Episode 235
SAM ROTMAN - From Juilliard To Jesus: A Master Pianist's Journey From Orthodox Judaism to Christian Faith
Sam Rotman is a classically trained pianist who graduated from the Juilliard School and has performed over 3,400 concerts in 62 countries. In our conversation he shares his dramatic conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity in 1971, which transformed not just his faith but his entire approach to music and performance.
The episode explores how his newfound faith led him to play concerts everywhere from prestigious concert halls to jungle villages, always with the goal of sharing the gospel through classical music excellence.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- True heart transformation can only come through Jesus Christ, not through religious activity or moral behavior
- Excellence in your craft creates the platform to share what matters most in your life
- Serving Jesus means playing any piano, staying anywhere, going wherever He opens doors
- Family relationships may suffer when choosing Christ, but God's faithfulness endures through difficult seasons
- Professional practice requires dedication - Rotman practiced 10 hours daily at Juilliard for five years straight
- Real ministry happens when you're willing to go to places others won't consider beneath them
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Transcript
Sam Rotman received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City.
Speaker A:He has been among the winners in five piano competitions, both in the United States and Europe.
Speaker A: tition in Vienna, Austria, in: Speaker A:Rotman participated in the 6th International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia.
Speaker A: In May: Speaker A:Mr.
Speaker A:Rotman has given over 3,400 performances around the world, totaling 62 countries.
Speaker A:Sam Rotman, welcome to the Will Spencer Podcast.
Speaker B:It's an honor to be here.
Speaker B:I'm happy to be here.
Speaker B:Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker A:I've been really looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker A:You have an incredible story, both coming to Christ and what you've done after.
Speaker A:So let's begin at the beginning.
Speaker A:Maybe give the listeners a bit of an idea of your testimony.
Speaker A:We have a similar background.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:My parents were both born in Eastern Europe.
Speaker B:My father in Romania, my mother in Czechoslovakia at the time.
Speaker B: And they left Europe in: Speaker B:They were Orthodox Jews, very religious.
Speaker B:And 11 months after my father left Romania, the Nazis came, came to the town, came to the house, killed his parents, took them, his sister, to a concentration camp.
Speaker B:Never heard from again.
Speaker B:But my father escaped and like a lot of Jews had to get out of Europe and like a lot of Jews ended up in South America.
Speaker B:There were a few countries that had an immigration.
Speaker B:They heard what was happening to Jews, so they ended up in a small country on the equator, Ecuador.
Speaker B:Quito, Ecuador, the capital.
Speaker B: e born there in the spring of: Speaker B:My mother was pregnant with me.
Speaker B:And my father wanted to bring his family to the United States.
Speaker B:He filled out all this paperwork and came to the United States through New York City.
Speaker B:I got permission, obviously, and I was born five months later.
Speaker B:And I was raised in a very, very religious Jewish home.
Speaker B:My grandparents died for being Jewish.
Speaker B:My parents suffered for being Jewish.
Speaker B:I was with all my Jewish heritage.
Speaker B:And so I went to public school and then I went to Hebrew school.
Speaker B:Our synagogue was a large synagogue.
Speaker B:We could afford a big education program, a Hebrew school.
Speaker B:I learned Hebrew.
Speaker B:I learned all about being Jewish.
Speaker B:I learned hundreds of prayers, went to Hebrew school five days a week for eight years.
Speaker B:So this was not a two week course on how to be a better Jew.
Speaker B:This was a commitment for your life.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:All my friends were Jewish, all my relatives were Jewish.
Speaker B:But when I was about 12 years old, I remember very specifically that I realized I was beginning to develop a very foul mouth.
Speaker B:I could curse, I could lie to my teachers.
Speaker B:Not a lot, but enough.
Speaker B:My parents, not a lot, but enough.
Speaker B:So I was religious in the synagogue, and these prayers meant a lot to me.
Speaker B:And then it was easy to be religious.
Speaker B:And then an hour later, I could swear and curse and lie.
Speaker B:So I was good at both religious and being irreligious.
Speaker B:But at Juilliard School, as you mentioned, I met three students there who called themselves Born again Christians.
Speaker B:I had no idea what that meant, but there was something about them.
Speaker B:One would be having lunch in the cafeteria.
Speaker B:Another person would be taking a break from practicing, and they were always reading the Bible.
Speaker B:And I thought, wow, this is not a school of religion.
Speaker B:It's a school of music.
Speaker B:These were musicians, highly respected.
Speaker B:When they got together, all they did was talk about Jesus.
Speaker B:Jesus did this.
Speaker B:Jesus said this.
Speaker B:Jesus.
Speaker B:Why did Jesus say this?
Speaker B:Why did Jesus do this?
Speaker B:So it was never church, never the C word.
Speaker B:Christianity.
Speaker B:It always, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Speaker B:Yeshua in Hebrew.
Speaker A:This was real quick.
Speaker B: This is like: Speaker B: That year, that school year,: Speaker B:And so it was my third year at Juilliard.
Speaker B:And so what happened was they heard I was a religious Jew.
Speaker B:They began to talk to me, and they asked me basically two questions.
Speaker B:Have I ever read the New Testament, which I never had.
Speaker B:You know, the Jews were told, the New Testament is not for the Jews.
Speaker B:And I never saw one, never read one, never touched one.
Speaker B:I had no idea what was in it.
Speaker B:I mean, zero knowledge.
Speaker B:And then they asked me if I thought of Jesus could be the Messiah the Jews are waiting for.
Speaker B:Mashiach in Hebrew, the Messiah.
Speaker B:He's not the hope for Jewish people.
Speaker B:But I always share this because I was very, very moral on the outside.
Speaker B:I never drank alcohol, never was drunk, never took drugs.
Speaker B: I lived in New York City from: Speaker B:There were drugs all over New York City.
Speaker B:I lived at 71st street in Broadway, uptown, Manhattan.
Speaker B:There were drugs everywhere.
Speaker B:Never took it, never had premarital sex.
Speaker B:But even though I was so moral on the outside, so religious, I was very immoral on the inside.
Speaker B:I knew that I was not on the inside the way I could appear on the outside.
Speaker B:I could do many Jewish things and never affected me on the inside.
Speaker B:Very moral, religious, but not changed.
Speaker B:The same foul mouth, dirty minded, self centered, egotistical person.
Speaker B:So I made a big Decision.
Speaker B:I said, well, if I want to know about this person, Jesus Christ, I'm going to read this book, the New Testament.
Speaker B:So that was a big step for a Jewish.
Speaker B:I didn't want to talk to a rabbi, priest, minister, any religious.
Speaker B:I'm going to read this book.
Speaker B:So when I was at Juilliard, I used to practice for 10 hours a day.
Speaker B:So that's not a lie or an exaggeration.
Speaker B:I didn't sit at the piano for 9 hours and 45 minutes.
Speaker B:I sat every day at the piano for 10 hours.
Speaker B:I never left Juilliard until I practiced 10 hours a day.
Speaker B:I started to read the New Testament, and my whole life came to a stop.
Speaker B:I was shocked when I read this book.
Speaker B:They gave me a little pocket New Testament.
Speaker B:And they said, well, if you read it starting this book called the Gospel of John.
Speaker B:Never heard of it, but I opened it up, and there it is.
Speaker B:So now I'm going to quote you what I read in this book.
Speaker B:Here was a man, Jesus, who said, I am the light of the world.
Speaker B:I thought, really, I mean.
Speaker B:Oh, my.
Speaker B:I mean, Moses, you know, Moses, the Jews.
Speaker B:He never said he was the light of the world.
Speaker B:Abraham, the father of the Jews, never said he was a lie to the world.
Speaker B:Here was a man who said, I am the bread of life.
Speaker B:Here's a man who said, nobody comes to God, my Father, except through me.
Speaker B:He who has the Son of God has life.
Speaker B:He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Speaker B:I am the vine, you are the branches.
Speaker B:Without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no.
Speaker B:Without God, I can do nothing.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:Sam.
Speaker B:Sam, without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker B:You want to know God?
Speaker B:You want to serve God?
Speaker B:You want to obey God?
Speaker B:Sam, you know me.
Speaker B:You serve me.
Speaker B:You owe me.
Speaker B:Jesus said, you believe in God, believe also in me.
Speaker B:The same adoration you give the Adonai, Elohim, El Shaddai, the Almighty, you give to me.
Speaker B:Well, let me tell you what I said to myself.
Speaker B:I said, this man's a lunatic.
Speaker B:I said, look, this is beyond the pale.
Speaker B:This is too much.
Speaker B:And I was going to throw away the New Testament.
Speaker B:I remember the garbage can.
Speaker B:I was throw it away.
Speaker B:I'm going to go practice.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:This first time in my life since I stopped practicing, since starting as a little boy, I completely stopped practicing.
Speaker B:All I was absorbed.
Speaker B:I went back, read more of the New Testament, read.
Speaker B:Went back to the Old Testament because the New Gospel of Matthew quotes the Old Testament so much.
Speaker B:Written to Jews.
Speaker B:And I thought wow.
Speaker B:You know, I mean, they're plagiarizing, taking it.
Speaker B:But then, oh, maybe he's not plagiarizing.
Speaker B:Maybe he's explaining what I read in the Old Testament.
Speaker B:So I'm going to throw this book.
Speaker B:And then I said to myself, look, if this person, Jesus is who he says he is, if he is who he says he is, who are you?
Speaker B:Jesus?
Speaker B:Sam, I'm the light of the world.
Speaker B:And if you don't believe it, I'm still the light of the world.
Speaker B:And if nobody believes it, I'm the light of the world.
Speaker B:If he is who he says he is, I may be making the biggest mistake of my life, throwing this book away.
Speaker B:I better listen to him.
Speaker B:And then Jesus kept saying about coming for sinners.
Speaker B:Well, I was not a sinner.
Speaker B:I was very moral, religious.
Speaker B:I look good for God.
Speaker B:I was on God's side.
Speaker B:But he said he came to bring forgiveness, a new life, a new birthday, spiritual life, spiritual birth, spiritual heart.
Speaker B:So you've read.
Speaker B:I've played concerts in 62 countries.
Speaker B:And it doesn't matter what your skin color is, what politics you are, what language you speak, what culture from.
Speaker B:Because everybody in the world is good at hiding things.
Speaker B:The first thing man did when he disobeyed God was to hide.
Speaker B:We figured out a billion ways of how to hide things.
Speaker B:You can hide things from friends, from someone at work, from a church.
Speaker B:You can husband and wife, children from their parents.
Speaker B:But no one hides anything from this person, the Almighty, from this Jesus.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:I said, My name is Sam Rotman.
Speaker B:And Jesus, I want you to take over my life.
Speaker B:My name is Sam Rotman, and I want you to take over my life.
Speaker B:I told him the lies I said the curse words.
Speaker B:I said the immoral thoughts I had.
Speaker B:I didn't hide anything from him.
Speaker B:And I made no excuses.
Speaker B:No excuses.
Speaker B:It was a long prayer.
Speaker B:I finished praying, I opened up my eyes and instantly will instantly, in a billionth of a second, I knew that Jesus Christ completely changed me on the inside.
Speaker B:I had a dirty, filthy mouth.
Speaker B:He cleaned it and changed it.
Speaker B:I was shocked.
Speaker B:I stopped cursing.
Speaker B:And I like to say if I tried to form a curse with my lips, I couldn't.
Speaker B:I had a dirty mind.
Speaker B:He cleaned it and changed it.
Speaker B:I mean, it was like I was a new life.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:And the next morning, I woke up, I thanked Jesus Christ, thank Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Thank Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:I went to Juilliard and I went to every practice room on the fourth floor of every Jewish friend of mine, and I said, I've been transformed.
Speaker B:And it was by the Messiah.
Speaker B:And his name is Yeshua Hamashiach.
Speaker B:Jesus.
Speaker B:Jesus.
Speaker B:Jesus is the Christ.
Speaker B: And I played over: Speaker B:Music's not the most thing in my life.
Speaker B:He is the most important thing because he's the only person that can change your heart.
Speaker B:You can't change your heart.
