Mark Obama Ndesandjo
@markobamandesandjo.bsky.social
Musician and writer
Proud of my Foundation’s latest newsletter. The print version turned out great! Already 12 years in operation! If you want a copy visit us at markobamandesandjo.com.
January 13, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Proud of my Foundation’s latest newsletter. The print version turned out great! Already 12 years in operation! If you want a copy visit us at markobamandesandjo.com.
Very honored to receive Mozarteum University invitation to discuss further cooperation and Mozart Week in Salzburg. Mozarteum (university and foundation) has helped us bring music to African kids. Happy birthday Mozart! His birthday is January 27. The image is of me playing Mozart’s piano in 2018.
January 13, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Very honored to receive Mozarteum University invitation to discuss further cooperation and Mozart Week in Salzburg. Mozarteum (university and foundation) has helped us bring music to African kids. Happy birthday Mozart! His birthday is January 27. The image is of me playing Mozart’s piano in 2018.
Es Lilin Jakarta Benefit Concert. I was honored to play this beautiful classic Indonesian song as prepared for piano, together with the youth orchestra. Thanks to the people of Indonesia!
youtu.be/ZKrGqBmM-p4
youtu.be/ZKrGqBmM-p4
Es Lilin Jakarta Benefit Concert performed by Mark Obama Ndesandjo
YouTube video by Mark Obama Music
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Es Lilin Jakarta Benefit Concert. I was honored to play this beautiful classic Indonesian song as prepared for piano, together with the youth orchestra. Thanks to the people of Indonesia!
youtu.be/ZKrGqBmM-p4
youtu.be/ZKrGqBmM-p4
Viper’s Drag” by Fats Waller performed by Mark Obama Ndesandjo on CNN
youtu.be/1gLsN5MAST0
youtu.be/1gLsN5MAST0
“Viper’s Drag” by Fats Waller performed by Mark Obama Ndesandjo
YouTube video by Mark Obama Music
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Viper’s Drag” by Fats Waller performed by Mark Obama Ndesandjo on CNN
youtu.be/1gLsN5MAST0
youtu.be/1gLsN5MAST0
Gave a great masterclass with talented pupil Re Zechen in Beijing. We discussed the modern work Wu Wei. For the complete video check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDh...
Piano masterclass with Mark Obama: Wu Wei (with student Re Zechen)
YouTube video by Mark Obama Music
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Gave a great masterclass with talented pupil Re Zechen in Beijing. We discussed the modern work Wu Wei. For the complete video check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDh...
Here is the video short. Full video on youtube at
youtu.be/dZ6YDCum5AE
youtu.be/dZ6YDCum5AE
First Piano+1 (TM) Programs in Africa!
YouTube video by Mark Obama Music
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Here is the video short. Full video on youtube at
youtu.be/dZ6YDCum5AE
youtu.be/dZ6YDCum5AE
For the first time, my foundation donated a piano to an African school. The Magoso School serves almost 500 kids, including orphans, mentally challenged, and troubled children in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. The piano is a welcome addition! It took 2 years to arrange this with delivery from China!
December 12, 2025 at 3:44 AM
For the first time, my foundation donated a piano to an African school. The Magoso School serves almost 500 kids, including orphans, mentally challenged, and troubled children in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. The piano is a welcome addition! It took 2 years to arrange this with delivery from China!
Check out my new blog post. Enjoy!
LI SHANGYIN, ISRAEL AND MATZO BALLS
Li Shangyin discovers he’s Jewish and reflects on his heritage. As he heads to Israel, he feels a mix of excitement and loneliness, understanding his worries about identity. His journey symbolizes …
public-api.wordpress.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Check out my new blog post. Enjoy!
Obama and Zhao Yinyin - The Lutoslawski Paganini Variations are a modern tour de force of 4-hand piano playing. Recorded live in Guangzhou.
November 4, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Obama and Zhao Yinyin - The Lutoslawski Paganini Variations are a modern tour de force of 4-hand piano playing. Recorded live in Guangzhou.
The Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 is a solo piano piece by Frédéric Chopin, composed between 1845 and 1846. It is known for its romantic re-imagining of the Venician gondolier environment, and is one of Chopin's finest works. Full performance on youtube.(recorded in 2018 in Shenzhen, China.)
October 20, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 is a solo piano piece by Frédéric Chopin, composed between 1845 and 1846. It is known for its romantic re-imagining of the Venician gondolier environment, and is one of Chopin's finest works. Full performance on youtube.(recorded in 2018 in Shenzhen, China.)
