An Interview with Sara Davis Buechner

Sara Davis Buechner

Noted for her musical command, cosmopolitan artistry and visionary independence, Sara Davis Buechner is one of the most original concert pianists of our time, a musician of “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess” (The New York Times), with “sovereign command of the keyboard” (Los Angeles Times). Japan’s InTune magazine says, “When it comes to clarity, flawless tempo selection, phrasing and precise control of timbre, Buechner has no superior.”

Buechner was the Gold Medalist of the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and a Bronze Medalist in the 1986 Tschaikowsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. With an active repertoire of more than 100 piano concertos ranging from A (Albeníz) to Z (Zimbalist), possibly the largest of any living concert pianist, she has been soloist with many of the world’s prominent orchestras, and given recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. Buechner enjoys wide success throughout Asia where she tours annually. She is the most prominent transgender musician appearing on the classical concert stage today and has been lauded as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. She received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award of Brandeis University and is a member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Buechner is a Professor of Music at Temple University, has taught and given master classes at prominent music institutions worldwide, and has edited important piano collections for Dover Publications. Her own compositions are published by Muse Press of Tokyo.

This year marks her 35th year as a dedicated Yamaha artist. As a proud transgender woman, Buechner also appears as a speaker and performer at numerous LGBTQ events and has contributed interviews and articles about her own experience to a wide range of global media outlets.

I caught up with Sara during a performance break to learn more about her illustrious musical career and personal background.

TGForum: Who and what got you started in your musical career?

Ms. Buechner: A career in classical music is never a matter of choice, it is a calling. At the age of four, I heard the magical sound of Mozart’s music on our living room radio and knew then and there that I would also be a musician. I begged my mother for piano lessons, and the local teacher did not want to teach me as I was so young. But at some point, my mother shoved me to the piano in her presence, and when she could see that I could read music without instruction, and play all of my older brother’s assigned pieces, she agreed to teach me.

TGForum: What led you to making a lifestyle change?

Ms. Buechner: The lifestyle change that you mention, I never think of as a change at all. It was a correction, to the life I knew I needed to have and the person I needed to be. At the time of my transition, in 1998, outing oneself was a rarity and certainly non-existent for a classical music performer. I did not think of it as either brave, or foolhardy. It was simply what I needed to do, in order to align my life. It cost me dearly in terms of my career and professional respect. Work became so hard to come by, that I moved to Canada where I married my spouse and began a whole new chapter, as a professor at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver.

TGForum: In what way, if any, did it affect your career?

Ms. Buechner: In 2016, I joined the piano faculty of Temple University in Philadelphia and returned to the U.S. After the eight years of Barack Obama, I had the sense that social progress was being made in the USA. Now, I am not so sure. But I seem to find myself in a position to speak about it, and to hopefully influence peoples’ thinking.

TGForum: We have a lot of readers considering making a life change. Any advice for those who need to wrap a successful career around a gender change?

Ms. Buechner: I would never attempt to give advice to folks in transition regarding gender change. There are places where it is easier to do, than others. It helps to be savvy, and not naive. It helps to have family that supports you, and friends whom you can trust. But as with all projects that you determine you must see through to completion. Your own level of dedication will determine your success.

TGForum: What is your favorite city to perform in? Why?

Ms. Buechner: I have no favorite city in which to perform. I will admit to a bias towards living in Japan, which I always describe as the most poetic country on this planet. My spouse is from Japan, so that explains part of it. But I find the dedication to excellence that permeates all levels of Japanese society, to be something that contributes to an excellent standard of living for all. People in Japan tend to care about their neighbors.

TGForum: Has travel become more of a challenge? 

Ms. Buechner: Travel is always a challenge, and not because of gender markers or passports or discrimination or any of that. Still, some of that has impacted me over the years. Travel is a challenge because airline prices are high, seats are crowded, and comfort is at a minimum. Give me a train ride, any time.

TGForum: If you could perform in concert, with another pianist (a duet), who might it be?

Ms. Buechner: I have played duets from time to time with other pianists, and often with my own piano students, as they enjoy doing that with me and it encourages them to aspire to their highest level of excellence. In my dream duo, well, of course that would be Wolfgang Mozart. But I doubt he would stoop to sharing the stage with me.

TGForum: Where can TGForum readers listen to, and buy your music?

Ms. Buechner: TGForum readers can find my work on YouTube for free or put my name into the search engine of Amazon, to find my CDs. And a quick Google search will yield plenty of interviews and opinion pieces.

TGForum: Care to promote any upcoming concerts beginning with early May? 

Ms. Buechner: My upcoming concert schedule is listed on my website, SaraDavisBuechner.com. On April 30 and May 1, I’ll be the featured soloist with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra (Iowa) and on May 13-14 I will be soloing with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (Ohio).

Tags: featured, Musician, Transgender

Category: Interview