Aya Okuyama / Pianist / Paris, France

The "Listen to Musicians" section is a section where professionals who usually play music on the stage go down the stage and speak in words.This time, we will interview the guest, pianist Aya Okuyama, who is a concert pianist and a lecturer at the Conservatory in Paris, France. I would like to talk about the theme of "Piano in Paris and Music Activities in Paris" (Interview: December 2005).

(C) Kazuko Wakayama
Born in Okayama.Started playing the piano from an early age.After graduating from the Ecole Normal Conservatory in France, he graduated from the Piano Department and Chamber Music Department of the Paris National Conservatory of Music.Graduated from the Department of Ancient Musical Instruments, Paris Conservatoire (Fortepiano).Studied piano with Brigitte Engerer and Michel Béroff, and chamber music with Alain Meunier and Pierre-Laurent Emar.Studied fortepiano under Patrick Cohen and song accompaniment under Kennet Weiss.France, San Nom La Brotesch Piano Competition XNUMXst place.Piano Audition Encouragement Award sponsored by the Japan Education Federation.Performs solo and chamber music concerts and recitals in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.Broadcast a recital of Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall on Kamakura FM.Formed a duo of two pianos with Olivier Marechal and performed recitals all over France.Invited by pianist Ijork Demus to perform at Turon Castle.Invitation to PianoFest'in Austin, Belgium.Currently, in addition to performing in Paris, he is instructing younger generations such as part-time lecturers and examination judges at the Vegine Municipal Conservatory and the Rameau Conservatory in the XNUMXth district of Paris.
 
Newspaper articles in France
— Can you give us a brief background?
Okuyama I happened to have a sensei who was teaching the piano in my neighborhood, so I started playing the piano when I was about three and a half years old.
— Did you decide to start playing the piano yourself?
Okuyama: It was so small that I don't remember much.My parents are not musicians, but I used to play the piano when my mother was small, so I had an upright piano at home.The child of sensei on the piano was about the same age, so I played with him.So I got interested and started to go to teach little by little.Everyone had been playing the piano since kindergarten, so we started together.When I was in the third grade of elementary school, I started to learn more about sensei, and I started to go to sensei called sensei, Togeko Miyahara, who lives in Kamakura. It was a person who studied abroad.Now I am a sensei at Aichi University of the Arts.At the recommendation of that sensei, my parents' house is in Kamakura, so I decided to go to a music class for children attached to Toho University in Kamakura.
— When did you start playing the piano class for Toho's children?
Okuyama I've been going since I was in the 5th grade of elementary school, so I've made friends who are doing music.So it was an ordinary public school, elementary, middle and middle school, but when I took the high school exam, I had the choice of going to music high school or ordinary high school. I didn't have anything yet, but if I happened to have a talent and wanted to play music, I was advised that I should go to a music high school, so I tried it, but it didn't work.So in the end, I went to a normal high school.But I like music, so I was wondering what to do with the piano in the future.I've been learning from Togeko Miyahara sensei for a long time, and since I was in elementary school, you've changed a little anyway, so instead of entering the Japanese system early, for example, even if you go to pitch, you quit halfway. I was told that I shouldn't go abroad with the same feeling.
— What is the difference?
 
(C)Olivier Fadini
Okuyama Well, I have a sensibility (laughs).Doesn't it fit even if you try to fit it in a mold?
— Isn't it great as a musician?
Okuyama: I don't really understand that word (laughs). It was something that sensei had told me since I was in the sixth grade of elementary school. I think it was because some sensei students went to France, but I was taught that way.
— Did you think that you would go abroad in the future from a young age?
Okuyama Somehow. It would be nice to go to France (laughs).I'm an elementary school student (laughs).
— You don't have that strong will.
Okuyama It's not solidified, really.I was fluffy too, so when I was in high school.I enjoyed my normal high school life (laughs). So I was advised by sensei to go to a French competition during the spring break of my first and second year of high school. I think I should go to see it.
