Meet Jason Lo of East Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Lo

Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started playing piano when I was age 3. I wanted to be a voice actor, but we had a piano in the house I grew up in. I started mashing my fists on the piano, and my mother thought “huh, maybe piano lessons would be a good idea.”

I remember I got praise in 2nd grade music class when my fellow students begged for me to play Chopin’s Minute Waltz at the classroom piano. This positive reaction throughout grade school was necessary and encouraging. As I got into high school, I enrolled in band and choir, which were not only my favorite classes, but classes I thrived in. My friends and classmates knew that I was born to be a keyboardist. I knew I needed to be a professional musician. To what capacity, or how famous, didn’t quite matter, as long as I was making a living by using my natural talents.

I grew up in San Luis Obispo, CA, and then moved to Long Beach to get my Bachelors in Piano Performance at CSULB. Afterwards, I received my Masters and my Doctorate at USC’s Thornton School of Music, also in Piano Performance. Ever since, I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to perform and teach as a freelance concert pianist. I had been accompanying and coaching voice and choirs until my current position, teaching piano and ear training at the University of La Verne.

My freelance life has taken me all over the country, and occasional international trips as well. I’m honored, and very fortunate that I literally play piano for a living.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing interesting comes out of a smooth journey where there is no struggle and everything comes easily. Do you remember that episode of Steven Universe?

I make sure I add the prefix “racist hellscape” while describing my hometown of San Luis Obispo, CA. Growing up as a gay, Asian musician just means that my life is always a fight just to be seen, heard, cared about, or noticed.

Getting into my respective programs for my schooling required an exhausting process of pre-screening recordings and live auditions for panels of intimidating piano professors. Once admitted, there seems to be endless requirements — classes, recitals, language, lessons, chamber music, concert attendance, etc., all while professors are hyper critical (which is why I’m there), and constantly fighting for a practice room. Everyone is good, so I had to prove why I was admitted.

Finding enough work to make a living as a musician after graduation can be challenging. My dream job tragically did not line up with my graduation date. What no one told me is that post-graduation depression is real. Work can be seasonal. Work will fluctuate. There might be a global pandemic. You might have a difficult client. It’s hard to keep sanity and stress levels manageable. However, if I may allude to Beethoven, it was his Art that kept him alive and determined to complete his musical destiny. It’s important to never lose scope of why we love what we do.

Times change, attitudes shift, lives get complicated, and we have to adapt. Don’t we reflect that in our Art?

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I cite myself foremost as a concert pianist. That is literally someone who performs for a living, and the only reaction to that is “wow, that’s amazing and interesting.” Many categorize my work as “accompanying,” but I caution using that term, since that is stigmatized as secondary, auxiliary, or even subsidiary. The full, contemporary name for it now is “collaborative pianist,” but I prefer you just called me your “pianist.”

I get asked a lot by music students (i.e. saxophones, other woodwinds, brass, etc.) to play piano for their degree recitals. We rehearse to present a fine product to their audiences. I’m honored they trust me to hire me for such important milestones during their schooling. The best way to get free advertising, is for their colleagues to see me on stage. Once they see how I’m able to collaborate so well and experience first-hand how I perform, I am happy to offer my services.

I’ve learned that I have to be flexible and open-minded for whatever event I am hired for, but the constant is that I must present my absolute best with an amicable attitude. I never know who is watching/listening. I never know who’s hiring. It’s through these means that I’ve even gotten hired by the Asian Hall of Fame to perform! I’ve also been asked to play Carnegie Hall, the London 2012 Olympics, and the International Trombone Festival. I also am proud that I performed a recital and taught a masterclass at University of Hawai’i at Manoa with my recital partner, saxophonist Andrew Harrison. It’s been a wild adventure and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Although the high profile gigs are intimidating, I somehow remain fearless on stage. There’s some switch that goes on in my brain to project my artistry. Somehow, this is how I know I was meant for this.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I feel like my biggest risk was following my instinct and intuition of pursuing the keyboard for my education. There were always (and still are) conflicts with my parents on the way I choose to make my living. It’s frightening, since we are largely deciding what we major in and the direction of our lives, at the tender age of 18. Not everyone is equipped or capable to make such important decisions at 18.

The conflict arose when my parents were convinced that a career in the Arts is a futile attempt with unstable income. I can’t say they are wrong. However, I also believe that if I want something enough, that I will “make it work.” I’m proud of myself that I’m able to make this life work.

Risks are scary and difficult. Safe is fine, but sometimes safe isn’t exciting. There’s a time and a place for that. I better take advantage of the energy I have while I’m…reasonably young. I’m even to the point where I am no longer afraid to have uncomfortable conversations. Perhaps I’m risking potential relationships or acquaintances, but I have to understand my self-worth. Risks help us grow. Isn’t that what they are for?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jasonwlo.com
• Instagram: panda.plays.piano
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonwlo

Image Credits
Marti Lynn