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87-Year-Old Piano Teacher Seymour Bernstein Honored in Ethan Hawke's 'An Introduction'

Sometimes it takes one dinner to change the trajectory of one’s life. For Mr. Seymour Bernstein, a dinner that he was invited to by a pupil of his brought him to Ethan Hawke, who has now put out a documentary about the 87-year-old piano teacher entitled Seymour: An Introduction.

Finding one's footing in the music industry may be wrought with much failure. In the case of Seymour Bernstein, a piano teacher who decided to abandon the chase for the limelight in 1977 at 50 years old, he may have stumbled onto a chance so many yearn for in their careers as artists.

When meeting Mr. Bernstein at a dinner, Hawke recounted at a recent discussion at Lincoln Center: “I met Seymour and I came home and said: ‘Somebody needs to make a documentary about this guy. Who could do it?’”

He continued to say that his wife, Ryan, weighed in, saying: “She was the one who said, ‘Look, why don’t you just do it?’”

For those who wouldn’t be aware, Mr. Bernstein is an unknown player to most. At the dinner, Hawke and him discussed the finer points of being an artist, everywhere from the follies of stage fright to identity, according to The New York Times.

For some who search endlessly to find their niche in the bigger picture, it is a wonder that Mr. Bernstein didn’t find his fame earlier on. Garnering some great reception from film festivals including the New York Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival, it should be a major upcoming picture.

For now, check out a discussion provided by Vulture with Ethan Hawke and Bernstein himself below.

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