaho symphony at age 15. Doctorate in musical arts. Five time national Tae Kwon Do champion, and much more. She was kind enough to take me on an afternoon outing to experience her busy world, starting with a piano recital at her apartment. See http://elainekwon.com/index.html
AskaNewYorker: What are you going to play?
Elaine: This is a prelude in D major by Rachmaninoff. What I like about this piece is that it’s in layers, so when you listen to it, you can hear three levels going on. It’s a theme and variation structure, and it starts out first with a simple melody, then keeps building. You can see on the page there’s a melody going on in the middle, and there’s a little doodley thing going on in the upper voice. And then the left hand has its own independent melody. They’re all in different rhythms. I love it. It’s intricate, it’s complex, but there’s one beautiful melody going through the whole piece.
(Elaine plays piece)
AskaNewYorker: Wow, that was amazing.
Elaine: Now I’m going to play a piece by Chopin. The unique thing about this piece is that the right hand is all on the black keys. Every single note is on the black keys.
AskaNewYorker: That was terrific. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Elaine: Peanut butter and jelly, protein, and oh, yeah, eggs. I like eggs. I like to cook. I usually cook something every day.
AskaNewYorker: Where do you go for Korean food?
Elaine: I usually go to Korea Town which is on 32nd Street by the Empire State Building.
AskaNewYorker: So who are you?
Elaine: Well, my father was a diplomat and my mother was a pianist when we were living in Korea. We moved to the US when I was a year and a half old. I grew up in a small town in eastern Washington State. I started piano lessons when I was four years old. So did my sister. I have a brother, too, and he took lessons also, although he doesn’t play anymore. We can all sing, although, I don’t sing well. My sister can sing really well. My mother has a beautiful voice and so does my father.
AskaNewYorker: I understand you are hosting a television show. Tell us about it.
Elaine: I’m hosting a TV show on ImaginAsian TV (www.iatv.tv/drama/thelounge). It’s a host wrap segment called The Lounge, Shaken ‘n Stirred. Each episode features something action/urban adventure/martial arts related. My TV show wraps around a hit Korean drama series called Damo. It’s about a female undercover detective/warrior, set in the 16th century. So, going along with that action theme, the crew has been filming me doing things like shooting guns at a firing range in Connecticut, horseback riding, skydiving, learning capoeira, fencing, etc. It’s such a blast.
AskaNewYorker: That’s exciting. And you also teach?
Elaine: I go to Cambridge during the school year once a week. I teach at MIT in the music department. I really enjoy it. I teach piano lab and also piano performance in the scholarship program for gifted students. I do that all in one crazy day and then take the night train so that I can get back to New York quickly. I really like it here. I’d like to teach in New York somewhere and also teach some private students. I recently moved my Steinway into my apartment so I feel complete and ready to start a piano studio and work on other music projects in New York.
AskaNewYorker: What kind of concert touring have you done?
Elaine: Well, my piano partner, Sandra Hebert and I have played all around the US, and we went to China twice. The first time we went and taught at the conservatory and lived in an apartment. That was amazing. We were in Wuhan, China. The second time was the following year when we went on tour. We went through Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Tianjin, playing concerts and teaching master classes. We were on TV and radio as well. It was a special experience. I totally loved it, especially the food. Authentic Chinese food. I can’t even describe how great it was. Of course they really spoiled us. There would be 20 or 25 different dishes at dinner. In China, professors are highly regarded, so when we played in these concert halls, they were packed. Huge halls packed with people. Afterwards, they came flocking, wanting autographs, screaming, offering flowers. We would look at each other and laugh. We were both thinking, “this is never going to happen to us again, they are never going to believe this back at home”. They really care about classical music, and are curious about anything coming from the West. Even though I’m Asian, they were still fascinated by anything from the US.
Sandy and I still play together, although a little less frequently since I moved to New York. Our next concert is in Boston at the end of September.
AskaNewYorker: It sounds like a wonderful experience. I read that you are also a five time national Tae Kwon Do champion.
