Ashley Addington

Renowned Los Angeles-based pianist Danny Holt brings his unique brand of contemporary piano music to The Lily Pad. Music starts at 8pm and also features the contemporary flute and cello duo of Ashley Addington and Rachel Arnold.

“If his upcoming concert of classical music is met with a mosh pit, pianist Danny Holt wouldn’t mind at all.”
-Daily Hampshire Gazette

Danny Holt performs across the globe in concert halls, clubs, art galleries, 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, Waterloo, Ontario) and Los Angeles City Beat named him one of the “local heroes” of L.A.’s music scene. He specializes in performing contemporary works, 20th century music, and obscure and neglected repertoire from past centuries, often juxtaposing diverse styles to create unexpected sonic flavors.

The Lily Pad program explores the influences of rock, jazz, and pop on contemporary classical music. Included in the program will be groovy British minimalism by Graham Fitkin, the eclectic music of Mike Garson (pianist for David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, etc.), Karen Tanaka’s Techno Etudes, and selected Radiohead transcriptions by Christopher O’Riley.

A specialist in contemporary music, 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 such composers as Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Christian Wolff, James Tenney, Graham Fitkin, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Augusta Read Thomas, and Michael Finnissy, among others. He has received awards and grants from ASCAP, Yamaha, the American Composers Forum, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, and others.

Holt’s Fast Jump CD (Innova, 2009) was a featured new release on both WNYC and iTunes, and includes world premiere recordings of works by David Lang (co-founder of Bang on a Can), Caleb Burhans, Lona Kozik, Graham Fitkin, and Jascha Narveson. Gramophone called the disc “a compelling showcase for Holt’s innate virtuosity and gregarious temperament” and Sequenza21.com called Holt’s playing “brilliant”.

On February 14, Holt launches his self-released follow-up CD, Release. Featuring minimalist/ambient works by contemporary and new age composers, this new album is a musical exploration of grief and remembrance: a tribute to Holt’s father who passed away in 2008.