— Is it France?
Okuyama A student of Miyahara sensei who became Ecole Normal sensei after studying abroad in France listened to my performance in Nagoya when I was 16 years old.So I was asked to take it because there is a small French competition.I thought it would be good if that was the trigger, so he set it up. Was it March or April?I was supposed to take it in the spring, and at that time I came to Paris for a month, took lessons, took a competition and received an award, and I thought that France was good.The atmosphere of the judges who listened to the performance at the competition was very warm, and when I heard the story of a person studying in France, I decided to go in this direction.
— When did you decide to specialize in classics?
Okuyama It's a high school student.When I was in high school, I thought a lot about it.Why do you play the piano, why do you continue to play music, and whether it is useful to the world.So, the next summer after my first visit to France, I went to the Salzburg Academy at the Salzburg Music Festival.After seeing a lot of lessons and concerts of people studying in Europe, I felt like I couldn't do it now. The tuner who happened to be indebted to me since I was little Etsuko Tazaki When I was in the car, I told sensei the cassette tape I was playing, and that was the reason why Etsuko Tazaki sensei taught me, and sensei is a very nice person. Or, I wanted to be like that, and I really wanted to do classics in a way that would pull me away.
— Why did you decide to become a professional?
Okuyama Etsuko Tazaki I called to ask if you would like to take a lesson with sensei.Tasaki sensei has been in the United States alone since he was 18 years old and was told that it would be better to do it himself than his parents would call.So on the phone, sensei asked, "Do you want to be a pianist?" And said, "Yes, I want to be." You can't say "I don't want to be" (laughs).     
— You told yourself.
Okuyama: That was the first time I said that I would be a pianist. That's why I understood that learning from Tasaki sensei means learning to be a pianist.I was about to quit on the way (laughs).
- why?Did you take it seriously (laughs)?
Okuyama: At that time, I was doing a lot of songs, and I was asked to do my own songs and people's back songs. I was asked to accompany a concerto during a sensei student's lesson. But I'm practicing my own songs, but I'm not practicing other people's songs at all, so sensei got angry.
— That's bad.It's not possible now (laughs).
Okuyama That's true (laughs).If you're a professional, you have to do everything.If it's work, it's not allowed. If it's the first time you see it, you don't have to sleep. That's why it wasn't good (laughs).
— Did you decide to go to France immediately after graduating from high school in Japan?
Okuyama: While attending ordinary high school, I was learning from Tasaki sensei and wanted to study abroad.However, there were also options for music college and ordinary college.If you take the university entrance exam and go to university in Japan, it will take a lot of time to go to school due to housing circumstances, so for me, I will go to France as it is, preparing for studying abroad such as piano practice and language learning. It was decided that it would be better to bet on the chance.
— What were your words?
Okuyama I have been studying French since I was a high school student.When I was a high school student, I went to school once a week, and after graduating from high school, I went to school a couple of times a week.Even after graduating, I was in Japan for about a year and a half, so I was studying during that time.
— Why France when there are other countries such as Germany, Austria and the United States?
 
A scene at a concert
Okuyama: There were quite a few opportunities.I also like Debussy as a sensation.Overall, I really like French things.I like songs that are more fluid than solid ones, or that have a harmony or color.Besides, I had a slightly precise image of Germany, so I was told that France might be more suitable.The rest is a real problem, isn't there a TOEFL in American schools?You can't go to a German school unless you graduate from university.To enter from the second term. You have to be able to speak German from the first term, and there are some difficult classes for foreigners such as psychology. And France has no lower age limit. The upper limit is under 2 years old. I have decided.At the time of me, the entrance examination was only practical.It seems that there is a preliminary test for Solfege now.I was really only a one-shot game, so it was simple in that sense (laughs).
— Did you put in music if you could?
Okuyama: That's right. Age doesn't matter. French schools seem to be more of a test to see future talent than those who are originally completed.It seems that people with various possibilities are easier to enter than people who are extremely skilled or perfect. I was told that, so I thought there was a possibility.
