Grammy nominated Japanese-American renowned violinist Midori is a visionary artist, activist and educator who made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11. She reflects on her decision to "pursue a career in music as a performer" in her 20's, what she learned from mentors famed violinist Isaac Stern and legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, and why she loves to practice after a performance. Midori shares about her foundation Midori and Friends, which has helped to provide music education to over 300,000 underserved youth in NYC, opens up about her love for her home away from home (the dressing room), and David reminisces about the first time he heard her on the radio.  Check out Midori on Facebook, Spotify, Apple Music, or the web. Learn more about Midori & Friends here. Follow Speaking Soundly on Instagram. Follow David on Instagram. You can find out more about Artful Narratives Media on Instagram and the web. The Speaking Soundly theme song is composed by Joseph Saba/Stewart Winter and used by permission of Videohelper. Photograph of Midori by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Speaking Soundly was co-created by Jessica Handelman and David Krauss.  This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format. Episode copyright © 2023 Artful Narratives Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.