Sometimes I wish that applause would come just a bit later, when it is so beautifully hushed that I feel like holding my breath in the silence of the end.

Personal life
Ax lives in New York City with his wife pianist Yoko Nozaki and has two children Joey and Sarah. He is considered one of the best known concert pianists of the 21st century. Ax began to study piano at the age of six; his father was his first piano teacher.

Emanuel Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning Polish-American Jewish parentage classical pianist. He is considered one of the best known concert pianists of the 21st century.