— At first, you went to Ecole Normal, didn't you?After that, I went to the National Conservatory of Music in Paris.
Okuyama First, register for Ecole Normal.So during that time I was taking an exam at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris.I've only been to Ecole Normal for about 8 months.Anyone can enter the school called Ecole Normal, which is a private school. If you register normally and pay the tuition fee (laughs).There are various levels, and sensei decides the level when you enter. It is from 1 to 6, and 6 levels is quite difficult, so if you graduated from music college in Japan, you can enter with 5 or 6.With that kind of feeling, I take the exam one year at a time and go up, and even have a concertist diploma (performer qualification).It is a school where it is more meaningful to take an exam and get a diploma than to enter. sensei varies from the famous sensei to the young sensei.How many people are there in the piano department?There are a lot of people (laughs) (Editor's note: Note: 2005 piano instructors as of December 12).
— How many students are there?
Okuyama I can't quite grasp it.
— How many Japanese people are there?
Okuyama: I think that more than half of the Japanese and Korean students in Ecole Normal are.I think it's a school with a lot of foreigners.
— It's a school with more foreigners than locals.
Okuyama There are many foreigners.Some people are enrolled in Ecole Normal but do not take much lessons and only take the Diploma exam.
— Is that okay?
Okuyama Sounds good.
— It's pretty free (laughs).
Okuyama: You are very free. If you consent to sensei, you are free to do anything. So, if you have what you want, you can do various things.
— It depends on the person, but Okuyama thought that Conservatoire was more suitable than Ecole Normal.
Okuyama There are many conservatoires all over France.The National Conservatory of Music is located in Paris and Lyon.Unlike Ecole Normal, there is an entrance examination, and in the piano department, about 200 people take it, and about 15 to 20 people enter.It depends on the year, but you can enter as many graduates as you have.Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music) has about 80 students in the entire piano department.The tuition is completely free.
— Is it national?
Since it is Okuyama National, the tuition fee is completely free.Only the registration fee for registering at school is required, and it is about 4 yen in Japanese yen.It's almost free because you can go for one year by itself. So you can use the school facilities and practice room, and you can take sensei lessons in the piano department.There are lessons twice a week for one hour, and there are many other lessons.That's really all covered by the national budget.
— How was your level compared to the actual Ecole Normal?
Okuyama: I don't think the level is so different from the top of the Ecole Normal and the top of the Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music). However, the students of the Conservatoire are younger overall. ..At the Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music), French people start taking entrance exams around the age of 15.The average age is less than 20 years old. When I enter at the age of 20, I feel like I'm a little older.
— Do you find a sensei to study before going to school?Or do you find a sensei to study after entering school?
Okuyama You should study before entering school.You shouldn't go to the exam without knowing sensei at all.
— Is it difficult to enter without knowing sensei at all?
Okuyama: I wonder what it is. I usually specify sensei and take the test. If you don't know sensei, it will be difficult for sensei to take the student.After all, there is an exam, and you can line up in order from the beginning, and you can go to the desired sensei from the first student.However, if you are a student who likes sensei, there are cases where you ignore the order and take it.
— It means that sensei will pull you.
Okuyama: It's more like going to sensei than going to school.
— Is there anything like a general class or lecture at the Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music)?
Okuyama Piano, chamber music and solfege have exams at the beginning of the year. Many people are exempt from it, but if they are not exempt, they will have to take those subjects.After that, you can take two or more favorite lessons with music analysis and options.There are various options.Improvisation, chorus, theory, conducting, music history, art history, sound, etc. It's like taking a lesson by choice.
— You can choose whatever you like, right?
Okuyama I learned fortepiano (editor's note: early pianos and ancient instruments) and improvisation there.
— In France, music analysis is very strict, and I think you don't do it often. Do you analyze it in quite detail?What about that area?
