🎹 Honored. Grateful. Top 25.

How It Started. How It’s Going. Where We’re Headed.

The Piano Pod has been named one of the Top 25 Piano Podcasts by MillionPodcasts—a curated platform that highlights standout shows for collaboration and outreach.

This marks the second significant recognition of the year—and another meaningful milestone for this independently produced platform.

For a one-woman operating show, started in 2020—without a network, without funding, and with nothing but a mic, Zoom, and a vision—this recognition means everything.

🎧 How It Started

The Piano Pod was born out of frustration and hope.
As a pianist, lifelong educator, and third-generation Zainichi Korean raised in Japan, I knew what it meant to live between worlds—and how classical music too often remains confined to an ivory tower. I launched this podcast during the chaos of 2020, not just to spotlight artists but to bridge the gap between classical music and the real world—through human stories, honest dialogue, and bold questioning.

No fluff. No elitism. Just meaningful conversations about creativity, identity, education, and the evolving role of the classical artist.

🚀 How It’s Going

Today, The Piano Pod has:

• Over 300,000 downloads

• Nearly 3,000 YouTube subscribers

• A global audience of musicians, educators, and cultural leaders

• More than 100 guests, including Grammy winners, Steinway artists, composers, entrepreneurs, and conservatory professors

• Finalist for Best Video Podcast at the Quill Awards

• And now… a Top 25 Piano Podcast feature by MillionPodcasts

This is what independent creative work can look like when you do not wait for permission.

🎉 What’s Next: October Live Concert + Season 6

I’m thrilled to announce that on October 4, 2025, we will present our first-ever live in-person concert in New York City—The Piano Pod Live in Concert.
This event will bring together past guests, feature live performances, and include an intimate Q&A session with the audience. It’s the natural evolution of what we've been building: not just a podcast, but a real community rooted in purpose, joy, and artistic risk-taking.

And that’s exactly what Season 6 is all about.

🎨 Theme: Creativity & Community
This season, we are diving deeper into what it means to live and work as a creative today—and how we build community in an increasingly fragmented world.

We are also launching a new format:
🎁 Bonus Episodes Featuring Past Guests – In each season, 4 incredible guests will return to share updates, reflections, and deeper conversations. You will hear where their journey has taken them since they first appeared on the show. These episodes will add even more continuity, insight, and inspiration.

🤝 Let’s Collaborate – Sponsor an Episode

As we did last year, we are continuing to feature businesses, nonprofits, and creative organizations that align with our mission. If you want your work highlighted in an episode, we would love to include you as a sponsor, especially as we prepare for our live event and grow our educational outreach.

This is a great way to connect with our niche, loyal audience in the music, education, and arts sectors.

If you're interested, please reach out to us via email or DM us on social media.

🙏 Thank You

To every guest who trusted me with their story—thank you.
To every listener, collaborator, and supporter—you are part of this.
To anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in the classical music world—this platform was built for you.

Let’s continue to create, question, and connect.
I look forward to seeing what we build next—together.

With gratitude,
Yukimi Song
Founder, Producer & Host
The Piano Pod