Danny Halford started piano lessons at age 8 in New York City. A few months later he saw the movie version of “The King and I,” and his lifelong love of Broadway musicals began at that moment. In elementary school he accompanied the glee club in Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. In high school he accompanied the glee club in a wide variety of music.
At age 19 he played the piano for 61 performances of “The Drunkard,” an off-off-Broadway musical melodrama in Greenwich Village (Music Director: Barry Manilow) as the youngest member of the company.
At the Richard Strauss Konservatorium in Munich, Germany Danny majored in Composition and minored in Piano. Four years in Germany (the original plan) turned into 26 years. During this time Danny wore many hats; his work as a pianist focused almost exclusively on classical music, accompanying singers and playing in chamber music groups.
But Danny never forgot his love of Broadway musicals. Since starting Part Three of his life in San Francisco in 1999, he has concentrated on building his repertoire and especially on creating wonderfully fresh and interesting arrangements. In addition to presenting Everybody’s Favorites, he enjoys introducing audiences to wonderful but unknown songs by the great composers. A recent project is “Seven Undiscovered Gems by Jerome Kern” (listen to "Tonight Just Let Me Look at You" on the Music Excerpts page).
Why “Broadway Classics?” Because the music of the greatest Broadway composers is our Great American Classical Music, the music that will live on as long as there are ears to hear and hearts to respond.
At age 19 he played the piano for 61 performances of “The Drunkard,” an off-off-Broadway musical melodrama in Greenwich Village (Music Director: Barry Manilow) as the youngest member of the company.
At the Richard Strauss Konservatorium in Munich, Germany Danny majored in Composition and minored in Piano. Four years in Germany (the original plan) turned into 26 years. During this time Danny wore many hats; his work as a pianist focused almost exclusively on classical music, accompanying singers and playing in chamber music groups.
But Danny never forgot his love of Broadway musicals. Since starting Part Three of his life in San Francisco in 1999, he has concentrated on building his repertoire and especially on creating wonderfully fresh and interesting arrangements. In addition to presenting Everybody’s Favorites, he enjoys introducing audiences to wonderful but unknown songs by the great composers. A recent project is “Seven Undiscovered Gems by Jerome Kern” (listen to "Tonight Just Let Me Look at You" on the Music Excerpts page).
Why “Broadway Classics?” Because the music of the greatest Broadway composers is our Great American Classical Music, the music that will live on as long as there are ears to hear and hearts to respond.