Blind Notes: A Touring Podcast with Blind Musicians and Their Mentors

Hosted by internationally acclaimed concert pianist Ignasi Cambra—who has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Concertgebouw—the series features intimate conversations with blind musicians and the mentors who shaped their artistry.

From classical to jazz, from Juilliard to community music schools, Blind Notes asks the questions that matter: How do you learn music without sight? What unique challenges shape a blind musician’s career? And what can sighted musicians learn from their blind colleagues?

This series features conversations with:

• David Lai – Blind pianist from Beijing, doctoral student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and 2025 Performance Today Young Artist in Residence
• Julia LaGrand – Blind violinist and disability advocate who has performed on NPR’s From the Top and collaborated with Itzhak Perlman
• Terry Shimazu – Blind jazz pianist and organist based in Austin, Texas. Born in Kyoto, Japan, Terry is a Berklee College of Music graduate who has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Take Six, Kevin Mahogany, and Walter Beasley. Interviewed during the 2025 Blind Travel Summit in Austin.
• Jerome Lowenthal – Legendary pianist and longtime Juilliard professor who taught Ignasi during his master’s studies
• Jennifer Apsel – Piano teacher at the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School with over 30 years of experience
• Students from the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School – The only community music school in the United States dedicated to serving blind and visually impaired musicians, founded in 1913

Through immersive sound design and candid conversations, Blind Notes offers listeners a new way of experiencing music—and a deeper understanding of what it means to pursue art without sight.

Topics Explored in the Series

Throughout the podcast, Ignasi talks with his guests about how they learned music, their experiences going on stage, the teachers and mentors who supported them, how blindness has shaped their careers, and what advice they would offer to young blind musicians just starting out.

Featured Quote

“I never chose to be a pianist. And I’m not really a pianist—I play piano, but it’s scary to define yourself as something… If music feels right, it’s probably for a reason. And if it’s really calling you, you should probably do it.”

— Ignasi Cambra

Updates

1/26/2026: First podcast episode released! Episode 1: A Musician’s Sound Journey

10/21/2025: Blind Notes: Ignasi Cambra in Concert for the Blind Travel Foundation

8/11/2025: YouTube video about the 2025 grant winner’s projects.