Danny Holt
Monday, November 16,
12 PM
Known for his energetic, no-holds-barred style and called “the classical music equivalent of an extreme sports athlete” (The Record), contemporary classical pianist 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.
Called “phenomenal” by the late music critic Alan Rich, and “exceptional” by the Los Angeles Times, pianist Danny Holt brings his boundless energy and wit to unique interpretations of new music, 20th-century music, and obscure, unusual, and neglected repertoire from past centuries.
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. Known for his no-holds-barred style, he has been called “the classical music equivalent of an extreme sports athlete” (The Record) and “an artistic maverick who isn’t afraid to tackle tradition” (WWLP-TV).
Danny Holt 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, and he has worked with composers Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Christian Wolff, James Tenney, Art Jarvinen, Graham Fitkin, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Augusta Read Thomas, and Michael Finnissy, among others. He has premiered more than 100 works, and has championed music by his peers, including Sean Friar, Oscar Bettison, Caleb Burhans, Lona Kozik, Jascha Narveson, Yun Lee, and many others.
He has received awards and grants from ASCAP, Yamaha, the American Composers Forum, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, and others; and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, Blue Man Group, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the California EAR Unit, and the Calder Quartet. He can be heard on the Innova Recordings label, pfMENTUM, New World Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Acis Productions, and L’st records.
Holt’s acclaimed 2009 CD, Fast Jump (Innova Recordings) was produced by Mike Garson (pianist for David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) Gramophone called the album “a compelling showcase for Holt’s innate virtuosity and gregarious temperament” and WNYC’s John Schaefer selected the CD as one of the best releases of 2009. Later, Holt and Garson collaborated on the album Piano Music of Mike Garson (Innova Recordings, 2022) which was called “a tour de force” (HiFi News & Record Review) and “exuberant and stunning” by KPFK’s John Schneider.
Among Holt’s ambitious solo projects is The Piano/Percussion Project. More than 25 composers have created new works for Holt’s unique setup in which he plays piano and an array of percussion instruments simultaneously. 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 latest album with violist Molly Gebrian, Trailblazers (Acis Productions, 2024), shines a spotlight on sonatas by female composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also enjoys performing on historical pianos (sometimes more than 200 years old!) and modern replicas of early pianos.
Holt holds degrees from California Institute of the Arts, Hampshire College, Smith College, and Interlochen Arts Academy. He is also a percussionist, composer, producer, and educator. He recently moved to a small town in a rural area of coastal Maine, but maintains strong ties to Southern California, where he runs Desert Hot Springs Classical Concerts, an annual concert series for residents and visitors to the Palm Springs area. In addition to maintaining a busy private studio of piano students for over two decades, Holt was the chair of the music program at The Academy of Creative Education at the Oakwood School, and was Scholar-in-Residence at Harvard-Westlake School’s Kutler Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research. He also taught at CalArts, Smith College, College of the Desert, Norco College, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; and he performs and gives guest lectures at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and abroad.
For more information, please visit: www.dannyholt.net
The Athenaeum’s Mini-Concerts offer a weekly opportunity to experience live music in the intimate setting of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room. Presented every Monday at noon, the series features a diverse range of performers, from local and touring musicians to university faculty, chamber ensembles, and prize-winning students. Programs span classical music as well as jazz, folk, and world music.
Founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970, Mini-Concerts is one of the Athenaeum’s longest-running concert series. Each performance lasts approximately one hour and is free and open to the public. No reservations or tickets are required. Seating is first-come, first-served and limited.
Doors open at 11:40 a.m. and close for entry at 12:10 p.m. or when capacity is reached. Donations are welcome.