BarTalk

About BarTalk

BarTalk is a bi-weekly, no-filter conversation between NYC-based pianists Pokie and Walter. Recorded in their living room (or wherever life takes them), the podcast dives into the real, unpolished side of classical music life — from backstage gossip and student quirks to late-night rants about freelancing, teaching, and surviving New York. Sometimes there are guests. Mostly, it's just two artists talking shop over drinks. If you're in or around the classical music world, you're invited to pull up a chair.

Publisher

Pokie Huang, Walter Aparicio

Category

music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 May 2025

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Fall Madness

   This week on BarTalk, Pokie and Walter catch up on life, music, and everything in between! From reminiscing about the Phillip Kawin Legacy Concert and reconnecting with old friends to Walter’s adventures in contemporary music (which apparently require eight arms!), there’s plenty to unpack. Pokie shares updates on Freckles and her ongoing treatment, while Walter talks about preparing a piano in some unusual ways. The conversation takes its usual unexpected turns through Halloween costumes for their beloved dogs, true-crime shows, celebrity gossip, and the never-ending struggle to find time for everything. Plus, a hilarious pet peeve about parades! A little music, a little chaos, and plenty of laughs—just another episode of BarTalk! 💬 Leave us a 5-star review and we might read it on air Rate ★★★★★ & subscribe so you don’t miss Episode 37.

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   SHOW TIME

   Six pianos, three-hour lessons, and… baby Theorbo? This week, Walter and Pokie welcome Erika Dohi and David Friend—one-third of Grand Band—to share memories of Philip Kawin ahead of his Legacy Concert. From spending hours on six notes to finding their own musical voices, they reflect on a teacher whose influence lives on in how they play, teach, and create. Plus: gargoyles, dumpling plans, and the problem with having to clear everything off your piano. 💬 Leave us a 5-star review and we might read it on air Rate ★★★★★ & subscribe so you don’t miss Episode 36.

3. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Feel The Key

   Episode 34 starts backwards, detours through dumplings and Walter’s music recommendation, then lands where it matters: celebrating our teacher Phillip Kawin. We’re joined by Renée Guerrero and Riko Higuma, two former students and assistants, for stories that are funny, tender, and very Kawin. His lessons ran on “PK time,” his schedules drove his assistants crazy, and his studio somehow collected turtles everywhere. But he also knew his students as people, chose music that brought out who they were, and went out of his way to help them long after a lesson ended. Renée finds Kawin’s markings in a score she hasn’t opened in decades. Riko returns to a Debussy piece she studied with him. As they prepare for the Phillip Kawin Legacy Concert at Manhattan School of Music, both discover that his words are still there when they sit down to play. That’s the heart of this episode: a teacher’s legacy lives in the music, the friendships, and the little things his students carry forward. 💬 Leave us a 5-star review and we might read it on air Rate ★★★★★ & subscribe so you don’t miss Episode 35.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

190,768

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

14

Social presence

90

YouTube

82

Engagement

0

Contact BarTalk

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about BarTalk