Speaker B:The reality in the world is everyone's good at hiding things.
Speaker B:The miracle in the world is that Jesus Christ can change a human heart.
Speaker B:The church can't change you.
Speaker B:Husband and wife can't change you.
Speaker B:Friends can't change you.
Speaker B:Government can't change you.
Speaker B:And you can't change you.
Speaker A:Therapists can't change you.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:But this is the miracle.
Speaker B:Jesus Christ actually transforms a human heart.
Speaker B:And he's done it to hundreds of millions of them.
Speaker B:And I'm one of them.
Speaker B:Little me.
Speaker B:And I realize now that I play the piano for him.
Speaker B:He gave me the ears to hear the music, the fingers to play the music, the mind to learn the music.
Speaker B:Jesus has never missed one of my concerts.
Speaker B:And every time I give a concert in a concert hall, going to Europe in a week for concerts, playing with an orchestra, he's always in the front row.
Speaker B:And he says, sam, I'm looking forward to hearing you play for me this evening or this afternoon.
Speaker B:It's worth living for Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:It's worth living for Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:And past disappoint you.
Speaker B:People can disappoint you, but he's worth it.
Speaker B:He's worth it.
Speaker B:And music gives me a lot of happiness in a concert.
Speaker B:I'll play 40,000 notes at a concert, but not one note will change me.
Speaker B:Jesus changed me, gave me a new life.
Speaker B:It's worth living for him.
Speaker B:And that's it.
Speaker B:I mean, for me to live is Christ, for me to live is Christ.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:There's so much there that I want to dig into and so much that I can relate to it.
Speaker B:That's the overview testimony at 30,000ft.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I know more aspects of the story as well.
Speaker A:I think the first one that I'm interested in is how did your playing change after your conversion?
Speaker A:So we're here.
Speaker A: We're in: Speaker B:Yes, may have.
Speaker B:71.
Speaker A:So you had started playing when you were what's nine years old?
Speaker A:It says here at age 16, you made your debut with the San Antonio Symphony.
Speaker A:Orchestra before an audience of 6,000 people.
Speaker A:So we're talking about how many years of you being a performer at the highest level.
Speaker A:Right, the highest level for your age group especially.
Speaker A:And then after that point when you got converted, did your playing change?
Speaker A:Did your practicing change?
Speaker A:Like what began to shift in that essential part of your life?
Speaker B:Yeah, people have asked me that many times.
Speaker B:Yeah, you must have been a.
Speaker B:Become a really good pianist after you came to know Jesus.
Speaker B:I was a good pianist before I knew Jesus.
Speaker B:I mean, I know famous musicians that are tremendous musicians.
Speaker B:They haven't got an inkling for Jesus.
Speaker B:So the point was, was that I was a good pianist before I came to know Jesus.
Speaker B:Did my playing improve?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:I'll tell you what happened, though.
Speaker B:My whole attitude, my whole world changed.
Speaker B:Now I knew who gave me the talent.
Speaker B:Now I know who I'm playing for.
Speaker B:Now I know who to thanks thank.
Speaker B:Now I knew who to acknowledge that makes all the difference in the world.
Speaker B:See, my attitude was, I'm going to be great.
Speaker B:I'm going to be rich.
Speaker B:I'm going to be playing in concert halls.
Speaker B:I'm going to be.
Speaker B:And if I told Jesus that, he says, good, yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker B:You can go ahead and do that.
Speaker A:Enjoy that.
Speaker B:And I said, I'll play at any concert.
Speaker B:I'll play on any piano.
Speaker B:Because Jesus played any piano for me.
Speaker B:I don't care how much money I earn, I.
Speaker B:I want to play.
Speaker B:I want to serve you with the gift you've given to me.
Speaker B:And Jesus then said to me, sam, I have a lot of places where I could have you go play for me.
Speaker B:I've played 3,400 concerts, 62 countries.
Speaker B:If I would have thought I'd play in 60, I'd say that's ridiculous.
Speaker B:Nobody plays in 60 countries.
Speaker B:I mean, pianists that I know who are famous and they haven't played in 60 countries and stuff.
Speaker B:But I'm not saying this to brag.
Speaker B:I'm only saying is that my whole attitude, I pray before a concert.
Speaker B:I asked Lord to help me.
Speaker B:He's now at every concert.
Speaker B:That's a big change.
Speaker B:And it's almost like as if I was practicing 10 hours a day.
Speaker B:My daughter once figured out I practiced 18,500 hours for my five years at Juilliard.
Speaker B:Okay, 18,000.
Speaker A:That's a little bit more than the 10,000 hour rule.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:By the Outliers of book there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So my point was, was that I was going to play and practice for my My agenda, my glory and everything.
Speaker B:So I put in all this music, all this practice, all this proficiency, you know, and then in one night, in a sense, Jesus said, all that practicing you've done and all that I've deposited into you and all those notes and everything, you're now going to play for me.
Speaker B:You're now going to play for me.
Speaker B:So it's not like now I have more proficiency or something.
Speaker B:But I asked the Lord to help my practicing, you know, so improve to learn a piece, you know, I bring it all to him.
Speaker B:I bring it all to him and he answers and he's intricately involved.
Speaker B:And so, you know, I, in a sense, you know, I want to reach people for Jesus Christ by playing Beethoven.
Speaker B:And you can.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Because the whole point is that if I played Christian music in 62 countries and there's great Christian musicians, I mean, there's no doubt.
Speaker B:But I went to 62 countries, it'd be filled with Christians.
Speaker B:Jewish people are not going to come to hear a pianist play Amazing Grace, but they'll come here.
Speaker B:A pianist play Beethoven, a Muslim.
Speaker B:I've been to Turkey, I've been to Muslim countries, you know, they're not going to hear someone play Christian music, but they'll come and hear classical music.
Speaker B:I've been to Cuba.
Speaker B:28 concerts in Cuba.
Speaker B:I went to Cuba.
Speaker B:When you couldn't get to Cuba.
Speaker B:Two tours of concerts.
Speaker B:Why was I invited?
Speaker B:I play classical music.
Speaker B:They wanted a cultural exposure for the people to hear classical music.
Speaker B:But the agreement was, I'm able to tell my story.
Speaker B:They said, as long as you do it in the concert hall.
Speaker B:So I gave 28 concerts with 28 testimonies all over Cuba.
Speaker B:On two tours.
Speaker B:Not on one, but two tours of Cuba.
Speaker B:So the point is that I want to reach people on a high level of playing music and a testimony that music's not the most important thing in my life.
Speaker B:But Jesus Christ is.
Speaker A:That's beautiful.
Speaker A:Because being on Team Jesus, you will go to more countries than you would otherwise have the chance to if you were just performing classical music.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:If it was just an economic calculation, you'd go to the countries that pay the best.
Speaker A:But Cuba, some of the other.
Speaker A:Turkey might not pay as well as Germany again, but you can preach the gospel in nations that need to hear it.
Speaker B:That's a very good point.
Speaker B:Because the church is in every kindred tribe, entire nation.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:Know not concert halls.
Speaker B:And classical music is not never in kindred.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I've played concerts in the jungles of Thailand, you know, on an electronic piano.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I, I, I play on any piano because Jesus played on any piano for me.
Speaker B:My point is, is that if this is what they have I play on, it needs to be 88 keys.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, I mean, I can't play on a 52 key synthesizer.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:So the point is, is that, is that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, I've played in very, very remote areas and very, very obscure areas.
Speaker B:I mean, some places where In Africa, in a country in Africa.
Speaker B:The only piano in the country was in an American hotel lobby.
Speaker B:And that's where we had the concert, in the lobby of the American hotel, which it was there as a piece of furniture to show off, you know, a nice piano in the lobby.
Speaker B:But the country didn't have a piano in the whole country.
Speaker B:Keyboards, but not a piano.
Speaker B:But I played and gave testimony and played in the country and spoke to students and stuff.
Speaker B:So I'm just saying is that the church is in every country, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:I'm just struck by the humility of that.
Speaker A:Because someone with your level of accomplishments, your level of skill and your level of expertise and experience to say, like, yeah, I'll play what you got.
Speaker A:If it got 88 keys, I'll play on it A keyboard in the jungle, like, just the opportunity to create beautiful music.
Speaker A:But to tell the story of what God's done in my life, I can't think of anyone who, I can't think of a pianist who would otherwise be at your level that would do that.
Speaker A:They would probably think it to some degree would be beneath them.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You probably encountered people like that.
Speaker A:But it's like, I'm happy to go play on these instruments if this is what it means to bring the gospel.
Speaker B:These people, there's a lot of egos in classical music.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, I've dealt with many conductors and things and enough that, you know, there's egos.
Speaker B:Only one person should have an ego.
Speaker B:His name is Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:You know, I'm a speck of dust with air pumped in me.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I'm a speck of dust with air pumped in me.
Speaker B:And so I am what I am by the grace of God.
Speaker B:When Jesus said the words, I am the vine, you are the branches, without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker B:I'm 74 years old and I've never believed that verse as much as I know that to be true.
Speaker B:Without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker B:You can't move your fingers, you can't think, you can't walk out on stage, you can't memorize the piece.
Speaker B:You can't, you can't, you can't, you can't without me.
Speaker B:It's is his grace, his kindness, his mercy, his.
Speaker B:This is beyond human comprehension.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And in a sense I just go back, not for a moment, but if I said, look, I have to play on a hunt, a nine foot concert grand, you know, you know, that's the big piano, that's what's in, you know, mine's a seven foot.
Speaker B:That's a living room grand.
Speaker B:I wouldn't need a nine foot in my house.
Speaker B:Most pianos don't have nine foots.
Speaker B:Some do, but not, not necessary in a home.
Speaker B:It's too much.
Speaker B:Yeah, but in a hall concert, Carnegie Hall, I mean all the halls, they have nine foot concert grand show.
Speaker B:If I said I have to play on a nice, I mean I, I can't play on a baby grad.
Speaker B:I have to stay in a hotel, right?
Speaker B:I mean, I'm a pianist, I have to stay in my.
Speaker B:So that's where Jesus, go ahead, you know, you know, go and play.
Speaker B:But when I said, I'll play on any piano for you, Jesus, I'll stay in any place.
Speaker B:95, 98% of the time I travel, I stay with people.
Speaker B:I don't stay in hotels, stay with people.
Speaker B:I've slept in a few very unique places and things like that in homes and underneath stairwells.
Speaker B:And that's when Jesus says, well, if that's what you want to do, I have a lot of place.
Speaker B:I could use you.
Speaker B:I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give.
Speaker B:It is more blessed to give than receive.
Speaker B:So that's the point is that having all that experience from one end to the expectorant to the other, I mean, I've played on $300,000 piano Bursendorfers, the greatest piano made.
Speaker B:I mean, I think a new one is now $300,000.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:I played for them in Russia and in your, you know, that's them.
Speaker B:And then I played on keyboards and even non weighted keys on the keyboard, which is harder even to play.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:Really, it's kind of the, the easy beginner.
Speaker B:You know, entry into keyboards, you know, weighted keys is more sophisticated.
Speaker B:That's what happened for me.
Speaker B:Lord.
Speaker A:I play when, when you, when you play, I imagine that there's a bit of an adjustment when you play on the, the non weighted, the non weighted keys.
Speaker A:But when doing that, do people say like, wow, you played that keyboard better than I've Ever heard anyone play it before?
Speaker A:Do they reflect the same way that I've heard you say that others do on pianos?
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:I've had many comments as Matt.
Speaker B:I've had no idea that an electronic keyboard could sound like that.
Speaker B:My wife, one of the biggest, one of that, she says, wow, I, I, I'm, I was just overwhelmed that the music you got out of that keyboard and some of this.
Speaker B:But that's part of being a professional, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:I mean, you work hard, you practice hard, you learn it, right?
Speaker B:You, you.
Speaker B:So that when you go, look, does every football player play in sunny weather, 70 degrees?
Speaker B:There's snow.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:There's rain.
Speaker B:There is.
Speaker B:You know, you have to produce under any condition in that sense.
Speaker B:You know, now it, the music will have more ability to have impact if it's a nicer piano or if it's a piano, you know, in that sense.
