Meet Hanbo Ma | Concert Pianist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hanbo Ma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hanbo, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I find that as a musician, the most interesting ideas or the most unexpected inspirations coms from random things in life, barely from a practice room. Of course, there are moment where I finally find something “clicked” while practicing a passage, but more often these moments happened in real life. It could be the taste of a rich chocolate cake that makes me so incredibly satisfied, it could be the pet on a little puppy that melts one’s heart, or it could be driving on the most epic scenic route while enjoying the wind blowing on my face. These little moments in life brings energy and life to music. I think it’s just as important to enjoy life comparing to work, as they are indivisible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a full time pianist and part time composer. Performing is my true passion, but composing gives me another way to express myself. My composition – Art songs “New Year’s Eve” and “Piano Language” collaborating with Chinese poet Meng Meng Chen were premiered at Steinway’s Lunar New Year Celebration Gala Concert. I think of art as a whole: music, fine arts, architectures, poems… Even in music, there’s no clear division between each form of music. A pianist should also know the basic theory of other instruments, the background of music history, the theoretic structure of a composition… That’s why I studied Theory, Orchestral Conducting and Composition as minors on top of Piano Performance major when I studied Doctor of Musical Arts at USC.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
1st stop: Santa Monica Pier. We’d bike along the biking trail from Santa Monica to Venice Beach and enjoy a nice coffee break at Venice Beach.

2nd stop: Dolphin cruise at Newport Beach. It’s the most wonderful thing to see baby dolphins jumping out of the water with its daddy and mommy.

3rd stop: Universal Studio.

4th stop: A concert at Hollywood Bowl.

5th stop: A tour in downtown, including Disney Concert Hall, The broad, Flight of Angeles and finally a nice meal at the Grand Central Market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout to my dad, who is an accounting professor but is also the most musical person I’ve ever met. Although he is in no way a professional musician, he taught himself how to play guitar, melodica and accordion. He always manages to find time to practice instruments, write melodies and learn new songs. Growing up, his passion in music showed me that if you truly love doing something, you will do whatever it takes to keep doing it. So find your true passion is the most important thing.

Website: hanboma.com

Instagram: hanbomapiano

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCReuT8wZ68hiCuxKPNzmqrA

Image Credits
I have rights and permissions for images in Part 7.