Albert Frantz: The American Pianist in Vienna
In this inspiring episode, we interviewed Albert Frantz, an American concert pianist residing in Vienna, Austria. Albert started playing piano at the late age of 17. He shared his unique journey from a non-musical family near Philadelphia. He became a Fulbright scholar, a Bosendorfer artist, TEDx speaker, and an Ironman triathlete.
Early “false starts” included a teacher firing him, deeming him untalented, but a high school teammate’s jazz enthusiasm sparked curiosity. Lessons with opera singer Nancy Pelletier revealed his gift. He mastered Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in months. He performed all 30 pages to a standing ovation at his debut. Switching from engineering to music in college, Albert credited mentor Dr. Stephen Smith for guidance, racing through Chopin and Liszt while learning Bach’s depth.
With no Plan B, he won a Fulbright to Vienna—the first pianist in nearly a decade—drawn to its musical heritage. He is now fluent in German. Once, he was mistaken for a “slow” Austrian. He praises Vienna’s quality of life, arts support, universal healthcare, and green spaces. Albert discussed pianos passionately: Bosendorfer’s spruce tonewood, natural drying process, and handmade construction yield superior resonance.
Albert founded Key-notes, an online platform blending video lessons with apps like Chordio for music theory. He emphasized meaningful learning over muscle memory. Upcoming: Vienna City Hall’s inaugural Concert for Children’s Rights, featuring Schumann, Beethoven, Gershwin, and choirs, benefiting UNICEF and others. He’s a TEDx speaker, advocates children’s rights internationally, speaking at the UN and Austrian Parliament. Philosophically, he values meaning over happiness, fighting uncertainty for purpose.
Interview
Name: Albert Frantz – Occupation: Pianist & Speaker
Location: Vienna, Austria – Nationality: American
TED Talks: How I got involved
Albert Frantz shares his journey into public speaking: Invited to a early TEDx event in Austria, they combined speaking with performing. “To prepare, I joined Toastmasters International, an organization for honing public speaking and leadership skills through a structured, supportive program with constructive feedback. It was humbling; they attended every meeting, improving gradually.”
“Speaking became more than technique; like music (where scales alone aren’t enough without expression), it’s about the message. This led to focusing on children’s rights, working with nonprofits— a cause close to their heart, providing great meaning.”
Albert clarifies ”it’s not about happiness but personal meaning—pursuing what matters individually, recognizing our importance, and sometimes fighting for it amid uncertainty”.
Key-notes: PIANO LESSONS with Albert Frantz
Keynotes is an online piano teaching platform that integrates video instruction in a app to enhance learning specific musical skills. As a teacher, I emphasize learning from students, diagnosing struggles, and addressing issues like over-reliance on muscle memory without grasping underlying music theory—comparing it to typing Mandarin sentences on a keyboard without understanding the language or symbols, leading to insecurity and slower progress. Students might take years of lessons yet not know basic chords, prompting me to develop Cordio built directly into the Keynotes platform to make learning chords easier and more intuitive.
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