Speaker B:But, you know, but that's, that's, you know, that's the way it is.
Speaker B:I remember once I played a concert in Poland, and it was on electronic keyboard, and not a very good one.
Speaker B:And they told me it's going to be electronic.
Speaker B:I didn't know anything more about it, but it was all a, a home for AIDS patients.
Speaker B:Oh, AIDS.
Speaker B:This was in the late 80s, early all AIDS.
Speaker B:They all came down with their oxygens.
Speaker B:They're all going to die.
Speaker B:And they didn't have a bench, get this.
Speaker B:They were looking, looking.
Speaker B:They couldn't find a denture.
Speaker B:So a guy went across the street, there was a park, and he, and there were tree stumps, and he cut, he got a chainsaw, literally.
Speaker B:He cut a tree stump and he brought it over and I played the piano, I played the concert for all these AIDS patients.
Speaker B:I mean, and on a, sitting on a tree stump on an electronic piano, I had to balance my feet because the tree stump would, you know, I mean, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Who knows what I'll meet in heaven?
Speaker B:Maybe there'll be someone that heard the message of Jesus and it was worth, was worth it.
Speaker B:So I'm just saying that's from one end to the other, right?
Speaker A:It's the opportunity to serve in the environments that the Lord puts us into.
Speaker A:Okay, this is how I can serve.
Speaker A:If I can sit down and play whatever you got for me to sit on, whatever you got for me to play on.
Speaker A:If it's got 88 keys, we'll make it happen.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:I tell that people, do you play on a keyboard?
Speaker B:Because some churches now even don't have keyboards.
Speaker B:They've gone because they have more contemporary music.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:Not bands.
Speaker B:Oh, we used to have our piano.
Speaker B:We don't have it.
Speaker B:We have a.
Speaker B:You know, I always ask that, is it 88 keys?
Speaker B:Because 99% of them are right.
Speaker B:But if it's 88 keys, I don't ask if it's a Roland, if it's a Yamaha, if it's this, you know, there's different.
Speaker B:I'll learn about it when I get there, you know, so, you know, when.
Speaker A:We met, I asked you the question about the favorite piano you've ever played on was in Japan.
Speaker A:You tell that story, please.
Speaker A:I love that story.
Speaker B:Yeah, so I've been to Japan twice for, for five week tours.
Speaker B:So I've gotten about.
Speaker B:I've given about 70 concerts in Japan, all over Japan.
Speaker B:I mean, from Hokkaido in the north all the way to Hiroshima in the south and things.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And so the, the, you know, the, the bottom line is that I.
Speaker B:Japanese don't invent things, they just make them better.
Speaker B:Cars, electronics.
Speaker B:I mean, look what they do.
Speaker B:Pianos and Yamahas are very good pianos.
Speaker B:So, so I went to play my first time and I played, I think it was in a hall, and they had a wonderful Yamaha piano.
Speaker B:I mean, this was tremendous.
Speaker B:It was, you know, very high quality.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Then I think the next day I played in the school.
Speaker B:And that piano was better than the one in the hall.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker B:I mean, not better in the sense that.
Speaker B:Markedly better, but I mean, in a school, I mean, that's what shocked me.
Speaker B:In a school, you got this kind of an.
Speaker B:A triple plus piano in a school.
Speaker B:I mean, you know what school pianos can be like, you know.
Speaker B:Oh, no, it was true.
Speaker B:Then I did a concert in a retirement community, and that piano is even a little better than the other two.
Speaker B:No, when I say better, I'm only saying is that it was high, high, high, high, high level.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So my wife says that Japan is piano heaven.
Speaker B:I mean, the best pianos, the, the, the, the.
Speaker B:They're all Yamahas.
Speaker B:They're made there in Hamamatsu in Japan.
Speaker B:And so what I found out, I don't know if this, I explained this to you is that I found out that the Japanese, they have a whole army of piano technicians training how to keep up pianos.
Speaker B:And when they come out to tune a piano or, or they come out to service a piano, they not only tune it, but they regulate it.
Speaker B:They do all sorts of overlooking the action of the piano.
Speaker B:That's not what we do in America, a piano tuner comes in tunes and that's it.
Speaker B:Most of the time, 95% of the time, they don't.
Speaker B:So I gave the comparison that it's like driving your car and all you do is put in gas.
Speaker B:You never checked the oil, you never checked the tires, you never checked.
Speaker B:You just put in gas to keep it going, and then suddenly the car is starting to deteriorate.
Speaker B:Well, why?
Speaker B:Because you didn't do this.
Speaker B:You didn't do this in Japan.
Speaker B:Every time they service a piano, they check the oil, they check the tires, they check the carburetor, they check the spark plugs, they check.
Speaker B:You understand what I'm saying?
Speaker B:That's the difference.
Speaker B:That's the difference.
Speaker B:And that's what I found out.
Speaker B:Every time they come out, they regulate it.
Speaker B:They work on the hammers.
Speaker B:There's 4,000 parts in the action of a piano.
Speaker B:And so they're working on making sure all 4,000 pieces work good, not other places.
Speaker B:All they're doing is moving a pin to tune it and putting the gas in and going home.
Speaker B:So that's the difference.
Speaker B:Did I explain that to you?
Speaker B:Was that the difference?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:You talked about that first piano in the concert hall, but not about the school and then the retirement home.
Speaker A:That even.
Speaker A:That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker B:And then I'll just say one final thing.
Speaker B:This was a concert that I.
Speaker B:Two things just in, you know.
Speaker B:But again, I plan on any piano.
Speaker B:I was giving a concert.
Speaker B:The first time I went to Japan, it was just myself.
Speaker B:The second time I went to Japan, my wife was with me.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:The first time I went, I was playing in Yokohama, and I was playing this very, very difficult piece by Schubert.
Speaker B:I mean, it's very difficult, lot of notes, very technical.
Speaker B: only experienced this once in: Speaker B:I was playing this piece by Schubert.
Speaker B:The piano was so amazing, so high quality.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I'm just saying high quality.
Speaker B:From what I just told you that I said to myself, sam, I had no idea that you could play the piano this well.
Speaker B:I had no idea the piano.
Speaker B:Anything I did, the piano responded to it.
Speaker B:Anything I.
Speaker B:It responded to it.
Speaker B:I never had that experience that, you know, because a lot of times a piano.
Speaker B:The top can be a little bit weak, and the.
Speaker B:You know, you adjust a little bit.
Speaker B:Adjusting, you know, Right.
Speaker B:This piano was just remarkable.
Speaker B:And so I said that, wow, I didn't know I could play the piano this good.
Speaker B:And this Schubert piece, this.
Speaker B:And then the other time was that my wife's heard me play many concerts and stuff.
Speaker B:And sometimes she's in a balcony or so and she reads a book and stuff.
Speaker B:She likes to read, which is fine, you know.
Speaker B:And once I was doing a concert also in Japan, and she's reading a book and all of a sudden she's listening and she starts to put it down and she says, oh my.
Speaker B:And she stopped reading to listen to me playing because of the piano, because the piano had freed me in that sense.
Speaker B:So those are just.
Speaker B:But I play in the jungles of Thailand.
Speaker B:I play on places in Africa with pianos or the pedal doesn't work or something.
Speaker B:It's all for Jesus.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:And I think it's that spectrum of experiences that you can speak as positively about the piano that sets you free as you can about I'm playing in the jungle or on a hotel keyboard, a hotel piano or something like that.
Speaker A:It's that spectrum of experiences that someone who wasn't playing for Team Jesus, they would never have.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:They would take perhaps a first class flight overseas, stay in a luxury hotel, play in a big concert hall and then fly back out and never have contact with the people who.
Speaker A:Whose lives they're touching and.
Speaker A:And never have them walk any away with anything more than just that was a wonderful performance.
Speaker A:As opposed to, oh wow, I heard a story from a man that really touched my heart and maybe rethink my own life.
Speaker B:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, I.
Speaker B:My concert's about an hour and a half.
Speaker B:I play a long hour of music.
Speaker B:I made a lot of music.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:At my concerts I don't play for 10 minutes and speak for 50.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:They come for a concert.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:You're going to hear a concert.
Speaker B:You're going to hear 40,000.
Speaker B:You're going to play.
Speaker B:You're going to hear music.
Speaker B:Music.
Speaker B:But then I take 15 minutes, not, not three minutes, no, before the last piece.
Speaker B:I tell them about my life and my music and my whole testimony.
Speaker B:What I shared here, a little bit more elaborated than here just for the sake of time and.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, you know, so it's.
Speaker B:And I've heard responses and people have responded and it's a humbling thing to be an instrument of the Almighty by his grace, all of his grace, nothing in our hands, I bring simply to him.
Speaker B:I cling.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Instrument, pun intended.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker A:Well, let's go back to that testimony then.
Speaker A:Of course, any Jew becoming a Christian, there are consequences.
Speaker A:And of course Any high level professional of any career, career field who becomes a vocal evangelical Christian.
Speaker A:There are consequences for that as well.
Speaker A:Maybe talk about.
Speaker A:We talked about playing for team Jesus and where that journey has taken you around the world.
Speaker A:Some of the places.
Speaker A:We'll talk about a couple more.
Speaker A: e interim, you know, from the: Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So let me start with my family.
Speaker B:I mean, that's, that's obviously very evident.
Speaker B:So my father lost his parents in the Holocaust.
Speaker B:Being Jewish, very, very difficult for him.
Speaker B:My mother's family escaped the Holocaust barely.
Speaker B:They got out.
Speaker B:So that was.
Speaker B:So I went and shared with my parents.
Speaker B:I knew it'd be very difficult and my father was very upset.
Speaker B:My mother was upset too.
Speaker B:But my father asked me to leave the house.
Speaker B:He said three things to me.
Speaker B:He said, you're no longer my son.
Speaker B:I never want to hear from you.
Speaker B:And as far as I'm concerned, you're dead.
Speaker B:I knew it'd be difficult.
Speaker B:I knew it was be difficult.
Speaker B:I didn't know to what extent.
Speaker B:I didn't hear from my parents for a number of years.
Speaker B:I got married to my wife.
Speaker B:Wife, that's a believer.
Speaker B:We've been married 51 years.
Speaker B:They did not come to the wedding.
Speaker B:We have three children.
Speaker B:I wanted them to enjoy the grandchildren.
Speaker B:I was not going to say anything to aggravate them.
Speaker B:I knew it was not worth to aggravate them.
Speaker B:But it was too difficult for my father.
Speaker B: In: Speaker B:Let me just go back.
Speaker B:My children saw my parents maybe three or four times in 25 years.
Speaker B:Too bad.
Speaker B: So in: Speaker B:He was 89, almost 90.
Speaker B: He was born in: Speaker B:I wanted to visit him in the hospital.
Speaker B:He refused to see me.
Speaker B:He died four days later.
Speaker B:And at his request, he didn't want me at the funeral, which I was not surprised, but I respected.
Speaker B:So my mother.
Speaker B:Two things about my mother.
Speaker B:My mother loved classical music.
Speaker B:I'm in class music because of my mother.
Speaker B:I mean, that's very obvious.
Speaker B:She took me to concerts and I was six years old, seven years old, and she was my biggest cheerleader.
Speaker B:She took me to every lesson.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:And then my mother, her family escaped the Holocaust.
Speaker B:So this was very difficult for my father with his family loss.
Speaker B:My mother wanted to reach out to me, but it was too difficult for my father, the passing of my father.
Speaker B:I had a great relationship with my mother.
Speaker B:She loved my Wife loved our three kids.
Speaker B:Every six months I would give concerts for her.
Speaker B:She loved it.
Speaker B:And so making up sort of for lost time.
Speaker B:And then I began to talk more and more with my mother and she go to the synagogue every Sabbath, shul to the synagogue.
Speaker B:And I asked what did the rabbi talk about?
Speaker B:I began to read to her more and more.
Speaker B:I began to read her the New Testament and we talked.
Speaker B:I had many people praying for her and everything.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:It was wonderful.
Speaker B:I prayed 36 years for my mother and my mother has gone to be with the Lord.
