Tim Tai, Photography Editor

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim will perform a piano recital at the Yale School of Music.  

Jiracek von Arnim was recently appointed visiting professor at the School of Music. The pianist is the youngest tenured professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He is an enthusiastic public figure and his passion for music matches his love of teaching. 

Jiracek von Arnim stressed the importance of balancing performing and teaching in his career as an international pianist.

“Both are extremely interconnected,” Jiracek von Arnim said. “It is very important for every musician to follow their heart and express something, but also to give your head a question. It is about the emotions you are transmitting but it is about your control. I want to be a storyteller as a musician, so I hope I can get my audience to forget that they live in 2022 and just connect”. 

Learning new piano repertoire is a regular part of Jiracek von Armin’s artistic practice, routine and life philosophy. He believes in the power of achieving deeper meaning behind the physical action of daily instrumental practice and performance. Helping other musicians is a form of doing just that on a daily basis, he explained, because he is able to pass down knowledge to the current generation as his mentors once did for him. 

This is equally inspiring for students who have the potential of both hearing and studying with him. 

“To me, Jiracek’s dedication to teaching makes him a complete artist. It’s such a blessing to be in a place where we have access to these opportunities,” said Gillian Mui ’26. 

Music-loving Yalies are looking forward to Jiracek von Arnim’s performance, which is part of the Horowitz Piano Series. 

“As a student who really enjoys music, it is wonderful to get an opportunity to hear excellent repertoire performed at such a high level on just a normal weeknight,” said Evan Daneker ’26.

Jiracek von Arnim’s own artistic process involves asking existential questions in relation to the music he learns and interprets. His choice of repertory for the Wednesday night concert is personal.

“I chose to play Beethoven because it is extremely connected to Vienna and my origins but also [as I am coming to Yale as a teacher], I wanted to bring Liszt- to tell my students to make them look for connections,” Jiracek von Arnim said. “I want to find a way to bridge Beethoven to Liszt.” 

Paul Ji ’26, a Young Steinway Artist, said that he “especially liked how at the concert in France [von Arnim] gave the audience a spoken introduction to each piece by offering background information as well as his own insights and interpretative thoughts.

 “It is always a matter of trying again and getting better,” Jiracek von Arnim said. “You can’t say to an audience that you will simply repeat what you played the day before — there is no safety on the stages, never something stays the same … in music there is never an ending”. 

After all his international accomplishments, Jiracek von Arnim’s goal is to “always stay open” and that is why he looks forward to continuing teaching and connecting to the new generation of musicians.