Born in rural Bavaria, Irmela Wagner was surrounded by music from a young age. She started piano lessons early on and was soon discovered by her music teacher. This led her to transfer to a Gymnasium specializing in advanced music education. Her last instructor, Eva Smirnova, was a graduate of St. Petersburg's conservatory and was affectionately referred to as "Rubinstein in a skirt" by the press. Irmela actively participated in concerts and aimed to pursue formal piano studies. However, fate meant otherwise. Her plans changed dramatically after a bicycle accident severely injured her hands, preventing her from auditioning for music programs.

Facing this setback, Irmela enrolled at university, thinking that she always loved books as well and even wrote poems sometimes. Still convinced she would not go through with it and would eventually return to music she selected German Literature and Philosophy. Yet she had time and the intellectual atmosphere captivated her. She found herself grappling with profound questions and became engrossed in inspiring books. Engaging in student life, she enjoyed politics and formed meaningful connections with the other students. Ultimately, she decided to keep piano as a hobby, only performing occasionally.

A pivotal moment came when she pondered a significant question: Is there truth in language? The unsettling answer—no—prompted a profound shift in her perspective. She realized that certain feelings and experiences elude expression through words. Inspired by Ludwig Wittgenstein's ideas, she recognized that the limits of language do not define her understanding of the world. This realization led her back to music, the other language she intimately knew. For years, she devoted countless hours to the piano, exploring works by Bach, Schubert, Beethoven, Glass, Sibelius and others. Practicing Chopin Etudes daily became a meditative ritual, inspiring her to create her website, "Piano-Zen.de." Through music, she discovered layers of emotion and meaning previously unknown to her. More