Speaker B:I spoke at her funeral.
Speaker B:I said, mother, you are now in the bosom of Father Abraham, which is how Jesus in Matthew's Gospel to Jews refers to heaven, that you're in the bosom of Father Abraham.
Speaker B:So I knew it has been very, I knew it'd be very difficult on my family.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker B:But let me say this also though, on.
Speaker B:Aside from traveling, you know, I've been to Muslim countries, I've been to Japan, I've been to other countries, not just negatively, but you know, I mean Catholic countries, you know, South America, Poland.
Speaker B:I'm going to Poland in a week.
Speaker B:And you know, I've met people who have also been ostracized, you know.
Speaker B:Sure, yeah, it's not just Jews you hear about Jews, but I met people who are Muslims, people who were Shintoist, people who were Muslims or other things like that, and their family disowned them and ostracized them and stuff.
Speaker B:So I sympathize with them in that sense.
Speaker B:So yeah, and then, you know, and then, and then in my professional.
Speaker B:Let me just say this, in travels and things like that, certain countries and some, I'm known as the Jesus pianist, you know.
Speaker B:Oh, he's that Jesus pianist, you know.
Speaker A:I'll take it.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'll take it.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:But just as a funny incident, I mean, this was a conservatory of music where they were going to have me play a concert in this conservatory.
Speaker B:And the director of the conservatory, he's that Jesus pianist.
Speaker B:I never met him, he never heard me.
Speaker B:I'd never been to this place before.
Speaker B:So anyway, before that I'd given a masterclass.
Speaker B:A master class is where you teach some students in the conservatory.
Speaker B:And I've done that and I try to be very positive, enthusiastic.
Speaker B:The word got out.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:People really love the masterclass.
Speaker B:So I've done masterclasses around the world.
Speaker B:And so then the concert came and a lot of students came.
Speaker B:They were from the master class.
Speaker B:And the director came and he was shocked at the quality of my playing.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker B:Yes, I mean, you know, he had no idea.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so the bottom line was that they said, how did you like his playing?
Speaker B:So great, great.
Speaker B:How did you like his story?
Speaker B:Because I gave my testimony, he says, I say this humbly.
Speaker B:When you can play the piano like that, you have earned the right to stand up and tell me what is the most important thing in your life.
Speaker B:So the point was that that is why I practice a lot, because I do not want to say, well, I play the piano for Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:And someone can say, well, he may play the piano for Jesus Christ, but he doesn't play the piano very well for Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Maybe only Jesus likes it, I guess.
Speaker B:Yes, right.
Speaker B:Yeah, he, Jesus, maybe is very, very forgiving and he can slop through the piece, but you really shouldn't slop through the peace.
Speaker B:No, whatever.
Speaker B:So the point was, was that.
Speaker B:So I go to areas I've been to, like the Juilliards of some other countries in Spain and other European countries and in Leipzig and, you know, these are famous Hochschule of music in Europe that are.
Speaker B:And I play and I give my testimony and I want to play on a high, high level.
Speaker B:And, you know, I'm working on new music, still practice six hours a day, seven hours a day.
Speaker B:You know, just because you're a Christian, it doesn't mean you play the piano well.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:You have to practice.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:So that's my point, is that, you know, I'm going to stand up and say, I play the piano for Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:And if you're going to do it, then you're going to do it to the level where you properly witness him and the meaning that he has in your life.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Just like this director who was not interested in me.
Speaker B:And he gave me a very later now he gave me a beautiful gift and here I was, the Jesus pianist.
Speaker B:I don't think we want him.
Speaker B:And it goes to a masterclass which is positive, a concert where he is, and then he goes out of his way and got me a gift before I left the country.
Speaker B:He wanted me to have this as a memento of coming to the school.
Speaker A:Can you share what the gift was?
Speaker B:Yes, I'll tell you.
Speaker B:It was a four Hugh, it was in Ireland, and I actually have it about 10ft from here.
Speaker B:I can get it if you Only show it.
Speaker B:Yeah, but.
Speaker B:Okay, well, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Finish telling the story, then we'll get you.
Speaker B:No, I'll show you the gift.
Speaker B:Oh, gift.
Speaker B:Go for it.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker A:Oh, it's a.
Speaker A:It's like a.
Speaker A:A set of picture, like a coffee table, books.
Speaker B:I mean, this is not a cheap gift.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:That's amazing.
Speaker A:Here.
Speaker A:May I see one?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's a whole scenic view of Ireland in 300 beautiful pages of.
Speaker B:I mean, 300.
Speaker B:Look at that.
Speaker A:Look at that.
Speaker B:There's four of them.
Speaker A:Four of them.
Speaker A:Well, let's take a look at this.
Speaker B:That's the gift.
Speaker A:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker A:This is County Kilkenny.
Speaker A:This is amazing.
Speaker A:And he just.
Speaker A:He was so impressed by the playing of the Jesus pianist that he went, okay, I gotta get this guy a memento of mine, of my nation.
Speaker A:This is gorgeous.
Speaker A:What a gift.
Speaker B:This is not a $4.99, a candy bar.
Speaker A:No, it's really not.
Speaker B:Like, this is like.
Speaker B:I never want you to forget of your coming to Ireland.
Speaker B:Now, I have been to Ireland at least 10 times.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:I've been there a lot.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So you might have to move a little bit closer to the microphone.
Speaker B:I've been to Ireland, you know, 10 times, at least.
Speaker B:Starting in the 90s was my first time in Ireland.
Speaker B:But I mean, look at that.
Speaker A:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker B:You asked me.
Speaker B:Can I.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:Can I tell you what the gift was?
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker A:Oh, my God, I'm so glad.
Speaker A:So we've got the province of Leinster.
Speaker A:Leinster, Connaught, Munster, and Ulster.
Speaker A:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker B:I mean, this is.
Speaker A:I just learned a bit of Ireland geography.
Speaker B:I mean, this is worth hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Well, it's probably not even in print anymore either.
Speaker B:And look at the hard copy and the case that comes in.
Speaker B:And thing.
Speaker A:You know, that's the thing is.
Speaker A:So we're here.
Speaker A:We're here in your home.
Speaker A:Probably should have.
Speaker A:Probably should have mentioned that.
Speaker A:So we're here in your home.
Speaker B:Yeah, this is my house.
Speaker B:This is my piano room.
Speaker A:And you know, I look around, you know, I came over, I came by, I think it was last week.
Speaker A:And just looking around, and there's so many examples of.
Speaker A:Of mementos of a life well lived and travel and awards and.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And I think it was.
Speaker A:It was a very moving experience to be here, even in a quiet room.
Speaker A:Obviously, the piano, you can see it there in the background.
Speaker A:But just to look around at things on the wa.
Speaker A:You've got some awards there, and you've got music books, you know, sheet Music up here and photos, and it's just.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's quite an experience to be here.
Speaker A:And of course, I'm sitting and I'm talking to you, and over.
Speaker A:Over your right shoulder is a photo of you with.
Speaker A:With John MacArthur.
Speaker A:So maybe.
Speaker A:Maybe speak about that for a moment.
Speaker B:So was it worth getting out to show you since it was only 10ft away?
Speaker A:Yeah, well, especially because I can.
Speaker A:I can look at, you know, there's the.
Speaker A:There's the sketches that you showed me that are up there over.
Speaker A:Over your left shoulder.
Speaker A:But what I'm sitting inside is the product of a life well lived.
Speaker A:And I can feel it, even though I look and don't exactly, of course, live to the grace of God, but I can feel the meaning and the value and the significance of all the things, even if I don't know what they are.
Speaker A:So I appreciate having the opportunity to look at that little artifact of just a particular memory of a particular man at a particular moment.
Speaker A:But this room is full of them.
Speaker A:Your home is as well.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, I mean, it's.
Speaker B:I'm humbled.
Speaker B:I look around, I'm thankful, I mean, for things and gifts that were given to me at concerts and awards and things and.
Speaker B:But Jesus said, without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, when I autograph CDs and things like that, I always write Psalm 115, verse 1, or a lot of the times, which is not in the US not in US but that God give all the glory.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:And then people say, oh, what are you writing there?
Speaker B:I said, oh, it's this verse, favorite verse.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's another way of sharing about my faith, even if, you know, I can add a little bit more.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So, yes.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm a speck of dust with the air pumped in me.
Speaker A:It's all of God's grace, nothing compared to eternity, but it's not nothing compared to the life.
Speaker A:A little bit of time here on Earth.
Speaker A:So, anyway, so about John MacArthur, about the masters.
Speaker A:The Master's University.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So I have.
Speaker B:That's a wonderful experience.
Speaker B:I have been to the Masters when it was actually the college.
Speaker B: Then In, I think,: Speaker B:And then they had me back to do some teaching some Master classes again, work with students in there, especially since I can drive to la.
Speaker B:You know, it's not like coming from New York City.
Speaker B:Or so living in Phoenix area.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:And Dr.
Speaker B:MacArthur had come to several of my concerts.
Speaker B:They had me playing at a chapel, and he spoke at the chapel.
Speaker B:So he heard me play and attend the concert.
Speaker B:I did some concerts with their orchestra and stuff.
Speaker B:And so I had a very good relationship with them.
Speaker B:And then I had just come back from Germany.
Speaker B: This was in the fall of: Speaker B:I remember it because of.
Speaker B:I just got back from Germany.
Speaker B:I flew in the Newark airport, and I started my phone.
Speaker B:I mean, my phone wasn't so sophisticated, so I wasn't talking from Europe.
Speaker B:This is not 10 years ago.
Speaker B:And they said there was a mess.
Speaker B:A call, please call.
Speaker B:So and so at the master's college and the dean's office or vice president.
Speaker B:I said, okay, okay.
Speaker B:I didn't know anything.
Speaker B:So I called up, I was at the airport, I just had landed from Germany.
Speaker B:And this a gentleman, I forget his name now, was vice president.
Speaker B:He says, Sam Rotman.
Speaker B:Yes, and thanks for calling me back.
Speaker B:And I said I was in Germany, to make a long story short, that has been brought to the board of this college of the university to after 40 years of serving Jesus Christ, living for Jesus Christ, a testimony for Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:And of course, then they heard Jesus concerts I give.
Speaker B:Dr.
Speaker B: e at our graduation in May of: Speaker B:So this is in October.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:I thought, oh, I was overwhelmed.
Speaker B:I mean, it was just amazing.
Speaker B:And, you know, so they said, we'd love to have you come and your wife and.
Speaker B:And family that you'd like to have.
Speaker B:And this would be, like I said, the graduation.
Speaker B:And so it began in motion.
Speaker B:Things of all my three children came, all my grandchildren, spouses came, our three, two sons in law and daughter in law and grandchildren came.
Speaker B:And it was tremendous.
Speaker B:It was tremendous.
Speaker B:I mean, Dr.
Speaker B:MacArthur was over the top in sharing about me, and.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, so I got a doctorate the hard way.
Speaker B:I had to work 40 years for it.
Speaker B:Not three years or four years.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I didn't do it do through school.
Speaker B:I did it through life, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the unique thing was I don't always share this, but they have given honorary doctorates to like J.I.
Speaker B:packer theology or Colson in ministry or things.
Speaker B:I mean, I.
Speaker B:I don't know exactly all their names, but I'm the only one that's received it in the arts.
Speaker B:They've never given a doctorate of fine arts in arts, you know, so I Think it's now like 89 or like 99 years of the school.
Speaker B:The school is, I think, almost 100, but so I was very humble.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And they had a big reception and everything.
Speaker B:And so those are the pictures with MacArthur greeting me and my family in front and getting an honorary doctorate.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And I don't go around a lot.
Speaker B:People have me and they say, oh, we have Dr.
Speaker B:Rotman with us.
Speaker B:I don't go around and write doctor.
Speaker B:Right, right, right.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm not into the.
Speaker B:You know, the titles that I need.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, you need to call me Doc.
Speaker B:No, just call me Sammy, baby.
Speaker B:You know, so that was a tremendous experience.
Speaker B: n I came back from Germany of: Speaker B: the graduation was in May of: Speaker B:See, it was the.
