Meet Piyotr Kao | Music & Computing Giga Nerd

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

Hi Piyotr, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’m a very risk-averse person, anyone who knows me knows that I think way too much before making any decision. However, for such a risk-allergic person, I sure take some risks. Such as not looking for a stable job, or wanting to be a musician. I believe most of the risks I take to be calculated risks, or at least risks that I can take without losing much in return. However, the risks which I do not take 1000 years in calculating for, seemingly are the ones that pay off the most; which is something I encourage others and myself to keep pursuing. To leave your comfort zone and to fail is the only way you will improve and get better.

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’m the type of person that can’t stay focused in one subject for too long. I’m glad I found my two passions in life and can call them both, parts of my career. My love for programming started when I was young. I remember learning about editing files on my computer to install mods for Minecraft. I remember then learning about batch scripting, which I used to prank my friends in animation class. I remember my first dopamine hit after 5 hours of debugging my code and it finally working. It’s the same for music, I remember the first time I made a sound out of my saxophone (rip saxlord). I remember the first time playing on top of the nest at UBC. I remember the first time I played at Frankie’s Jazz Club.
Were some of these events secured through luck? Definitely. Was the process purely luck? Definitely not. Life is undoubtedly luck-based; and quite unfair at that. However there is effort-to-merit-based gameplay for sure. There are people that say I’m lucky to have the life I have, which is true; to some extent. I did not spend hours on end practicing my instrument in my room after 8 hours of school, for it to be pure luck.

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?
First of all, why are you coming to Vancouver? My answer depends heavily on who’s visiting, but I’ll not think too hard here. If you for some reason decided to come to Vancouver, one thing you have to do is to go on a hike or go to the beach. I really enjoy the Garibaldi Lake hike and the views are just immaculate at the lake side. A great beach to go to is Jericho Beach, a classic. Obviously, we would be hitting a jazz club or any music venue playing great shows, such as Frankie’s Jazz Club or Tyrant Studios. There are some real bomb Ramen spots around town, Maruhachi, Santouka, or Danbo, all great chill spots. But then again, these are spots coming from a guy who doesn’t leave his house.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutouts to my mom for being there since day 1 (literally), supporting me for free, $0/hr. Shoutouts to all my friends that have supported me so far. I hope I can continue my journey with you all for years to come.

Website: https://piyotr.com

Instagram: @piyotr.kao

Image Credits
@slow_motion_explosion
@yujiahas_a_camera
@adp.life
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