Since my last post two extraordinary events took place here: on Saturday my young students showed their stuff and yesterday a serious adult just recovering from traumatic hand surgery performed in public for the first time after fearing she might never play again: two totally dissimilar events linked by the power of strong individuality.

The kids all do quite different things with music; for each of them it is a territory more or less sacred within their families. They express this in completely different ways, which they have figured out -- and have made me figure out as well. For the adult pianist, too, playing has involved staking out a territory so powerfully that she has left her family and her country to start a whole new life in New York based on music.

Each of these people commanded attention by sheer inner power, very audible in their music.

Equally extraordinary was the attention paid to their unique offerings by everyone in the room.