Speaker B:Of the 20.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker B:That's 16.
Speaker B:School year.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:2015.
Speaker B:2016, in the graduation.
Speaker B:And, you know, it was thousands of people in their graduating class, and Dr.
Speaker B:MacArthur.
Speaker B:And so it was very, very memorable.
Speaker B:Very memorable.
Speaker B:And, you know, I.
Speaker B:I will say this also.
Speaker B:You know, whatever you think of Dr.
Speaker B:MacArthur, I'm not saying this.
Speaker B:You know, he.
Speaker A:He's a great man.
Speaker B:He's a great man.
Speaker B:And some.
Speaker B:But, you know, they also are.
Speaker B:They're very.
Speaker B:They pride.
Speaker B:Let me say this.
Speaker B:There's a lot of integrity in those.
Speaker B:In that institution.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, of who.
Speaker B:What they.
Speaker B:Who they hire and things like this.
Speaker B:And it was very humble for me to think that, well, thank you, Lord, for the privilege to serve you and to be acknowledged by.
Speaker B:By this institution in that sense.
Speaker B:So that was something that was very humbling to me and spoke to the graduating class and everything at the graduation and things like that.
Speaker B:So that.
Speaker B:That was very, very special.
Speaker B:Very, very special.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I'm still in touch with the school.
Speaker B: been there, obviously, since: Speaker B:MacArthur, who's had some issues metaphysically and stuff, and just praying and, you know.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I'm loving all of these stories because they're painting just a part of a picture of the life that, as we've crossed paths, the life that I'm sitting inside that you've given some testimonies about.
Speaker A:So maybe you can talk a little bit about the Beethoven mask as well, because you've mentioned that you showed some photos about that when you and I met.
Speaker A:And I have a sense of what.
Speaker A:I mean, obviously, it seems like a pretty big deal, but maybe you could tell a little bit of that story as well.
Speaker A:What Was involved.
Speaker A:How exciting.
Speaker B:So that.
Speaker B:Let me just go back a little bit.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:I was 17.
Speaker B:I just graduated from high school.
Speaker B:My undergraduate 68.
Speaker B:I was studying.
Speaker B:And to make a long story short, I had a tremendous teacher, piano teacher.
Speaker B:This is the person I practice 70 hours a week for my one hour with him.
Speaker B:You understand?
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker B:10 hours a day.
Speaker B:Practicing 10 hours a day for one hour with my teacher.
Speaker A:Like a weekly exam or something like that?
Speaker B:Well, just a lesson.
Speaker B:Yeah, your weekly lesson.
Speaker B:You're working on pieces and he's gonna.
Speaker B:He wants to hear it and critique you and guide you.
Speaker B:And now work on this, this, this.
Speaker B:You go practice another 70 hours, right.
Speaker B:Come back and we'll take a next step further.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:He was a Beethoven specialist, this man.
Speaker B:He was a tremendous.
Speaker B:Known for his Beethoven.
Speaker B:And he maybe saw that I played Beethoven well or something.
Speaker B:Not, you know, but he began to really talk to me a lot about Beethoven and invest a lot of Beethoven in teaching me getting the mind of Beethoven.
Speaker B: And then in: Speaker B: So Beethoven was born in: Speaker B: So: Speaker B:Very big celebration.
Speaker B:I mean, around the world, every orchestra, Beethoven, Beethoven.
Speaker B:And I ended up giving Beethoven concerts.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:I gave a concert, two concerts on the 15th and 16th of the Beethoven 200th anniversary.
Speaker A:Were you, you, were you in Europe at the time?
Speaker B:No, I was in Texas.
Speaker A:In Texas.
Speaker B:I was in Texas.
Speaker B:And so, so then I continued to do Beethoven and stuff.
Speaker B:Got my bachelor's, my master's, and then at the end of my master's in 73, I graduated in May of 73.
Speaker B:In June of 73 was the fourth international Beethoven competition.
Speaker B:So every four years is the Olympics of Beethoven.
Speaker B:It is the Olympics of Beethoven.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And it's held in Vienna where Beethoven.
Speaker B:His grave is.
Speaker B:You know, it's all Beethoven.
Speaker B:And so I went to it.
Speaker B:I was invited.
Speaker B:There were 76 pianists from around the world.
Speaker B:And for one month we played Beethoven.
Speaker B:And at the end of it, I was one of the winners.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was a very, very big, very big event moment.
Speaker B:And so I since then was known sort of as a Beethoven specialist.
Speaker B:I mean, so Beethoven is my favorite composer.
Speaker B:There's no doubt about it for me.
Speaker B:I mean, it's just staggering, the creativity.
Speaker B:What God put In him to create.
Speaker B:So then I was a winner.
Speaker B:And I have over there on my wall there, that's the diploma from being a laureate winner of the Beethoven.
Speaker B:It's in German.
Speaker A:I see that one with the signatures on it.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:The signatures of the judges.
Speaker B:Those are the judges who judged me.
Speaker B:So then I was doing Beethoven.
Speaker B:And so the bottom line is I continue to Beethoven.
Speaker B:I did a lot of all Beethoven concerts.
Speaker B:And I went to China, played with the orchestras there in Beethoven and Beethoven.
Speaker B:Beethoven.
Speaker B:So I continue to do Beethoven.
Speaker B:And I used to do some things that were special things that have to do with Beethoven.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B: So then in: Speaker B:1770.
Speaker B:2020.
Speaker B:So 250.
Speaker B:So here we go all over again.
Speaker B:And those years now, that was during COVID So some.
Speaker B: I started in: Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B: And then: Speaker B:All those three years, I gave 202 all Beethoven concerts all over the world.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:So that's 70 concerts a year.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker B: I gave a lot in: Speaker B: A lot in: Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Not so many in the middle.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I had 54 concerts postponed because of COVID actually.
Speaker B:54.
Speaker B:So they're all postponed one year.
Speaker B:If it was December, September 7th, it was the next year, September 6th, the same night, but a day later.
Speaker B:As far as the count.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Along with that, that's my Beethoven.
Speaker B:I did some concerts in California, and there was a person I met there who loved my playing and was an art collector.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:An art collector.
Speaker B:So this person has a Rembrandt, a Picasso, originals, original.
Speaker B:They collect art, among other things.
Speaker B:And I got a call from him.
Speaker B:I think it was 19.
Speaker B: I think it was: Speaker B: Maybe it was: Speaker B:And he said, sam, I've acquired something that I think would be of interest to you.
Speaker B:I've acquired the death mask of Beethoven.
Speaker B:And I had to sit down.
Speaker B:I said, what?
Speaker B:He said, yes, well, I know there's the death mask of Beethoven, which is in the historical museum in Vienna, which I've seen.
Speaker B:It's plaster, to make a long story short.
Speaker A:So just the death mask is a plaster cast made of his face upon his death.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker A:It's his actual face.
Speaker A:Not a sculpt, is what he actually.
Speaker B:Right, right.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's very famous because Beethoven, when he died, 20,000 people came to his funeral.
Speaker B:I mean, he was very, very famous.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, Yeah, I mean, he.
Speaker B:So they knew.
Speaker B:We need to document this.
Speaker B:You understand what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, because they knew.
Speaker B:Let me say, that they knew they would be building statues to this musician.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And there are statues all over the world of Beethoven.
Speaker B: was no America in, you know,: Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, so I'm saying they knew in Vienna, in Bonn, where he was from there.
Speaker B:So what did he look like?
Speaker B:Since they didn't have, you know.
Speaker B:So this is what he looked like.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:At least close to what he looked like.
Speaker B:So to make a long story, again, short, a famous artist was allowed to make a copy of this plaster mask of bronze.
Speaker B:In other words.
Speaker B:Now, this was.
Speaker B:You could hold it, you could carry it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You can't.
Speaker B:In the one.
Speaker B:You're not going to touch plaster.
Speaker B:That's 200 years old.
Speaker A:Yeah, probably not.
Speaker B:So it was owned by different people in Europe.
Speaker B:It came on the market.
Speaker A:There's just one of them.
Speaker B:There's only one.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:There's only one.
Speaker B:And there's only one.
Speaker B:And so it came on the market.
Speaker B:I think it was owned by someone in the Netherlands.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It came on the market and it was a private auction.
Speaker B:In other words.
Speaker B:In other words, you had the bid on it.
Speaker B:You didn't know if someone else would have been out, go over him by a thousand dollars.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:You open up the envelopes.
Speaker B:Now, you could have bid $10 million and the next guy bid 100.
Speaker B:So you bid way beyond what you know.
Speaker A:So it's a one bid.
Speaker A:Whoever puts the highest bid in.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Not like an auction where there's.
Speaker B:It was not public that they could.
Speaker B:What do you think the value is?
Speaker B:Something.
Speaker B:And he said, I won.
Speaker B:And he said, I know you're a big Beethoven player, and I'm wondering, you're going to be doing a lot of Beethoven.
Speaker B:And I'm wondering if you would like to have this mask.
Speaker B:I'll pay for the insurance.
Speaker B:I'll pay for getting it to you.
Speaker B:Just.
Speaker B:Do you have to return it to me?
Speaker A:Yeah, please give it back.
Speaker B:And so, sure enough, I was overwhelmed.
Speaker B:I bet courier drives up two drivers and unmarked van, and there it is.
Speaker B:And they had this.
Speaker B:This mask.
Speaker B:And I took it all over the world for concerts and I mean, what.
Speaker A:Did it travel in?
Speaker B:Well, I had a box it traveled in.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There was a lot of things I had to do and it couldn't Leave my site.
Speaker B:So in other words, it would be.
Speaker A:Handcuffed to your list.
Speaker B:It would be on display on the stage.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I had a place that would stand because I was doing all these albeitoan concerts.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:So it was with me in the hotels.
Speaker B:Sometimes they'd be sleeping on the pillow next to me.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, that's just funny.
Speaker A:I know, I know.
Speaker B:I couldn't check it in.
Speaker B:It was with me.
Speaker A:Good morning, Ludwig.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Did you get any new musical inspiration?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:You're so quiet.
Speaker A:Is everything okay?
Speaker B:Oh, that's right.
Speaker B:You can't hear.
Speaker B:You're deaf.
Speaker B:Oh, sorry.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:I'll write it up to you.
Speaker B:German.
Speaker B:I speak German.
Speaker B:Kind of problem.
Speaker B:No problem.
Speaker B:And then, you know, I wouldn't check.
Speaker B:I took it on with me, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And sometimes they would.
Speaker B:Oh, and then I had paperwork.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That I did not black market this.
Speaker B:You know, I had paperwork.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I never had a problem, you know, so it was pretty.
Speaker B:I'm going to tell you.
Speaker B:I had concerts where I had to wait an hour and a half after the concert because he said, if people want to take pictures, let them take pictures.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:They can take selfies, but they cannot pick it up.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You can't touch it.
Speaker B:You can't touch it.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I took it.
Speaker B:I had concerts where I had to wait an hour and a half after the concert for everyone in line to have a picture taken with it.
Speaker A:I bet.
Speaker B:And it was moving.
Speaker B:It was very moving.
Speaker B:And then I talked about it at the concert and.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So again, I have someplace.
Speaker B:I think I have a picture with the mask.
Speaker A:You might have to turn back towards the microphone.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Can I get up and get something?
Speaker A:Yeah, please go get the mask.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B: ry of the birth of Beethoven,: Speaker B:You see, here's a sketch of Beethoven.
Speaker B:Here I am with hair.
Speaker A:I can relate to that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And here is background.
Speaker B: And my concerts,: Speaker B: th,: Speaker A:My goodness.
Speaker B:Here is the concert.
Speaker B:Here I am with no hair.
Speaker B:Here I am this reproduced look.
Speaker B:And here is the death man, you know, I.
Speaker B:Which I had at that concert.
Speaker B:So here are the two programs.
Speaker B:I mean, these are original programs, you know, that I put together from 200th to 250th of his birth.
Speaker B:And that's a death mask.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker A:I mean, looking.
Speaker A:Looking Beethoven in the face.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Look at the jaw on him.
