Lenox — Pianist, composer, and self-confessed showman Ivan Dalia will appear in recital at the historic Church on the Hill in Lenox, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. It will be the sixth appearance he has made in the Berkshires this year, all featuring his latest show, “Bach to Rock.”
Many classically trained pianists avoid calling themselves “entertainers,” because they would rather be known as artists. Dalia is both, and in his demo reel, he clearly states, “You know, people ask me, ‘What do you do?’ I’m a musician and a showman.”
His shows mix jazz, traditional, and classical music with original stories. And he plays more than one instrument at a time, which you can see him do in his demo reel.
Blind from the time he was born in the city of Napoli, Italy, Dalia says he doesn’t mind living on the road: “I love to travel. I perform around Europe and the USA at festivals, theaters, and clubs.” His shows have names like “Music, Stories & Smiles” and “A Piano Lover’s Dream.”
Dalia recalls growing up in Napoli: “As a child, I was restless with an endless curiosity, so much so that I was always ending up at the emergency room because I didn’t know my own limitations.”
He began to settle down when his father bought him a piano: “I was only nine, and I didn’t study, just messed around. However, by 11, I had found my passion, and it became my life, and I can’t imagine one without it.”
Three years after first sitting down at a piano, at the age of 12, Dalia began studying music at the Conservatory of Music, San Pietro a Majella, in his home town of Napoli. He graduated with the highest honors and very soon found himself playing piano in harmonica legend Toots Thieleman’s band at the Marechiaro Jazz Festival. He says it was “the most exciting experience of my life.”
Dalia is based in New York City, where he works with his South African Jazz Quartet and makes weekly solo appearances in some of the city’s classic piano lounges.
The Church on the Hill in Lenox is an iconic landmark with a history dating back to pre-revolutionary times. The current Federal-style church building is a beloved town symbol, perched next to Lenox’s first cemetery, on a hill overlooking Main Street.
The Church on the Hill has long played a crucial role in the town’s civic and religious life, especially in 1834, when it came time to formally separate the church from state in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Celebrated for its New England charm, the building has long been a favorite subject of artists, who can’t resist its snow-white exterior and prominent steeple. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the church remains an active congregation affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
Hear pianist Ivan Dalia at Church on the Hill in Lenox on September 28, at 7 p.m. More information and tickets are available here.