Okuyama Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music) is the most difficult class for foreigners.I've been doing it once a week for 3 hours. I've been doing it once for an hour and a half and resting for about 1 minutes on the way, but since I have another hour and a half, I've been doing it for almost 10 hours.That's why it feels really heavy.There are levels from beginner level to advanced level.It's a beginner level that a student of an ordinary musical instrument like me does.It's like listening to a song you don't know and verbally telling what kind of song the composer of any era is.
— Sounds pretty tough.
Okuyama: There are various backgrounds, song styles, adjustments, and so on.You will be able to do that.I have to say everything that I can understand in the exam, not in the form of questions such as multiple choices.
— Does the exam feel like answering all the questions, not the questions?
Okuyama It's like listening to a song and writing everything you can understand on paper.
— That's the test.This is painful (laughs).
Okuyama That's right.It's not just the name and era of the song.
— You don't just need to know a little.

Appeared in a concert at the castle
Okuyama: It doesn't mean that you just need to know a little, but it means that you have to analyze it yourself from here and study the instruments used and what you are saying from there. Hey.It seems that Messiaen started such analysis in music.It seems that Messiaen first called the lesson philosopie de la musique, the philosophy of music.That's why it's a philosophy.
— Is it philosophy?It's very French (laughs).
Okuyama is deep. It is said that he will understand deeply.
— When you hear the word “musical instrument analysis”, it's just an analysis, but it's actually a philosophy.
Okuyama That's right.It's the philosophy of music as a musician.I heard that way.That's why I started such a class.That's how it's historically been connected to the present.The sensei I was learning was the one who actually learned to compose by Messiaen.
— Is it Messiaen?Is it real?It's amazing.
Okuyama That's right. Those who are doing sensei now are those who have learned from Messiaen.A person who learned to compose by Messiaen is doing such a sensei of music analysis.
- very.
Okuyama It's amazing, when you think about it.That's how it has historically been connected to us.In that sense, I learned the piano from Brigitte Engerer sensei and Michel Béroff sensei, and I'm lucky in a sense.
- That's right. How did you get in touch with sensei?
 
With Michel Béroff sensei
Okuyama: There was another sensei that I originally wanted to learn, and he had me take lessons before enrolling.The year I entered the Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music), there was only one seat in his class, which was not available to this sensei.So you studied in Russia and told you to get in touch with the great concert pianist Brigitte Engerer sensei. So I went to her. After three years with sensei, Angeler sensei told me that I liked the modern repertoire, so I thought it would suit Michel Béroff sensei, so I changed to Béroff sensei on the way.
— Did you introduce me to sensei and change it to Michel Béroff sensei?
Okuyama I was lucky because I didn't think I could learn from Michel Béroff sensei at all.
— You can't learn without an introduction.
Okuyama: Even if I went directly, it was a time when he didn't have many students, so it would have been quite difficult.
— Does Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music) study a lot of French music?
Okuyama It's like studying French music more than in other countries. But I'll do it all.Besides, Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music) always plays contemporary songs.The first-time class is quite advanced. I also have a first-time class once a week, but it feels like I suddenly see and play a rather difficult score.It's like watching a contemporary song for about 1 minutes, glancing at the general structure, and playing only the skeleton. It's a way to get a feel for the song right away.Rather than playing it perfectly, training like a song like this can be done quite a bit.
— That means that in order to become a professional, it is important to be able to play at first sight.
Okuyama That's exactly right.It's training to become an expert, isn't it?
— You said that there is no language test for Conservatoire (Paris National Conservatory of Music), but how much language should you be able to do?
Okuyama Right now, there is a preliminary test for Solfege, so I think it's difficult if you can't understand what you're saying to some extent.However, if you can do it normally, you can enter it.However, I think it will be very difficult after entering.If you can't speak a language, you won't understand the class.
— All classes are taught in French.
Okuyama: I think it's better to come to an intermediate level than not to be able to do it at all. For myself and sensei. sensei is always complaining about his language skills.