Speaker B:Yeah, I know.
Speaker B:Now, there's some things.
Speaker B:For instance, he added this.
Speaker A:Laurels.
Speaker B:Yeah, that.
Speaker B:That's just show his.
Speaker B:Like the Greeks.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, he didn't have that when he died.
Speaker A:Right, of course.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Well, he.
Speaker A:How old was he when he died?
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:Six.
Speaker A:Okay, so he's still relatively young.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Imagine if he lived for 10 more years or something.
Speaker B:I mean, that's.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:Is young.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Because he looks like a young man there.
Speaker A:Like, he doesn't look like an older.
Speaker B:Man in that mouth.
Speaker B:Yeah, right, right, right.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:So that's very special.
Speaker B:So that was the mask.
Speaker B:And so sometimes, I can tell you, honestly, some people have asked me, oh, do you still have that mask?
Speaker B:I said, if I had the mask, I'd be in jail.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I had to get it back.
Speaker B:And it's happy and it's all good.
Speaker B:But it was very special.
Speaker B:I owe a lot to my friend.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:A lot to my friend that he entrusted me with it.
Speaker B:And it brought a lot of joy to a lot of people to see this.
Speaker B:I mean, it's.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, it's very special.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I call it here the idealized death mask of Beethoven.
Speaker B:Idolized means.
Speaker B:Now it has laurels on it.
Speaker B:It was kind of somewhat glorified as the death mask.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is great.
Speaker A:I notice also, I think the thing that stands out to me about the room is there.
Speaker A:There are focal points of the room.
Speaker A:Obviously, the piano was here, and we'll have a little performance later.
Speaker A:But of course, I see the photos of John MacArthur and the master's University and then your award from the Beethoven Olympics.
Speaker A:And then you've got the Master and.
Speaker B:My degrees from Juilliard.
Speaker A:Yes, exactly.
Speaker B:Master's Masters.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So go ahead.
Speaker A:I wonder if you could.
Speaker A:And then, of course, there's the cross.
Speaker A:Very, very prominently displayed.
Speaker A:Tastefully prominently displayed.
Speaker A:And I think that that brings so much of the room together in a way that shows, like, this is what all this is about.
Speaker A:All of this is a vapor.
Speaker A:All of this is a breath, a meaningful vapor.
Speaker A:I'm grateful to experience it, but it all has no meaning in itself outside of the cross, outside of Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, it's all about.
Speaker B:Look, I mean, like I say, music can give me a lot of happiness, but it can't change me.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, and this is the miracle that Jesus Christ changes people and gives them a New life and forgiveness.
Speaker B:You know, I always say this.
Speaker B:I said, you know, if you go into a synagogue, any synagogue, you'll always see the same thing.
Speaker B:The Ten Commandments, which is the gift that God gave to the Jewish people through Moses to the world.
Speaker B:The Ten Commandments, the tablets, you know, not Moses, but the two tablets, you know.
Speaker B:What is the first thing you see in a cross in a church?
Speaker B:The cross, and I call it forgiveness.
Speaker B:Imagine, the thing you see in a synagogue is the law.
Speaker B:The first thing you see in the church is forgiveness.
Speaker B:And every time you see a cross, someone's wearing a cross.
Speaker B:You're driving and you see a cross.
Speaker B:God's telling you, I made a way to forgive you.
Speaker B:I made a way to change you.
Speaker B:Why don't you come to me and be forgiven?
Speaker B:Why don't you come to me and start all over again and have a new life?
Speaker B:And I mean, that's.
Speaker B:What shall it profit a man if he gained the whole world and lose his own soul?
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:I mean, I say, Lord, thank you.
Speaker B:I mean, there's musicians that play around the world and they're famous and they're rich and they're greatly talented.
Speaker B:I mean, no talented more than I will ever be.
Speaker B:And yet, and yet, and yet, without Christ, he that has the Son of God has life.
Speaker B:He that does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:And it is all of restoring man from the fall, from sin, from death.
Speaker B:I mean, this is it.
Speaker B:This is it, what he is.
Speaker B:By one man, sin came into the world.
Speaker B:By one man came salvation.
Speaker B:By one man came death.
Speaker B:By one man came the resurrection.
Speaker B:By one man, many were made sinners.
Speaker B:By one man, the many were made righteous.
Speaker B:Romans, chapter 5.
Speaker B:And this was the problem.
Speaker B:And this is what God did in the person of Jesus Christ and the power of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:I'm telling you, I'm obsessed with Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Someone else who is obsessed with Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul.
Speaker A:Yes, he was.
Speaker A:Glad you brought him up.
Speaker A:I wanted to ask you.
Speaker A:Please continue.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, no, but I mean, you know, for me to live as Christ, you know, for me to live as Christ, to die is gain.
Speaker B:You know, it's.
Speaker B:I always say in heaven there's going to be 5 million light bulbs.
Speaker B:And each light bulb is going to have a billion watts.
Speaker B:And it's all going to be focused on the person of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:You know, Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Jesus Christ, you know, he is the one that humbled himself.
Speaker B:He is the one that went to the cross.
Speaker B:He is the one that took on, who knew no sin, who became sin.
Speaker B:He is the one that said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Speaker B:Because you'll never have to say that.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, so it's.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:After it's all done, I have friends who have gone to be with the Lord.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, not just friends.
Speaker B:I mean, families.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, and people who know the Lord and I always say the same thing.
Speaker B:They have received the victory of Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker B:The victory.
Speaker B:Not your victory.
Speaker B:No, the victory.
Speaker B:It is his victory.
Speaker B:So it's the victory of Jesus.
Speaker B:That's what we live for, the victory of Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:It's so meaningful and moving.
Speaker A:And I was a little emotional earlier because you remind me of my grandfather.
Speaker A:You know, my family's from Jewish background.
Speaker A:That's right, yeah.
Speaker B:And so you have a Jewish background.
Speaker A: sed away and I believe it was: Speaker A:So I never got to share the gospel with him.
Speaker A:I didn't have it to share myself at the time.
Speaker A:And so to hear the story of Jews coming to Jesus, it's a big deal.
Speaker A:It's a big deal.
Speaker A:Obviously there are family consequences.
Speaker A:I used to have a great relationship with my dad, which is wonderful.
Speaker A:I didn't have.
Speaker A:I was worried going into the first meeting with my dad after I knew that he knew I had become a Christian.
Speaker A:And so I was really worried I would have a similar experience to you and your father.
Speaker A:And my experience was completely different.
Speaker A:Actually, my dad gave me a study Bible that he had a couple other books.
Speaker A:He said, you'll always be my son and I love you.
Speaker A:And our relationship has continued to grow and thrive.
Speaker A:There are other members of my family that haven't reacted in quite the same way.
Speaker A:I think the question I wanted to ask was, so you read the Gospel of John and you had a heart transformation.
Speaker A:I know the answer for myself.
Speaker A:But what was it like encountering Paul for the first time?
Speaker A:It's like, why have I never heard of this guy before?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'm just trying to think.
Speaker B:I told you, I read John and then I went back, I said, I'm gonna now read the book.
Speaker B:The whole book?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so let me just say this.
Speaker B:It was an eight day period.
Speaker B:People don't know how long it was eight days from when I started to read the New Testament that I called upon the Lord.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it was not like six months.
Speaker B:It wasn't three days.
Speaker B:It was no practicing, just Obsessed with reading and reading.
Speaker B:Going back to the Old Testament, going back to reading.
Speaker B:And then I read a few.
Speaker B:I would say I read at least twice, maybe three times the New Testament again and again and again.
Speaker B:Let me just say this, honestly.
Speaker B:I didn't have, like, oh, well, this is.
Speaker B:This man who was Jewish and his writings and stuff at this point, by the time I got to the epistles, I was so overwhelmed, sure.
Speaker B:With Jesus Christ and what he had said, that this guy was just affirming it, you know, Affirming it.
Speaker B:And I can tell you that I.
Speaker B:I would underline things in this Bible and I actually have my little.
Speaker B:They gave me a pocket New Testament because, you know, and you look at this pocket New Testament and almost every other verse is underlined.
Speaker A:I can relate to that.
Speaker B:Like, wow, that is amazing.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:Wow, what a.
Speaker B:How.
Speaker B:What a.
Speaker B:Really.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And that's.
Speaker B:That way in the epistles, as in the Gospels.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:So it's not like I was just a gospel reader, you know.
Speaker A:Right, of course.
Speaker B:No, no, no.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:Even when Paul was writing, you know, you know that.
Speaker B:You know that he is the image of the invisible God as well as.
Speaker B:Wow, that's.
Speaker B:That's true.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:So I didn't start.
Speaker B:I didn't delineate.
Speaker B:It was not so much.
Speaker B:But I mean, as I grew in the Lord and everything, I began to identify with Paul only in the sense that, you know, okay, he was Jewish, but this man was obsessed with the person of Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, when you read the Book of Hebrews, the superiority of Christ to the angels, the superior of Christ to Melchizedek, the superior course to the sacrifice, the superiority of Christ to the temple, the superior of Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, oh, my goodness, this is.
Speaker B:This is staggering, you know, Staggering.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So it was not like suddenly, oh, now we're in a different chapter of.
Speaker B:Of these writing in the New Testament.
Speaker B:I'll read the New Testament.
Speaker B:And of course, you know, it's almost like Jesus is.
Speaker B:If I could say this, you know, Jesus is his name because he shall save his people from their sins, you know.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But the Messiah is his eternal name.
Speaker B:He was the Messiah from the.
Speaker B:He is the one anointed before the foundation of the world to come.
Speaker B:So it's almost like Jesus is the Jesus in the Gospels.
Speaker B:And then Paul explains him as the Christ in the epistles, you know, fleshing it out, you know, what the significance of these things.
Speaker B:And of course, you know, it says that he was taught by Christ, you know, he went to Arabia and he was given revelation, and then he was taken to the third heaven.
Speaker B:You know, these insights.
Speaker B:I mean, look at the insights that Paul has.
Speaker B:The church is a body.
Speaker B:The church is, you know, all these.
Speaker B:The offices of the church.
Speaker B:You don't get these in the Gospels.
Speaker B:You get in the epistles, which is, you know, which is not.
Speaker B:One isn't against the other, but it's the compilation of all of it together.
Speaker B:Of the revelation of Christ.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it was.
Speaker A:It was encountering that for the first time.
Speaker A:Of course, I knew growing up who Jesus was.
Speaker A:I didn't know him.
Speaker A:You know, I knew that I could be anything but Christian.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And then when I finally came to Christ many years later, and I started reading the New Testament for myself, just straight through, and I encountered the person of Paul who had began, begun a Saul, such a vicious persecutor of the Christians and then himself having such a radical transformation and becoming in many ways the chief evangelist.
Speaker A:It was just.
Speaker A:It was staggering.
Speaker A:And then I remember reading Romans 9, 10 and 11 be like, oh, well, there it is, right?
Speaker A:There's.
Speaker A:There's my entire background and upbringing.
Speaker A:And then it's like looking.
Speaker A:It's like looking in a mirror in many ways.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I always say, look, as far as Jews and things like this, look, are the Hittites around?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Are the Jebusites around?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:It's true.
Speaker B:Are the Canaanites around?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Are the Philistines around?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Are the Jews around?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:God's not done with the Jewish people.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, whatever your belief, eschatology, it's obvious God is done with the Jewish people.
Speaker B:And so he's still going to, you know, and then grafting of, you know, if it's going to be like life from the dead.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:If they're cutting off, that's what it says of the world.
Speaker B:The engrafting would be life from the dead.
Speaker B:So, you know, at this point, it's still a brick at a time.
Speaker B:You know, a Jew here, a Jew here, you know, But God will still.
Speaker B:He's not abandoning, you know, the promises given to them.
Speaker B:And the Jews are still around.
Speaker B:He will still have ministry to them.
Speaker B:I mean, the salvation.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:The Juilliard students who approached you in.
Speaker A: I think you said it was: Speaker B: Yeah,: Speaker A:Did they approach you as a Jewish man or just as an unbeliever?
Speaker B:I think as a Jewish man, yeah.