Elaine: I love Tae Kwon Do. I’ve been training for 15 years. I’m a second degree black belt. I love to kick.
AskaNewYorker: Have you ever had to take out a mugger or anything like that since you’ve been in the city?
Elaine: Well, last week I beat up two huge guys. No, I’m kidding! I put three in the hospital last month. (laughter) Nobody messes with me! No, luckily I have not had to do that, not at all. When I sense I’m kind of in a dangerous situation, I’m very aware of everything and my body language changes. I’m not afraid. But I’m lucky I’ve never had to use my Tae Kwon Do in a threatening situation. Knock on wood.
AskaNewYorker: So if a mugger were to come after you, where would you strike first in self defense?
Elaine: Eyes, ears, nose, throat, and groin, not necessarily in that order. Basically, whatever is most available at the time. When it comes to street self-defense, you need to do whatever you can to incapacitate the attacker, even for a split-second, so you can get away.
AskaNewYorker: Well, we wouldn’t want any of those things to happen. You’re incredibly fit and healthy—is that all because of Tae Kwon Do?
Elaine: Well, I love all kinds of sports and physical challenges, so I run, bike, hike, kayak…whatever, I’m up for anything. But in addition to all that other stuff, I do exercises called The Five Tibetans, or more formally, The Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation. Sometimes they’re called the fountain of youth exercises.
AskaNewYorker: What are they?
Elaine: They’re 5 yoga-based exercises that have been around for centuries. Each one is a simple motion, repeated 21 times. It takes about 10 minutes to do them all. I’ve been doing them every day for about 5 years and I swear by them. They have amazing effects. As with anything, you have to be consistent in doing them, though, in order to get results. I’ve told a lot of people about them, but I don’t know how many actually keep them up.
AskaNewYorker: what makes them so great?
Elaine: These exercises, which are basic and easy, internally massage and stimulate your internal organs and help the body get rid of toxins and other things that get stored up in your organs, joints, tissue etc. I don’t want to get too technical here, but they focus a lot on the neck and spine and the motions of these exercises stimulate the endocrine glands, which control cell growth, metabolism, really everything in your body. I think it slows down the aging process considerably. Instead of aging and dying every day, your cells and organs are constantly being invigorated and rejuvenated. So by doing these Five Tibetan, you’ll appear to be staying the same, or even getting younger, while everyone else is getting older. I sound like an infomercial, don’t I? [laughs] I feel the benefits of doing them, so I just want others to benefit also.
AskaNewYorker: OK, I see you have a lot of books around here. What are you reading now?
Elaine: I’m reading a few things. I’m re-reading “The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin Zander. He’s the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. I took a class from him at New England Conservatory. It’s really good. Another book I’ve been looking through is “Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves” by Robert Ringer. I picked it up because of the title. I’m also reading Feng Shui for Dummies.
….Next, Elaine took me over to the ImaginAsian TV Studio.
ImaginAsian is the first and only 24/7 Asian American network in the US. It launched on the west coast last year in August and you can get it in Princeton. NJ also. It will soon be available in more places on the east coast.
Jeremy Martino is the producer of my show: The Lounge, Shaken ‘n Stirred and Brian Kim is the Chief Producer of The Lounge.
AskaNewYorker: What do you think of the New York City dating scene?
Elaine: I don’t go out that much. I’m kind of a home body, which is probably not the best thing to be in New York. People have called me a serial monogamist. I’ve only been in long-term relationships, so, I really don’t know how to date. I find it very stressful. I’m beginning to see that there is a different social language in New York, as opposed to other places. This is just from my perspective. I’m no expert. It’s just an observation. New York goes by a different set of rules and expectations, although I’m not sure what they are. I still feel like I’m new here. I’m trying to make friends. People are busy in New York, so it’s difficult. I love this city, though, and every day I’m thankful and happy to be living here.
AskaNewYorker: Well, I really appreciate the time you’ve spent with me today. It was real treat.
