Danny Holt: "Not Strictly Classical"

Known for his energetic, no-holds-barred style and called “the classical music equivalent of an extreme sports athlete” (The Record), contemporary classical pianist Danny Holt explores the intersection of classical music with rock, pop, and jazz in his “Not Strictly Classical” program. Los Angeles based composer Mike Garson (known for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, and others) fuses his classical and jazz roots in eclectic works that are uniquely his own, defying traditional genre categories; New York based jazz/pop phenom Jon Batiste reimagines Chopin through his own lens; and Japanese composer Karen Tanaka’s “Techno Etudes” are a playful evocation of electronic music. Stunningly beautiful works by French jazz/hip-hop pianist Sofiane Pamart and others round out the program, including pieces from beloved film scores such as “Amelie”, “The Piano”, and “Interstellar”.

Tickets are $20 each and are available below or at the door. No one turned away due to lack of funds.

About the Performer

Called “phenomenal” by the late music critic Alan Rich, and “exceptional” by the Los Angeles Times, pianist Danny Holt performs around the globe in concert halls (Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl), clubs (Joe’s Pub, The Blue Whale, Copenhagen Jazzhouse) art galleries (MASS MoCA, Hammer Museum), churches, living rooms, and wherever else he can find a piano and someone to listen. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Blue Man Group, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the California EAR Unit, and the Calder Quartet, and he has held fellowships at the Bang On a Can Summer Music Institute, the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, and New England Conservatory’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice.

When he’s not performing cutting-edge contemporary music, Holt enjoys curating programs of obscure repertoire from the 18th and 19th centuries, bringing rarely-performed works and the unheard stories of lesser-known composers to audiences. His recorded catalog includes the recent solo album “Piano Music of Mike Garson” and other solo, chamber, and orchestral releases on the Innova Recordings label, pfMENTUM, New World Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Acis Productions, and L’st records. Holt holds degrees from California Institute of the Arts, Hampshire College, Smith College, and Interlochen Arts Academy. After spending two decades in Southern California, Holt recently relocated to a small town on the coast of Maine, where he enjoys being surrounded by natural beauty, and the many joys of small-town life. He continues to run Desert Hot Springs Classical Concerts, the concert series he founded in 2014.