“Piano is a lot of things to me— I feel like you can get a lot out of it. There are some times when it’s really tedious and I hate it. There are other times when it’s very emotionally gratifying…”
“...Sometimes it’s an endless technical study where I have to get all these things perfect and really push myself. Sometimes it’s like a marathon where I have to sit down and practice for 6 hours. Sometimes it’s just a fun party trick. It’s a million different things…”
Sasha Bercovici’s (he/him/his) passion for piano was first sparked when he was three years old. Inspired by his older brother who played before him, Sasha was initially told he was too little to play the instrument. However, Sasha’s determination to play led him to pursue piano nonetheless, and he began playing just two years later at the age of five.
Since then, his affection for the instrument has only grown. Now 17 years old and in his senior year of high school, Sasha has spent a lot of time exploring his other hobbies and interest, and despite excelling in sports like rock climbing or practices like cooking, piano in particular holds a very special place in his life:
“It is truly something you can spend your entire life doing and never be satisfied. I find that really inspiring.”
With a superhuman commitment to everything he does and accomplishes, Sasha is distinguished by his multitude of talents and unquenchable desire to improve these. Above anything, Sasha cherishes the value of improvement rather than definitive mastery and finds comfort in piano’s “endless” nature:
“This year I’ve practiced 900 hours— 850 hours since September— which is 15% of my life considering the time I’m awake, and I still feel like I don’t practice enough. You are never satisfied with anything in piano. I like that you can be happy to make progress…”
Among some of Sasha’s favorite pieces of music to play is Lizst’s Ballade no. 2 in b minor which is thought to tell the Greek forbidden love story of Hero and Leander with its both ominous and passionate dramatic structure. A considerably difficult piece to play, Sasha looks up to pianists like Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould, and Yuja Wong whose unique styles are focused on things like virtuosic power and intensity, having a greater emphasis on the inherently big emotions of a piece rather than appealing to the typical restraint of some classical music. On the jazz side, Sasha enjoys pianists like Mcoy Tyner, Jihari Stampley, Sun Ra, and most of all, Bill Evans:
“Bill Evans is probably one of my favorite pianists of all time. His playing is so lyrical— it doesn’t get too crazy, but also gets a little crazy at times. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just amazing.”
Piano has taught Sasha many important lessons in things like discipline and work ethic, but has also simply served as an outlet for Sasha to express his emotions in a beautifully creative way. His many accomplishments in the craft, including playing as part of All-City’s big band for the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival this past summer, are a testament to Sasha’s talent and genuine passion. In the near future, Sasha looks forward to playing as the centerpiece of an upcoming performance of the Greig piano concerto and plans to double major in physics and music.
“I’m very happy for the things I’ve been able to accomplish in it and am excited to hopefully get more done….”
