Music is Music: Conrad Tao

To those who knew him, especially his piano students, Emilio del Rosario will always be Mr. D. He had a knack for helping budding, young pianists grow into confident, concert pianist. Case in point: 21-year-old Conrad Tao. Tao was introduced to Mr. D at age five and only studied with him until he was nine. But if you think about those specific years in a young person's life, that's when you learn your habits. That's where your convictions take root. That's when the encouragement of teachers can bring exponential confidence. And as Tao puts it, even though four years isn't that long, "when you're nine, that's basically half your life." In 2010, Tao was on a trajectory to becoming the world-renown composer and concert pianist he is today. That's also the year that Mr. D passed away. On this episode of Music is Music, Conrad Tao talks about his composition "A Walk (for Emilio)," a piece that imagines what it would be like to have a conversation with Mr. D if he were alive today.