Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Arthritis Awareness Month and Extraordinary Interviews

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month and MyRACentral is celebrating with weekly contests, informative posts, wonderful interviews and more.  In fact our expert Sara Nash (of The Single Gal's Guide to Rheumatoid Arthritis) conducted a wonderful interview with Chef Seamus Mullen who lives with RA.

This morning I just finished reading the autobiography of Byron Janis - Chopin and Beyond: My Life in Music and the Paranormal in preparation for an interview I will be conducting with him later this month. Byron Janis is a concert piano who is well-known as a child prodigy and Vladimir Horowitz's first pupil.  His career has been amazing to say the least.  Byron was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 1973 and continued performing for years, only informing a handful of people of the diagnosis and the pain he endured.  He is now a spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation and is generously sharing his time and story.

Here are videos which were found on YouTube of previous interviews and performances by Byron Janis.  Watch and enjoy.  I promise to tell you more about the book and about Byron's life's story.  I will also certainly tell you about our interview when the time comes.

NBC Today Show Katie Couric Interview with Byron Janis


Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43


(First of three videos presenting the complete performance)
Orchestre Philharmonique de l'ORTF, Paris, 1968
Conductor: Louis de Froment

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