Emile Pandolfi
Emile Pandolfi is an American pianist. He is noted for his renditions of show tunes, as well as his renditions of classical music.
Background
Pandolfi was born in New York and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, where he still resides. He began studying piano at the age of five, and made his symphonic debut with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra at age 14, performing the Mozart piano concerto no. 11 in F major, K 413.He attended Greenville High School, then Furman University, where he did his preparatory studies in music. He transferred to Baylor University, where he studied for two years. Following his piano teacher, Thomas Redcay, he transferred to Texas Tech, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree.
After college, Pandolfi moved to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for two years as a chorus teacher in a public school. In the evenings, he played at the Caribbean Beach Hotel, as part of a Calypso band called "The Castaways." From there, he moved to Sussex, England for another two years, playing in pubs and restaurants.
Career
Upon returning to the United States, Pandolfi spent two years in Denver as part of a house band, Buddy Brown and the Bittersuite, and then moved to Los Angeles, where he played for dance classes, acting seminars, actor/singer auditions, and in various piano lounges. It was here that he became one of the house pianists for the Comedy Store. He worked there for six years, performing with such entertainers as Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Robin Williams, among others.He was a featured performer at the 1984 Summer Olympics, playing "Rhapsody in Blue." During this time, he also studied comedy writing and learned to play for comedy improv.
After spending 15 years in LA, Pandolfi moved with his family back to Greenville, where he created his recording label, MagicMusic Productions.
His first recording, "By Request" is a compilation of Broadway and movie themes arranged for piano solo. It remains his top-selling album to date, with sales in excess of six hundred thousand units. Pandolfi has strong followings on,,, and all the major streaming sites.
As a classically trained musician, Pandolfi had to teach himself to play music by ear.
Pandolfi has been actively involved with charity organizations, performing in benefit concerts for Hospice, several South Carolina women's shelters,, United Way,,, and others.
Musical influences
Pandolfi's greatest musical influences are the Romantic classical French composer Claude Debussy, the classical Polish composer Frederic Chopin, and the 20th century Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.Personal life
Emile has two living sisters, Pamela Pandolfi and Barbara Coventry; and a brother, Guy Pandolfi.Emile and his wife Judy have three daughters.
Discography
By Request -1990An Affair to Remember -1991Remember Me -1992Once Upon a Romance -1992Nights on Broadway -1993Country Impressions -1994Some Enchanted Evening -1994It Might as Well Be Spring -1995Chopin -1996My Foolish Heart -1997The Second Time Around -1997Evening in Venice -1999What a Wonderful World -1999Rhapsody in Blue -2000Malaguena - Ritual Fire DanceDays of Wine & Roses -2004Starry Starry Night -2002Secret Love -1995Unforgettable Love Songs -1998Evening Romance -1999A Child's Gift of LullabyesBelieveQuiet PassionA Lovely Way to Spend An EveningLive - In ConcertPandolfi Plays the MusicalsMalagueña/Ritual Fire DanceHow Sweet the SoundMaleguenaSo This is Love- ''I See the Light''
Compilation albums
Please Welcome... Best of Volume 1 - 1993- ''Secret Love: The Best of Emile Pandolfi, Vol. 2 -1996''
Christmas albums
White ChristmasSleigh RideDo You Hear What I Hear?In the Holiday Spirit- ''Winter Wonderland''