Speaker B:They knew I was a religious shoe.
Speaker B:That's why?
Speaker B:Their first questions were, to me, their very first questions was, have you read the New Testament?
Speaker B:Because they know that Jews don't read the New Testament, but have you read it?
Speaker B:Maybe.
Speaker B:You know, I mean.
Speaker B:And then they asked me if Jesus was the Messiah.
Speaker B:So they're approaching me as a believer because the Messiah is only if you're a religious, right.
Speaker B:If you're a heathen or something.
Speaker B:No, they knew I was religious.
Speaker B:They knew I was moral, you know, and so they approached me, I think, just to try to evangelize and share, you know, you should read the New.
Speaker B:I'll never forget when I said this, they asked me the question, the three of them, and I said, sammy, have you read the New Testament?
Speaker B:I said, no.
Speaker B:And one of them said to me, you should.
Speaker A:I thought, yes.
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:This guy is, you know, he was right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I'm still in touch with him.
Speaker A:I was going to ask.
Speaker B:Yeah, the three guys.
Speaker B:So what happened was I came to the Lord and I told him the next day, and I told him, I'm so happy.
Speaker B:I believe.
Speaker B:And I prayed last night.
Speaker B:And they were so thrilled.
Speaker B:And I said, what do I do now?
Speaker B:And they said, come to church with us.
Speaker B:And I said, okay.
Speaker B:I remember my.
Speaker B:I remember that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I was with them at a Baptist church, you know, 20 minutes, 30 minutes from New York City in New Jersey.
Speaker B:So they were going to this church, which is nothing, you know, you take the bus or whatever, that's fine.
Speaker B:We took bus, the Port Authority, the bus system from the city.
Speaker B:And I mean, it was tremendous, brother.
Speaker B:I mean, this man was preaching about Christ and people singing about Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, it was.
Speaker B:I mean, I.
Speaker B:I jumped in, like in the swimming pool, all four.
Speaker B:I mean, there was no turning back.
Speaker B:There was no turning back.
Speaker B:I mean, this was life.
Speaker B:Life, you know?
Speaker B:So two of them were in my wedding, and one of them, who liked to take.
Speaker B:He was a photographer.
Speaker B:I said, david, would you like to be the photographer of my wedding?
Speaker B:Sure, Sam.
Speaker B:So he was a photograph.
Speaker B:So one of them I speak to every three weeks, 54 years later.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, amazing.
Speaker B:And the other one is in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Speaker B:And we talk.
Speaker B:I talked to him about three weeks ago.
Speaker B:He was in my house about a year and a half ago, Chicago.
Speaker B:Sydney was on tour, and he stayed with me, so we've done concerts together.
Speaker B:And the third, unfortunately, developed cancer.
Speaker B:I went to be with the Lord and I went to visit him in Louisiana when he was ill.
Speaker B:And then I spoke, kept in touch with him.
Speaker B:And then I Called one day in May, and his wife Krista, said, sam, you should talk to Keith.
Speaker B:I talked to him, prayed with him, and he went to be with the Lord the next day.
Speaker B:So there's been a few years.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, so people have asked me, did they know?
Speaker B:Have you stayed in touch?
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker B:They knew, and we stayed in touch.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, we stayed in touch still.
Speaker A:That's wonderful.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:It's very special blessing.
Speaker A:They must think back on that particular memory fondly.
Speaker A:Like, okay, we're gonna.
Speaker A:We're gonna go talk to Sam.
Speaker A:Who's gonna say something, you know, like, strategizing, because it can be very sensitive.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, they.
Speaker B:They would.
Speaker B:I would be eating alone.
Speaker B:They'd come to my table.
Speaker B:I thought, oh, brother, here we go.
Speaker A:There comes the Jesus people.
Speaker B:How you doing?
Speaker B:Have you read yet the New Testament?
Speaker B:No, you want to talk about Jesus?
Speaker B:No, I want to talk about Beethoven.
Speaker B:No, you don't want to talk about Beethoven.
Speaker B:You want to talk about.
Speaker B:No, anyway, you know, in that sense.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, I'll just tell you a quick story.
Speaker B:I have a friend of mine.
Speaker B:I was just in Idaho for four concerts, and there was a lady there who we've known for a number of years, and she was.
Speaker B:One day, she plays the piano, and we've stayed in touch, and she was at an airport waiting for a flight, and suddenly this man comes up.
Speaker B:He's waiting for a flight or something.
Speaker B:He has a violin.
Speaker B:And she says, oh, you play the violin?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, I played the violin.
Speaker B:I said, oh, really?
Speaker B:You're a musician?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, where'd you go to school?
Speaker B:I says, oh, I went to a school called the Juilliard School.
Speaker B:He says, oh, I have a very good friend.
Speaker B:Friend.
Speaker B:And he plays the piano.
Speaker B:I don't know if you know him or not.
Speaker B:His name is Sam Rotman.
Speaker B:And he says, I'm one of the three guys that led Sam Rotman to Jesus.
Speaker B:That was the guy, David, who was.
Speaker B:She said she about fell over.
Speaker B:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker B:I've heard Sam Rotman's testimony, and you were one of the three guys.
Speaker A:Unbelievable.
Speaker B:Yeah, those providential meetings at an airport just to talk because he had his instrument.
Speaker A:You told the story of going to the Baptist church in New Jersey for the first time.
Speaker A:And I can really relate to that because I remember when I was in my early 20s, I went to some synagogue, some young people, synagogue services, trying to become part of the Jewish community when I lived in the Bay Area.
Speaker A:And I just remember how lifeless and flat and like, we're here doing the thing, but, you know, no one really cares.
Speaker A:And we're singing the songs and no one cares.
Speaker A:No one, no one cares.
Speaker A:There's nothing, there's nothing really to care about.
Speaker A:I was like, what does that, what does this tradition that I grew up with as a child, what does this have to say about my life now?
Speaker A:Yes, we're talking about God, but make it practical for me in my life.
Speaker A:And I, I found that so rarely, if at all.
Speaker A:And so to start attending some of the first Christian churches, some of the first Christians I met the place that it's full of life.
Speaker A:Let's worship the one true and living God.
Speaker A:People singing with real passion and enthusiasm like, this is a living religion.
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker B:It was, I mean, it was, I was blown away.
Speaker B:I was blown away by the enthusiasm and the man's preaching and the focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:I mean, it was, I mean, I, I was, I mean, it's.
Speaker B:He's life.
Speaker B:He's life.
Speaker B:That's it, that's it.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:I mean, I always say, you know, you know, Judaism is about pictures, pictures.
Speaker B:I say this to, you know, so would I rather kiss a picture of my wife or would I rather kiss my wife?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, would I rather hold my wife's hand or would I rather hold a picture of my wife?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, so it's about pictures.
Speaker B:And I, I say this, you know, guard.
Speaker B:It's about still dead pictures.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker B:Jesus is the life.
Speaker B:This is the life in him was life and the life was alive.
Speaker B:I am the way, the truth and the life.
Speaker B:He is the life that touches all this is it.
Speaker B:When you meet Jesus, it's life.
Speaker B:Everything else is paper printed on picture.
Speaker B:That's right, yeah.
Speaker B:There's no comparison.
Speaker B:There's no comparison.
Speaker A:There's a whole new generation of young Christian artists that are beginning to appreciate the fine arts again, beginning to move into creativity in the fine arts and, and really pursue glorifying God through piano, violin.
Speaker A:I wonder if we can speak a little bit about the, the creative process, a little bit about achieving not just proficiency, but excellence and, and world leading excellence and sort of some of your own process as a young man, some of the things that you did.
Speaker A:Maybe we can just talk about that for a moment.
Speaker A:We'll close on that.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So I've never composed any music.
Speaker B:So, you know, I took a class at Juilliard onto composing and I was a disaster.
Speaker B:And I had a world famous teacher too.
Speaker A:Well, you're Comparing yourself to Beethoven, I think.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:And the teacher came up to me at Juilliard.
Speaker B:He had wore a bow tie, and he was.
Speaker B:His finger was right here.
Speaker B:He said, Mr.
Speaker B:Rotman, you will be great at playing the music of dead men, but as a living man, you'll never write any music.
Speaker B:So drop my cl.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:So, no.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:He was honest.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I'm just saying I've never written anything.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I would say to people in the creative process and things like this, you have to work hard, whether you're performing a piece or writing a piece.
Speaker B:Beethoven's music looks messy.
Speaker B:And you know why it's messy?
Speaker B:Because he worked and worked and reworked.
Speaker B:He gave birth to every piece.
Speaker B:He gave birth.
Speaker B:It was a labor.
Speaker B:And so my point is, is that you're studying an instrument, you're studying music, you're studying to be composed.
Speaker B:You're studying work, practice.
Speaker B:Do it every day.
Speaker B:Don't miss a day.
Speaker B:You miss a day, you forgot what you did the day before.
Speaker B:Anybody that tells you you can be good at something and not work at it is lying.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Like the 10,000 hours, you know?
Speaker B:So the point is.
Speaker B:And get instruction.
Speaker B:Get a teacher who will help you and guide you and listen to your teacher and work on what they tell you to work on.
Speaker B:If you're working on an instrument, playing a piece, don't just play the piece over and over and over again.
Speaker B:Stop and work on a part.
Speaker B:You're just learning the same mistakes over.
Speaker B:And no wonder practicing is boring.
Speaker B:Practicing 10 hours a day was like 10 minutes to me because I was getting it better.
Speaker B:I was learning this piece.
Speaker B:I was playing this part better.
Speaker B:I practiced 45 minutes for three minutes of music.
Speaker B:But it was better now.
Speaker B:It was good.
Speaker B:It wasn't the best.
Speaker B:It was good, though.
Speaker B:It was better.
Speaker B:When you finish practicing, some part of the music should be better than when you started, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So the point is, is that you work.
Speaker B:You work, you listen to your teacher, you improve, you make goals.
Speaker B:Make goals.
Speaker B:I want to work.
Speaker B:I want to learn, play.
Speaker B:I want to compose this piece.
Speaker B:I want to know about this instrument.
Speaker B:I want to write, you know, make goals and.
Speaker B:And then just look for opportunities to show your art, to show your music.
Speaker B:You know, I didn't learn this at Juilliard, which I've.
Speaker B:I often wondered why I wasn't sort of taught this.
Speaker B:I learned this as I started a career.
Speaker B:The secret to performing is to perform.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:Now, I didn't learn this at Julia, You Know, if you play a concert once every six months, you're not going to be good at playing.
Speaker B:I wondered about these great pianists who I heard Rubenstein, Horovitz, Richter, you know, these great.
Speaker B:And I say, how do they play on such a high level?
Speaker B:130 concerts a year.
Speaker B:That's why they play on a high level.
Speaker B:They're always playing, playing, playing, playing.
Speaker B:So I used to play at nursing homes.
Speaker B:I used to play in retirement.
Speaker B:I can play in the church.
Speaker B:I can play here.
Speaker B:I started playing 40 concerts a year, 70 concerts a year, 120 concerts a year.
Speaker B:150 concerts a year, 190 concerts a year.
Speaker B:Three years I had over 190 concerts, which is a lot of concerts.
Speaker B:And that was the point.
Speaker B:So look for opportunities.
Speaker B:Don't say, oh, well, I'm so good.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm not going to play enough.
Speaker B:A retirement community.
Speaker B:Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:One of the best things that was a retirement community in New Jersey.
Speaker B:Ward Homestead.
Speaker B:It was all these gentlemen, and they, man, I played there and I would play for nothing.
Speaker B:I said, boy, I'm getting more from playing for you than you're getting from me.
Speaker B:And you're enjoying the concert.
Speaker B:I was playing, playing, learning a new piece.
Speaker B:I'm going to call up Ward home, son.
Speaker B:Can I come Tuesday and give a concert?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:They'd love it.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Play, play, play.
Speaker B:Write, Write, write, write.
Speaker B:Learn, learn, learn.
Speaker B:Improve, improve.
Speaker B:Make a goal.
Speaker B:Make a goal.
Speaker B:Make a goal.
Speaker B:Work on a piece.