— Do you have language skills?
Okuyama: Isn't sensei difficult for students who don't understand the language?Japanese people tend to get together with each other, so I think it's better to study French as a courtesy, or at least from the standpoint of entering a foreign society.
— People who can communicate can get along with French people.
Okuyama: You can absorb various things sooner after you come to the word "communication".
— I've been in France for a long time and I think there are many good and bad points about France.In playing music.Can you tell me what it is? (Editor's note: 12 years in France)
 
Salon concert
Okuyama If you limit yourself to Paris, the population density of musicians and artists is high, and there are many possibilities.I think that's really good.There are a lot of people with a high artistic level in this land.There is sensei at school, and even if you want to take this sensei lesson, there are so many people living in Paris, so in that sense there are many opportunities.
— On the contrary, are there any bad points?
Okuyama: It's loose at a great time. Rather than being loose at the time, if you say it from a Japanese perspective, you'll do it.It seems that there is no execution forever with just the mouth ... (laughs).Of course it depends on the person.I also think that the salary is cheap.I think that music work is difficult in both Japan and Paris.There are plenty of opportunities for a little salon concert in Paris.
— Do you think you need to study abroad to start working in France?
Okuyama: In terms of visas, studying abroad is, in a sense, the easiest way to go abroad.I think using it is a good first resort.I also think that minimum communication skills are required, so I think it is good to study abroad in the sense of getting used to it.
— The French were loose on time, but are you late for lesson time?
Okuyama For example, Brigitte Engerer sensei was a performer, but he said that even if he was late, the students should definitely come first. As a hierarchical relationship or common sense etiquette.But for real professionals, the time is accurate.First-class people aren't late after all. Sometimes the performer sensei is busy and late, but he doesn't come (laughs).
- did not come?
Okuyama I didn't come when I went.But in general, first-class people have a great time.For example, I was learning from sensei called Pierre-Laurent Emar, who is famous for contemporary songs, but he feels like every 5 minutes.Exaggeratingly, I feel like I'm going to have a lesson next week at 13:XNUMX (laughs).
— Is it like that (laughs)?
Okuyama: No matter how busy you are, you can take lessons if you need to. But it's really detailed. There are some French people like that.Usually, lesson times are often off or long.Since the lessons had almost no fixed time and only the order, I would wait for about two hours off.But my sensei liked to wait like that and listen to different people's lessons, so I think that's what it means.
— Are there any advantages or disadvantages for Japanese people in terms of working in France?
Okuyama I think there are more disadvantages.There are so many excellent Japanese musicians studying or playing an active part in Europe.Therefore, when Japanese people come, it often seems that Japanese people have come again, realistically.
- What does that mean?
Okuyama After all, there are times when foreigners can get jobs anywhere in Europe or France.Music is a traditional performing art, so it's strange to say that it's more natural for foreigners to play with European faces than for Asians to play. When.
— If the person playing the kin in Japan is a Westerner, it seems a little strange.
Okuyama: It's strange to say it, but I think there are many people who have such strange stereotypes.Even if there are people who say that they are more open, it is decided that Europeans are better in their hearts.I think there are places where Japanese people study a lot and imitate their music or art wonderfully, but it's strange, but they are great people who study and do that much.I think it will take some time to break down your personality and walls and go beyond it. So if you suddenly come in and suddenly enter, if you have considerable ability, some people can come. You are here, but I think it's actually quite difficult.
— Do you mean that personal connections are important?
Okuyama It's a personal connection.Connections.I think it's the best job in a sense, or the best music of my own, by doing each job one by one.After all, I think that I can't speak just by saying "hello" suddenly in terms of both words and communication.
— What are your advantages?
Okuyama For example, when working as an accompaniment pianist, I think it's easy to be trusted in that sense because it has a reputation for finishing properly within the deadline in terms of work and having a solid technical aspect.
— Japanese people are more likely to be trusted.