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was one of the finest pianists of his time, and his ten preludes of Op. 23 reflect his staggering virtuosity and romantic beauty. This performance of prelude No. 7 in c minor was recorded in 2009.
October 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was one of the finest pianists of his time, and his ten preludes of Op. 23 reflect his staggering virtuosity and romantic beauty. This performance of prelude No. 7 in c minor was recorded in 2009.
China’s Ghost Festival and the composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) have something in common. Sep 6 begins Ghost Month when the gates of the underworld open. Ravel’s masterpiece ‘Gaspard de la Nuit’ describes a devil (Scarbo) … an excerpt of me practicing it for an upcoming recording. Enjoy!
September 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM
China’s Ghost Festival and the composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) have something in common. Sep 6 begins Ghost Month when the gates of the underworld open. Ravel’s masterpiece ‘Gaspard de la Nuit’ describes a devil (Scarbo) … an excerpt of me practicing it for an upcoming recording. Enjoy!
Learning Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata. An amazing piece much neglected. Great music knows no boundaries!
June 13, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Learning Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata. An amazing piece much neglected. Great music knows no boundaries!
Children’s Day, Given an honorary ambassadorship by the Xixian Foundation. Its founder, my friend Chen Kaizhi, was, with Deng Xiaoping, notable for building 2 of China’s richest cities - Shenzhen/Guangzhou. Head of China’s Poverty Alleviation program, he helped hundreds of millions. A great honor!
May 29, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Children’s Day, Given an honorary ambassadorship by the Xixian Foundation. Its founder, my friend Chen Kaizhi, was, with Deng Xiaoping, notable for building 2 of China’s richest cities - Shenzhen/Guangzhou. Head of China’s Poverty Alleviation program, he helped hundreds of millions. A great honor!
Spontaneously performed Chopin’s Op. 66 at the Luoding secondary school - on the piano I donated. Great music has no borders!
May 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Spontaneously performed Chopin’s Op. 66 at the Luoding secondary school - on the piano I donated. Great music has no borders!
1600 new students added to our music programs. Our Piano+1 program is going strong!
May 27, 2025 at 11:54 AM
1600 new students added to our music programs. Our Piano+1 program is going strong!
My Foundation donated a Piano+1 program to Dom Kultury in Dabrowa Tarnowska, a cultural institution near Krakow, Poland. It will invite children from the local orphanage in Dabrowa Tarnowska, and Ukrainian kids to learn piano for free.
May 20, 2025 at 3:57 PM
My Foundation donated a Piano+1 program to Dom Kultury in Dabrowa Tarnowska, a cultural institution near Krakow, Poland. It will invite children from the local orphanage in Dabrowa Tarnowska, and Ukrainian kids to learn piano for free.
Walking the dog!
March 11, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Walking the dog!
A Happy Chinese Year of the Snake to you and your loved ones. In the zodiac, a year associated with enlightenment, renewal and optimism. Mark Obama Ndesandjo
January 29, 2025 at 6:34 AM
A Happy Chinese Year of the Snake to you and your loved ones. In the zodiac, a year associated with enlightenment, renewal and optimism. Mark Obama Ndesandjo
Guangzhou book signing was awesome. Estimate over a thousand books sold in just a few hours! Thanks everyone!
January 20, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Guangzhou book signing was awesome. Estimate over a thousand books sold in just a few hours! Thanks everyone!
Remembering appointment as adjunct Professor of Arts and Mass Media at Beijing Normal University … first lecture to an overflow class
January 17, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Remembering appointment as adjunct Professor of Arts and Mass Media at Beijing Normal University … first lecture to an overflow class
Ukrainian refugee Marina, from Dnipro, has learnt in the palace how to play piano🙂. Happy New Year to our Piano+1 Program in Krakow!
January 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Ukrainian refugee Marina, from Dnipro, has learnt in the palace how to play piano🙂. Happy New Year to our Piano+1 Program in Krakow!
My foundation donated 6 pianos and provided teachers for 4 poor schools in Chengdu.
January 4, 2025 at 12:24 PM
My foundation donated 6 pianos and provided teachers for 4 poor schools in Chengdu.
The gift of a Li Shangyin poem from my Shenzhen Orphanage students … their calligraphy is beautiful!
December 31, 2024 at 11:49 AM
The gift of a Li Shangyin poem from my Shenzhen Orphanage students … their calligraphy is beautiful!
Providing art and music donations to a school in Kibera
December 26, 2024 at 5:04 AM
Providing art and music donations to a school in Kibera