SACRAMENTO, CA – Throughout the Winter NAMM Conference in Anaheim this week, attendees will be treated to the magnificent sound of Mason & Hamlin pianos brought to life by several artists who resoundingly make Mason & Hamlin their piano of choice and who are recording artists for PianoDisc. Booth #620 will host award-winning blues artist, Ron Tanski; classical pianist Elida Dakoli, and classical/contemporary pianist and composer Jarrod Radnich in performances on the impressive CC 9’4″ concert grand. Adding to the excitement, Lounge 88, NAMM’s premier venue for piano performance, will also feature Tanski and Radnich in two additional performances that are sure to fill the room.
Thursday’s schedule at Booth #620 presents Tanski at 11:00 am, Dakoli at 1:30 pm, and Tanski at 3:00 pm. Fridays’ booth schedule showcases Dakoli at 11:00 am, Radnich at 2:00 pm, and Dakoli at 4:00 pm.
Saturday’s booth schedule includes Dakoli at 10 am followed by Radnich at 12:00 noon and again at 3:00 pm. Friday Lounge 88 is all Mason & Hamlin and PianoDisc! Tanski is the feature performer at noon and Radnich closes the day with a feature performance at 5:30 pm. Both artists are expected to bring down the house.
Pianist and Singer Ron Tanski’s been described as Louis Armstrong and Tom Waits’ lovechild. Combine that with intensity sheer volume on the piano normally seen in guitarist, Ron’s playing is a brand new old fashioned style all his own with a spectrum from Boogie to Deep Blues, Gospel to Swing. Ron, a Mason & Hamlin Artist was raised in the blue collar neighborhoods of rural Ohio, Colorado and Missouri, listening to Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Elvis and any Blues and Boogie he could find. Today, a fast rising new voice on the Blues scene, Ron is one of LA’s most popular Blues artists. With lightning fast piano riffs, soulful tunes and gravel and gin soaked voice, Ron’s debut CD “Dragged You Down” spent over a month on the Blues Music International Radio Top 40 peaking at #3 and was in the International Top 100 Most Radio Played Blues CD’s of 2011. Ron spent three years at Hollywood’s glamorous hot spot, Café Was nightly entertaining Tinseltown’s celebrities. As winner of the 2011 Regional Blues Soloist Award for the International Blues Challenge and went on to compete in Memphis. Ron won the 2011 Regional Blues Soloist Award for the International Blues Challenge (IBC) and represented Southern California at the international competition in Memphis Tennessee in February 2012. Nominated as one of the World’s Best Blues Pianists in the 2011 Chef Jimi Awards, Ron was also nominated for the 2011 Los Angeles Music Awards Best Blues Artist. The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers just honored Ron with an ASCAP Plus Award.
Born in Albania, Elida Dakoli started playing piano at the age of six. After showing great potential, she began her formative musical training under Professor Shpresa Tafaj at her hometown’s music school. By the age of 12, she had performed her first solo recital, followed by concerts throughout the nation’s cities.
At the age of 16, Ms. Dakoli received a Diploma at the National Piano Competition “Pianisti i Ri”, performing contemporary music. Soon thereafter, she was accepted to the Academy of Arts’ Music Faculty, Tirana, with Professor Anita Tartari. One year into her studies, she received the first prize at the International Piano Competition “Music World”, in La Spezia, Italy. She then returned to Tirana, graduating with a Bachelor of Music. During this period she also won grants from Pro Helvetia and the Soros Foundation.
At 22, Ms. Dakoli launched her first international tour across Europe. She debuted with a series of performances throughout her home country, with her finale.
Often compared with Franz Liszt, Mason & Hamlin Artist Jarrod Radnich has captured the top position on YouTube for piano performance, placed in the top 5 living classical artists by ReverbNation, been featured with PianoDisc on NBC’s Today Show and, with over 50 million viewers worldwide, has been heralded as “the force that is making the classical piano cool again.”
Compositions from his Virtuosic Piano Solo Series sheet music line are performed around the globe, have been recorded exclusively by Radnich for PianoDisc systems, and are on his latest CDs. Labeled a child prodigy, at age 11 Radnich began professionally instructing piano and thereafter received full scholarships to Berklee School of Music at 15 and the University of Redlands at 17. Following a lengthy and intense battle with a life-threatening illness, during which he prolifically composed and drew deeply on the music’s healing power, Radnich formed the Joshua Tree Philharmonic—an intergenerational community orchestra. In 2014 Radnich plans to launch the Winged Soul world tour, highlighting his newest major work, ARMAITA: La Vendetta Dell’Angelo—Piano Concerto No. 2 in an orchestral setting where the piano is punctuated by high-powered electric bass, guitar, and drums.
In addition to being Mason & Hamlin artists, Tanski, Dakoli, and Radnich are also PianoDisc Recording Artists and their works have been recorded exclusively for PianoDisc systems and are marketed in the PianoDisc online store. While the artists are not personally at the Booth #620, expect to see and hear them perform “virtually” in PianoDisc and PianoSync performances throughout the day.