Okuyama: Well, it's a serious race.But on the contrary, it may be used, so I think you have to be careful.If you say it, he will do it.If you don't show what you want to do to a certain extent, you may be dismissed and feel like you're on the spot.
— What does classic or music mean to you, Okuyama?
Okuyama: At this point in time, it's life itself.It's very deep that you become one only after playing music.
— Is it classic after all?
Okuyama Classic is a composer or artist 100 or 200 years ago, who wrote his work and it has been around for a long time.Just as Monet's paintings, Van Gogh's paintings, and many other painters still have wonderful things, music is a process of understanding, expressing, and polishing over time. After all I like it.
- So that's it.
Okuyama: It would be strange if you take the time to deepen your understanding of classical music and spend your life on it, but is it like that when you polish the details?I am very particular about the sound, and when everything overlaps, I am impressed in a sense. I am not impressed by myself. So if there is a concert, not only at the time of the concert but also before It's like stacking up and reaching there.
— I think there are times when joy culminates in playing music on a daily basis.Whether it's a concert or practice.What time is it?

Okuyama during an enthusiastic performance
Okuyama Concert is a goal point in a sense, so the moment you enter is not that interesting, but there is something of excitement. What I find interesting is the process of studying face to face with the score. It is to discover one by one.It's interesting to discover something, or to see the process of inspiration gradually springing up and shaping it. Once it's done, I'll show it to people, but I think it's a different thing to show it to people.For example, to get the condition right.I like concerts the most, and I want to share that kind of intense time with the people who came, but the most interesting part of my brain is the process of discovery. Playing with other musicians and new things It is also interesting that is born.
— Isn't that "pre-stage" more interesting than the "show to customers" stage?
Okuyama That's the most interesting thing. But the music changes when you show it to the audience. It changes again when it's time to show it even if you fully understand and study.In a sense, we step up one step there.It's also interesting. It's not just my own power, it's the atmosphere at that time, it's acoustic.What is born there?
— I think this is interesting. I think that what I think is the best after practicing and interpreting hard until now may come out that I do not think depending on the customer and various conditions. ..
Okuyama That's right. Suddenly doing something different (laughs).
— Do you do something different?
Okuyama: The main story remains the same, but sometimes it gets better and sometimes it gets worse.For example, even if you have the opportunity to speak, the way you speak depends on the person in front of you.The same thing happens.I decided to make something like this within myself.
— Which do you prefer, solo or ensemble?
Okuyama I really like ensembles.I can't do it unless my partner is a very good person.
— Do you think you don't fit?
Okuyama: I've been thinking about trying it with various people, and I've actually tried it, but recently I've learned that it's better to do it with this person.There are various levels and feelings.After all, the temperament is often referred to as the soloist temperament.I can't help myself (laughs).
— You will have the opportunity to play with Japanese people, and you will also have the opportunity to play with local French people. Which is easier to do?
Okuyama Japanese people are honestly easy to do.I'll be there soon.
— After all, is Okuyama Japanese?
Okuyama: Is it something like a sense of tempo or a sense of time signature? Japanese people are very good at matching it.There is almost no difference between Japanese people.
— Do you mean that the French are out of the question?
Okuyama shifts.I can't believe it anymore.I really doubt my nerves (laughs).I will do it at the end so that I will not be fooled by professionals.However, people who are out of sync are really out of sync, and I play it without permission (laughs).That's not to say, but it's very interesting because if you meet someone who suits you, it will suit you very well.
— Can you tell us about your dream as music in the future?
Okuyama My dream as music is to increase the opportunities for playing and to collaborate with various people.It's the same as an ensemble, and I would like to do various things in that sense, for example, in other fields, video and butoh people.Somehow, I'm really interested in things like "Echange" and "Partage".
— Does it "exchange" or "share" something through your feelings?
Okuyama: No, I have my own feelings.For example, the artist's "feeling" or "inspiration".As for my interest, it is good for composers who do not know to try new things and deepen what they have, but what I am most interested in is to "exchange" it.
