YouTube video by Sean Chen 88SQUARED Piano Duo performs Eugéne Ysaÿe Sonata No. 3 "Ballade", arr. for two pianos by Sean Chen

Check out this video of my new arrangement of Ysaÿe's Violin Sonata "Ballade" for two pianos. Thanks to 88SQUARED Piano Duo, TorchHouse Studio, and @umkc.bsky.social Conservatory!
youtu.be/LVCwHkhRkB8?...

Once again, this is a massive public jobs program for fascists.

This bill was never just about tax cuts and gutting social services. It's about investing our collective resources in violence and using state power to spread fear and destroy solidarity. We need to resist this with all we've got.

Got to build this fun miniature this past week!

From the SipsTea community on Reddit: Meanwhile in China Explore this post and more from the SipsTea community

www.reddit.com/r/SipsTea/s/...

VC LIVE | 2025 American Piano Awards Final Round World's Leading Classical Music Platform

The finals are capped off by a concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Please tune in today and tomorrow to support the pianists!

For those of you who can't be there live, it will be streamed on theviolinchannel.com/vc-live-2025...

Livestream to watch!: For those who don't know, the American Piano Awards was instrumental (heh) in starting my performing career. Every four years, 5 fantastic classical pianists are named as finalists, and then visit Indianapolis separately and finally altogether for a year-long residency. 1/

YouTube video by Sean Chen Sean Chen's own Cadenza to Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3

My own cadenza to Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3!
youtu.be/zMYam8CU_LA

Well, since it was stuck in my head...

Well, since it was stuck in my head...

Village of Dali theme is one of the best Nobuo ever wrote (imo)

IX might not have the most acclaim, but it hits the spot for me.

The stakes are just too high.

We need to reclaim what being American means. Reclaim the flag from demagoguery, reclaim what Freedom means. America is currently being run by ****'s, but instead of saying *I* stand by Ukraine, we should say *Real Freedom-Loving Americans* stand by Ukraine.

DO NOT SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION. Do not answer questions about your immigration status, where you were born, or your criminal history. 4 NO COMPARTAS INFORMACION PERSONAL. No respondas preguntas sobre tu estado migratorio, dónde naciste o tus antecedentes penales.

DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING. Do not sign any document without speaking to a lawyer. 5 NO FIRMES NADA. No firmes ningún documento sin hablar con un abogado.

SPEAK TO A LAWYER. Consult with a lawyer ahead of time. If you are arrested, ICE will not provide you with a lawyer, so be prepared. CONSULTA CON UN ABOGADO. Consulta con un abogado con anticipación. Si te arrestan, ICE no te dará un abogado, así que prepárate

Pt. 2/2 ⬇️

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN CASE OF ICE: CONOCE TUS DERECHOS EN CASO DE ENCUENTRO CON ICE:

DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR. ICE cannot enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge. Tell the agents to show you the warrant by sliding it under the door. NO ABRAS TU PUERTA. ICE no puede entrar a tu casa sin una orden firmada por un juez. Diles a los agentes que te muestren la orden deslizándola debajo de la puerta.

ASK THEM TO LEAVE. If ICE doesn't have a warrant, tell them you do not consent for them to enter your home and ask them to leave. At work, ICE cannot enter employee-only areas without permission. 2 PÍDALES QUE SE VAYAN. Si ICE no tiene una orden judicial, diles que no das tu consentimiento para que entren a tu casa y pídeles que se vayan. En el trabajo, ICE no puede ingresar a áreas exclusivas para empleados sin permiso.

REMAIN SILENT. You have the right to remain silent. If the agents ask you questions, tell them, "I wish to remain silent." PERMANECE EN SILENCIO. Tienes derecho a permanecer en silencio. Si los agentes te hacen preguntas, diles: "Deseo permanecer en silencio".

It is perfectly legal to know your rights and to educate others about them, too.

EVERYONE in the United States, citizen or not, has rights. I will not allow this administration to intimidate us from helping you know about them.

Here’s our shareable guide ⬇️: (pt. 1/2)

YouTube video by Sean Chen Sean Chen plays Frederic Chopin - 4 Ballades with improvised interludes

Even though it's sort of scary to do it, improvisation is very important to our musical tradition. In encourage everyone to try it!

Here's my performance of Chopin's 4 Ballades with improvised interludes in between each. Enjoy :)

youtu.be/sNygwtwHAeg?...

YouTube video by Sean Chen Sean Chen plays Nikolai Medtner Sonata-Tale Op. 25 No. 1

Enjoy some Medtner! youtu.be/3qg7Fnx0DLE?...

Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent.

Opportunities are everywhere.

Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉

More to come on this, but entering office with an intent to use the Insurrection Act as much as possible IS NOT NORMAL. Military enforcement at the border is obviously the tip of the spear for normalizing it in blue cities. Where is the media on this?

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Thanks to George Conway for posting Caroline Kennedy's letter so everyone is informed about RFK Jr. Please repost far and wide.

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour PBS News Weekend full episode, Jan. 25, 2025

A while back I asked folks why they’re joining Bluesky and the most common response I saw was, “I just want a good place to get my news” and, yall, no. Bad.

GET YOUR NEWS FROM THE NEWS

PBS Newshour is FREE FOR EVERYONE.

youtu.be/PMOYN8JWdUk?...

I may revise this opinion if and when they get the 86 BILLION they are demanding from Congress, but we're not going to let that happen lying down are we

there is a real fight coming, but if we burn out chasing shadows in the first month we won't be ready for the very real and very direct action we will need to stop ICE expansion. Advocates generally agree that ICE is so far just doing anything they would have done during Obama or Trump 1.0 this week

ICE is not going to "raid" a school. That is not a thing that is going to happen. They may arrest a parent who is picking a child up, or a staff member with prior conviction/deportation, but they will NOT BE "RAIDING" A SCHOOL

Kids already have more than enough to worry about in 2025 folks

But, m.53 is still correct with the sharp.

F# over A would be the equivalent of B-natural over D

Postlude:

WELL..., a little wrinkle. I checked the voice-piano versions. The 1846 version of this one does have the equivalent of a B-natural in the first example (but it's not really a run, and the note occurs once, but it does preempt the major)...

Anyways, there's a non-zero chance that Liszt changed it between the first and second versions, but given how harmonically close the two versions are, I doubt it.

Moral of the story, trust your ears, but also do your source study!

In the second example, something about the bass motion is way more satisfying going to C# and then B# (and not two of the same enharmonic notes), emotionally since you start at D major very heroically, then immediately introduce doubt with the F# 6/4 chord.

In the first example I was reacting to Liszt playing with major/minor juxtapositions, and the whole-step created by the B-natural seems stylistically a little out of place. And the B-flat creates an awesome cross relation at the resolution to G major.

Bb's!

C#'s!

I remembered that Liszt actually had earlier editions of the Sonnets, and thanks to IMSLP, I can check that!

HAH!!
My ears were right!