“There's a lot of tension going on in the world.”

On May 17th, we were honored to have Mr. John Kamitsuka, a world-renowned pianist who has showcased his talent in globally acclaimed venues like Carnegie Hall, perform at HIS. Mr. Kamitsuka is a Husky himself; he was one of the first students during the formative years when all students, from kindergarten to high school, shared the same classroom.

This year, Mr. Kamitsuka’s main focus was on the virtue of unity. “I’m baffled by the fact that humans are destroying our beloved planet,” said Mr. Kamitsuka. “Humans are so little in our world.” On the topic of war, Mr. Kamitsuka pointed out that we humans dehumanize each other for war. In his own words, “There is so much trauma after wars. We are not enemies of each other; stop resorting to violence and hate.”

One composer who gives Mr. Kamitsuka inner peace is Johann Sebastian Bach, who is by far the most studied composer. Bach’s music is known for its harmonies and voices. “Music has fundamental harmonies. Chords that are moving with the melody create a harmony,” said Mr. Kamitsuka. “Harmonies head in any direction. Bach believed that each element should be an independent and complete voice.”

After listening to Bach’s music, I realized it was a conversation. There are always more than three voices in Bach's music. It’s like three people are taking a walk together. Many people find peace in this, and it would be great if we could stop fighting wars and start taking a walk like that.

Another composer that Mr. Kamitsuka talked about was Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven’s father drank too much and was an abusive person. Beethoven was a powerful character, persevered through this environment, and later “escaped” to Vienna. However, in Vienna, Beethoven started to lose his hearing. He thought his life was done as he didn't have a social education, and he was terrified. In the summer of 1802, he went to the countryside to commit suicide.

During his time in the countryside, Beethoven wrote a long letter, and he listened to himself internally. He suddenly noticed that despite all the trauma, he has a tremendous internal life. He came to terms with himself and went back to Vienna.

Mr. Kamitsuka quoted the quote ''Write what u know'' from Mark Twain. He believes that this quote shows the essence of Beethoven’s later years.

After his hiatus, Beethoven showed drastic development. He used his genius and the universal music route to embrace the “live to create” ideology. The piece Mr. Kamitsuka played at the end drastically differs from early Beethoven.

Upon playing the final notes, a student in the audience asked, "How long did it take you to learn this piece?" Mr. Kamitsuka responded without hesitation: "A lifetime."