Patient pianist gets his break at 30; now he's performing Brahms piano concerto with LSO
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Although it was love at first sight when Jon Nakamatsu came into contact with a piano at age 4, it wasn’t until he was 30 that he became a full-time concert pianist. The journey was a bit long, but he had a great mentor to lead him through the forest.
The 54-year-old soloist, born in San Jose, California, said, “I first saw the piano in preschool and I was hooked. The physicality, the touch and the sound – it all made a profound impression on me.”
Nakamatsu, a Van Cliburn Gold Medal winner, will be appearing with the Lansing Symphony on Friday to perform one of the most beloved piano concertos, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2.
When he asked his parents for a piano back when he was 4, they were not sure of how to react. “My father was an engineer and my mother was in business and neither of them knew anything about music.”
At age 6 his parents finally relented and hired a friend and neighborhood teacher, Marina Derryberry, to teach their eager son. What transpired was a lifelong, deep relationship between student and teacher.
Soon after the lessons began, Derryberry saw something special. She told Nakamatsu’s parents, “Your child is different.” She described how Jon always wanted to learn more and be better.
“She started educating my parents what it would mean by having a talented musician as a child,” Nakamatsu said.
As the years went on, Derryberry managed Nakamatsu's music education. She set him up with a music theory and composition teacher and a more advanced piano teacher when he was older. Before long, Nakamatsu was taking lessons four times a week and practicing 3-4 hours per day.
“It’s best if you identify musical talent early and nurture it,” said the pianist. “If you wait too long, you will struggle along for years.”
He was in public schools and played the trumpet in band but was also beginning to play concerts and participating in competitions.
But his success at these competitions did come as quickly as he wanted. Derryberry urged him to go to college and pursue other interests while he continued his work on the piano.
Nakamatsu enrolled in little local college that was nearby, Stanford University, where he received an undergraduate degree in German and a masters in education. He taught in a high school for the next seven years while he continued to practice and play concerts and chamber music.
“I just kept trying until my early 30s," he said. "Life is too short to be frustrated or angry. You just have to keep working at it. This all I ever wanted to do.”
Everything changed in 1997 when Nakamatsu won the coveted gold medal in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the greatest prizes in the piano world.
“That’s when I quit my teaching job and began playing concerts with orchestras all over the world," Nakamatsu said. "Requests for concert dates immediately starting coming in.
“Today, I have the greatest joy. I get to play with orchestras, recitals and chamber music. I get to do it all!”
And although he has played in the great concert halls in Europe, he said he loves playing with orchestras like the LSO.
“No matter where I am, I feel grateful for making music. The best concert halls with the greatest orchestras are not always the ideal when I’m on tour. They play the Brahms 2nd every year. The excitement is often much better with smaller halls and orchestras. Something magical happens. For major orchestras, playing the Brahms 2nd is nothing special. My most moving performances have been in places like Lansing.”
IF YOU GO
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Timothy Muffitt, Conductor
Jon Nakamatsu, Soloist
7:30 p.m. Friday
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Serenade for Winds, Op 7, Eb Major, Richard Strauss
Symphony No 1, Adolphus Hailstork
Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb Major, Johannes Brahms
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Pianist Jon Nakamatsu plays LSO Brahms Piano concerto No. 2
