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

Hi Rufus, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision that moved my purpose forward was when I realized that my energy was finite and working with students 1 on 1 had its limitations. I had to find a way to work with and influence more students at one time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Music is a tremendous gift. It is a universal language, a language of feelings. After teaching as an assistant to my professor at Juilliard and living a life as a concert pianist, I realized my passion for teaching and sharing my love for music with others. Music increases awareness, imagination, and the ability to create beauty through control and measurement. Studying music will help you live a fuller and richer life, and I want to share this with as many curious minds as I can in my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles is an amazing city with so much to offer. You can drive east for 1 hour and go skiing, and drive west for 30 minutes and hit the beaches. Then there are so many amazing art centers such as: Hollywood Bowl, Getty center, Broad museum, and Disney Hall. Then the food…. where do I start?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every person along the journey was and is instrumental in developing you. From the foundation of my family, my teachers, Oxana Yablonskaya, Konstantin Sirounian, and Vladimir Krainev, to my wife, Ruth, my kids, my friends, my students. Even adversaries in life all contribute to my success and growth. Life experiences make my music richer, and because music is transparent, your character, imagination, depth of heart, all come out in your music.

Website: www.salitmusic.com

Facebook: Salit Conservatory of Music

Youtube: Rufus Choi

Image Credits
Kelly Chen Productions

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