Speaker B:Work on a piece.
Speaker B:Get it?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And it has to come from an inner fountain within you.
Speaker A:Like, you can't force yourself into that.
Speaker A:Like, it's gotta enjoy.
Speaker B:That shows that you have a gift.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:That shows that there is, you know, a fire in you, a spark in you, that you're gonna go do this and everything like that, you know?
Speaker B:You know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like I say, if I waited to do concerts on a $250,000 or $300,000 grand piano in Carnegie hall, you know, I'd play 14 concerts in my whole life.
Speaker B: Yeah, that's: Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:And it's very wise to say, if you want to get better at playing live in front of people, you have to play live in front of people.
Speaker A:You have a controlled environment in here.
Speaker A:You can have the most beautiful setup.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:But until you get in a hall full of however many thousands or hundreds of people with this piano that's been tuned this way or not, the lights and all the whole, it's a completely different thing.
Speaker A:Than being in your own little private.
Speaker B:When I learn a piece, I play the piece 50 times for my wife.
Speaker B:50 times.
Speaker A:That's after you practice it.
Speaker A:You practice it.
Speaker A:You memorize it.
Speaker B:Yeah, I've learned it.
Speaker B:I've learned the piece.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm not going to play for a piece.
Speaker B:I only know 20 seconds of it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I've learned this whole piece.
Speaker B:It's six minutes long.
Speaker B:I've learned the whole piece.
Speaker B:I can play it by memory.
Speaker B:I've practiced it.
Speaker B:Practice.
Speaker B:And I've learned it.
Speaker B:I've learned it well.
Speaker B:I've learned it pretty well.
Speaker B:I've learned it.
Speaker B:And now my wife sits on the sofa and I sit here and I play the piece for her 50 times.
Speaker B:50 times before I play in public now, not 50 times in.
Speaker B:In 25 days.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:You know, I mean.
Speaker B:I mean, the 50 times would be over a couple months, let's say.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So every other.
Speaker A:Every other day, a couple times, I play the pie.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Oh, this wasn't good.
Speaker B:Oh, this was not good.
Speaker B:This was.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So now I work on what's not good.
Speaker A:That's beautiful.
Speaker B:I practice, practice.
Speaker B:Wait, wait.
Speaker B:Practice, practice.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Honey, can I play the piece for you again?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:She sits there, and by the way, she reads a book usually, right?
Speaker B:She's not, like, focused.
Speaker B:Because it's my benefit.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I played again.
Speaker B:Oh, that part was now better.
Speaker B:It wasn't so good two days ago.
Speaker B:Yeah, this is better.
Speaker B:Or, ooh, that was better.
Speaker B:Oh, this part was good.
Speaker B:Now it wasn't good.
Speaker B:So I work on that.
Speaker B:You understand?
Speaker B:So I play it again.
Speaker B:3rd time, 4th time, 10th time, 20th time, 5th, 40th time, 50th time.
Speaker B:Now I can play in front of people.
Speaker B:Got it?
Speaker B:You see what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:That takes work, dedication, planning, you understand?
Speaker B:Now, sometimes I may play the piece for.
Speaker B:Twice in one day.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Let me.
Speaker A:Just A few minutes.
Speaker B:Four hours, you know, And I'll campaign for you tonight, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I'm saying, basically, I play it.
Speaker A:50 times and I imagine what a beautiful testimony of a marriage.
Speaker A:This is who my husband is.
Speaker A:This is who he's always been.
Speaker A:This is how I can be a helpmate to him, is by even.
Speaker A:I'm tired of hearing that piece.
Speaker A:I've heard it 50 times, but I love.
Speaker A:Maybe she doesn't even like it in the first place.
Speaker A:I'm sure there are many of them she really loves.
Speaker A:But I don't even like it.
Speaker A:But I'll listen for him, because this is how I can help him be the best performer for Jesus that he can be.
Speaker B:She loves classical music.
Speaker A:Thank the Lord.
Speaker B:And she's a good listener.
Speaker B:She's a great listener.
Speaker B:She can even say something.
Speaker B:Is, you know this part, when you do here, can you go back to that?
Speaker B:She may not know.
Speaker B:She plays piano, but not very advanced, you know, I've given her lessons and stuff like this.
Speaker B:But the point is, she says, I love coming to your concerts because I finally get to hear the piece straight through.
Speaker B:The whole piece.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Instead of little segments of it.
Speaker B:Because I'm playing.
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:Well, I'm trying to work on this, you know, I mean.
Speaker B:But now she gives the whole piece and that.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:Who's listening in Japan, Right?
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And suddenly she's putting eye for them.
Speaker B:Play this.
Speaker B:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker A:Not like that.
Speaker B:This was.
Speaker B:This.
Speaker B:This piano is.
Speaker B:This is quite the piano.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And she put down her book and started listening, you know, devoted in that sense.
Speaker A:So you can take notice.
Speaker B:She's.
Speaker B:I could never be what I've.
Speaker B:The Lord has worked in my heart without my wife, you know, Really?
Speaker B:I said, with all my heart.
Speaker B:With all my heart.
Speaker B:With all my heart.
Speaker B:I mean, never, never, never, never.
Speaker A:Praise God.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:I do.
Speaker B:She knows that, too.
Speaker B:Of course she knows that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So that's how I prepare for a concert.
Speaker B:You know, working on a piece and then learning it and then, like I say, playing it.
Speaker B:I tell this.
Speaker B:I talk.
Speaker B:I was just in California.
Speaker B:I was in California last Thursday and Friday and teaching at a conservatory.
Speaker B:And I said, listen, if you wait to perform a piece on the recital, that's your first time you're performing in front of people.
Speaker A:Don't do that.
Speaker B:You're going to have a bad.
Speaker B:It's going to be a disaster.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You got to bring in your friend, pray for them both, run through it.
Speaker B:And sometimes I even put on a tuxedo, my jacket.
Speaker B:And I don't have the.
Speaker B:You know, because I'm playing this piece and I want it to feel like.
Speaker A:Hey, you're going to be in the moment.
Speaker B:I'm playing.
Speaker B:This is it.
Speaker B:The orchestra's playing.
Speaker B:I wait.
Speaker B:The orchestra's playing.
Speaker B:Now my part.
Speaker B:I have my tuxedo.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:For it to be successful.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I mean, you have to replicate the environment so that, you know, so that you're comfortable as much as possible when the moment comes, that you're prepared for it, as opposed to just the first time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Wonderful.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker A:Well, I wonder, just in closing if you can give a word of advice to young Christian musicians who perhaps aspire to the Juilliard or perhaps aspire to the levels of achievement that you have.
Speaker A:You've said, obviously work hard is a big part of it.
Speaker A:But for people who are looking to climb that mountain, what word of advice would you have to give to them?
Speaker B:Well, yeah, I mean, working hard, it takes tremendous effort.
Speaker B:I mean, just on an anecdote, there was a famous pianist named Arthur Rubinstein, very famous.
Speaker B:And a man once came to him and he says, Mr.
Speaker B:Rubenstein, I'd give my life to play the piano like that.
Speaker B:And he said, I did.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I mean, and so I'm not saying you have to be.
Speaker B:You don't have to be the greatest pianist or, you know, 10 hours a day.
Speaker B:No, but I guess the point is this.
Speaker B:Let me say this.
Speaker B:You want to serve Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:So therefore ask him to help you to be the best you can be for Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Look, look, look.
Speaker B:I play in places where if I was an a pianist, meaning $50,000 a concert, Carnegie hall, first class, flying hoity toity, you know, I'm just saying I would never consider going to places I've gone to share my music.
Speaker B:So God did not make me or fulfill a plan for me to be that person.
Speaker B:So I am the best I can be for what God has for me to be.
Speaker B:And therefore God needed a pianist that can go to all these places.
Speaker B:So my point is, I think it's a profound thought.
Speaker B:God uses B pianists, not just a pianist.
Speaker B:The grade A and grade B.
Speaker B:Now, God don't think that.
Speaker B:Well, God used me as an F pianist or a D pianist.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Okay, but I'm just saying everybody is not going to be an A pianist, an A triple plus pianist.
Speaker B:I'm not.
Speaker B:I'm not.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Don't fool me.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I understand.
Speaker B:You understand what I'm saying.
Speaker B:I do.
Speaker B:As far as the.
Speaker B:The Persona and the right.
Speaker B:I remember once I was teaching at a.
Speaker B:I'll just end with this.
Speaker B:I remember I was teaching once at a school and a student asked me, Mr.
Speaker B:Rotman, you were in the Tchaikovsky Competition.
Speaker B:It's very famous.
Speaker B:I said, yes.
Speaker B:Did you win?
Speaker B:I said, if I won, I wouldn't be teaching you.
Speaker B:I wouldn't be here teaching you.
Speaker B:The fact that I didn't win is.
Speaker B:I am here teaching you.
Speaker B:And I can be God's instrument to impart to you some help and guidance and encouragement.
Speaker B:You see what I'm saying?
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:So my point is that be the best you can be.
Speaker B:Don't settle for average or what's the best you can be?
Speaker B:Excellence for Jesus.
Speaker B:Excellence for Jesus.
Speaker B:Make that a motto in your life.
Speaker B:I want to be excellent.
Speaker B:I want to be.
Speaker B:If I'm going to teach a Bible study, I don't want it to be okay.
Speaker B:I want it to be excellent.
Speaker B:Jesus deserves excellence.
Speaker B:Excellence.
Speaker B:What I do with my life, how I do things in my home.
Speaker B:Excellence.
Speaker B:Excellence for Jesus.
Speaker B:And that doesn't mean that you're going to be a triple plus.
Speaker B:Because God wants to use excellence on many levels.
Speaker B:You see what I'm saying?
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker B:So, you know, I'm just saying be the best.
Speaker B:And if the best is, you're a bee, praise God.
Speaker B:God wants.
Speaker B:He needs bees.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:He needs bees.
Speaker B:Be mean.
Speaker B:The grade B.
Speaker B:You understand?
Speaker B:Yes, that's what I mean.
Speaker B:The grade B.
Speaker B:He needs bees now.
Speaker B:But it's not like I'm a B from lack of effort, right?
Speaker B:I'm not a B for lack of wanting to be an A, but I'm a B and God will use me as a B.
Speaker B:You know, a man gave Jesus a tuna fish sandwich.
Speaker B:Five loaves and two fish.
Speaker B:I call it tuna fish.
Speaker B:And Jesus fed 5,000 people.
Speaker B:You off.
Speaker B:I'm offering to Jesus my tuna fish sandwich.
Speaker B:He can change a heart.
Speaker B:He can bless a concert.
Speaker B:He can reach people.
Speaker B:I'm only an instrument that he can use.
Speaker B:And I'm going to give him and offer him the best.
Speaker B:But he's the one that performs a miracle.
Speaker B:But I give him my tuna fish sandwich.
Speaker B:And so I say this to Lord, you know, Lord, I'm giving you my tuna fish sandwich.
Speaker B:Take my seed, make it a good seed, and planted in good soul to bring forth good fruit.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker A:Praise God.
Speaker B:It's worth living for Jesus Christ, brother.
Speaker B:It's worth living for Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker B:He is.
Speaker B:He is.
Speaker B:All in all.
Speaker B:He is worthy.
Speaker B:Worthy.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Hope that's been a blessing.
Speaker A:It has.
Speaker A:It has.
Speaker A:Thank you so much, Sam.
Speaker A:Thank you for hosting us in your home.
Speaker B:Thank you for having me come here in my home and in my.
Speaker B:This is where I practice my music, my study, my inspiration and, you know, I mean many things and crosses and other memorabilia and things like that of just.
Speaker B:And I look at it and I thank God, you know, not in us not.
Speaker B:But to God get all the glory.
Speaker B:Because without me, you can do nothing.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker A:Thank you, Sam.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:God bless you, brother.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:God bless you and to your assistant, to Elijah.
Speaker B:I'm going to be performing the first movement of the first sonata that Beethoven wrote for the piano.
Speaker B:So this is the first movement of his Opus 2, Number 1, Sonata in F minor.
Speaker A:SA.