- It is interesting.
Okuyama: There are limits to what you can do alone, and in this era, I think it's good for people in their 1s to aim for the 1st place in the Chopin Competition or the 20st place in the Tchaikovsky Competition.But I think that kind of thing will be limited.I think it's better to engage with various people to improve yourself and pursue originality.
— It's true that the 1st place in the Chopin Competition and the 1st place in the Tchaikovsky Competition are amazing, but it can't be more than that.For example, I think it's more interesting to do it with the video that was mentioned earlier, or with a dancer.
Okuyama: If you choose only competitions, it's absolutely impossible to get involved with other people.It feels like you have no choice but to stay home and practice for 20 hours a day.And if you want to take the Tchaikovsky competition, you have to play the songs for the competition.Instead, I often don't have time to study great songs, even if they don't flourish in simpler competitions or songs that aren't technically difficult. I wouldn't study it at all in my twenties.I think it's a waste when the sensitivity is sharp and it can be absorbed most.
— Doing it with various people is the next step, isn't it?
Okuyama: Working with various people and interacting with people from all over the world is the next step, and I feel that I want to deepen myself through such experiences.
— I think it's the most interesting thing to do with various people.I don't think music, including the audience, is a single thing.I think it's most interesting to work with various people.
Okuyama: Even though it's called a solo, it's a color that you can do with other people and incorporate it into your solo performances.I want to increase my palette.
— As a professional musician, do you think there are any secrets to success in France, reasons for getting a job, or any conditions for success?
Okuyama: Ultimately, I think the conditions for success are the same everywhere.After all, it is hard work and hard work to be considerate of others.The rest is to keep waiting so that you don't miss the chance you want to do, mentally.
— Are you mentally?
Okuyama That's right.I think it's quite difficult to maintain mental tension.Even if I think I want to do it at one point, I think it's okay after about a week (laughs).In that sense, it is important to continue and continue. I think it is important not to give up so much even if you make a mistake on the way and try again and again.
— There are times when humans are discouraged, and I think it's difficult to maintain this.
Okuyama It's difficult to keep it. I'm pretty depressed too.I have a lot of time alone.Especially those who play the piano. So I think there are many people who just ask themselves.But in a sense, I think there are things that I have to throw away (laughs).When I'm a student, I'm exploring a lot of possibilities, so I feel like I'm drowning in the possibilities. However, there is a part to throw away.
— When you're a student, you're probably one of the world's top pianists, for example, always playing at Carnegie Hall in New York, or always thinking you're only there.
 
Okuyama's concert
Okuyama That's right.But becoming a professional doesn't mean going to such a Carnegie Hall suddenly.I think it would be wonderful if we could stack up one by one and have a Carnegie Hall at the top.After all, if you are a musician, especially if you are a classic, it is impossible to aim for the best in your 20s, I think that there are 20s, 30s and 40s. Even at the age of 80, there are still some people who are still active in concerts. After all, I think it's better to look up and look at it in the long run, rather than being humble.Professionals aren't in high school or anything like that in junior high school, so I think it's nice to have a long stance that what you're doing now should blossom when you're in your 40s. Hey.
— Can you give me any advice for Japanese people who want to study music in France?
Okuyama If you are studying abroad in France, please come first.Instead of coming suddenly for a long time, I think it's a good idea to set a period such as 1 weeks or XNUMX month and try it.Anyway, I think it's important to come once and see the real thing. And if you want to come, don't give up and do your best.
— It is important to see it once in a short period of time before studying abroad for a long period of time.
Okuyama: I also had a chance to see it once. Dreams grow more and more, so I think I have to see them.You have to come, see, and touch it.
— It may be different if you just think about it.
Okuyama After you come, you may not want to come.Living in a different culture is difficult, so you may think that you should be in Japan, or you may prefer a different country.I think it's best to visit the school or visit once for a short period of 2 weeks to 1 month during spring break or summer vacation.