Outline:
A Celebration of Musical Diversity
On Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25, the 33rd Annual Professional Pianists Concerts return to Ukiah with two performances featuring eleven exceptional pianists at the Mendocino College Center Theatre. These events are known for their diverse musical styles, which include classical, jazz, boogie-woogie, Cuban, blues, ragtime, and more. Each performance is unique, offering a different experience for attendees.
“These concerts showcase the finest pianists in the region across a remarkable range of styles,” says event co-founder, organizer, and pianist Spencer Brewer. “Humor and musical repartee run high as all the artists remain onstage throughout the show, gathered in a relaxed setting around two concert grand pianos, trading stories and spontaneous musical moments. The event is always a sell-out thanks to its diversity, quality, and unpredictability—no one knows who’s playing next or what they’ll perform.”
The first concert on Saturday, January 24th features Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova, Tammy L. Hall, Ed Reinhart, Ben Rueb, and Charlie Seltzer. The Sunday, January 25th concert includes Brewer, Wendy DeWitt, Alejandro del Valle, Tom Ganoung, Chris James, and Elizabeth MacDougall.
Supporting the Event
Sponsors of the event include Fowler Auto Center, AC&R Heating and Cooling Service Inc./Solar Systems, Sparetime Supply Distribution, Pardini Appliance, and Savings Bank of Mendocino. Media partners are KOZT, K-WINE/MAX, and the UDJ, with refreshments provided by the Ukiah Community Concert Association.
Brewer spearheads the search for the group of pianists who will perform at the concerts. “Throughout the year, I reach out to people if they know someone regionally who would add something different or unique to the performance. This year, we have two new performers. Elena suggested Alejandro Del Valle.”
Alejandro Del Valle: A Virtuoso from Cuba
Alejandro Del Valle is a self-taught virtuoso pianist, arranger, and composer who contributes to bands, orchestras, dance, music, and film scores. He doesn’t completely understand how he became a musician. “Sometimes students just need motivation. That was me. My father was a doctor, and one thing he said is that people should sing when they birthed babies,” he smiles. “Maybe that’s what happened.” He began playing piano at age 12, when, on a Cuban beach, his friend placed the headphones of a first-generation Walkman on his ears. “There, at the ocean, hearing that music was an emotional experience.” He began playing piano. “At first, I’d play John Lennon songs. I wasn’t interested in classical music.” He learned to love music of all genres, taking lessons from the legendary Silvio Rodríguez Cárdenas. “We would talk about music, about composers. Mr. Cárdenas was a student of the great Sviatoslav Richter. He would remind Richter during recording, ‘Please don’t breathe too loudly, master; the mic will hear your breathing.’”
Del Valle relocated to the Bay Area after 25 years in France. He has toured over 20 countries, including Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Greece, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Brazil, Canada, and his native Cuba. Del Valle conducted classes at prestigious venues such as Salon de Provence and Poitiers Conservatory. In 2004, he directed and arranged “Les Orientales,” an orchestral performance of Arabo-Andalusian Music. “Rooted in Cuban and Afro-Cuban rhythms, my compositions evolve within a fusion framework rather than traditional confines. In the South of France, I immersed myself in Spanish gypsy music, incorporating traditional chords into my pieces. I encountered North African music from Algeria, which sparked my explorations of 6/8 rhythm.” He incorporated Ragtime elements to interpret contemporary Cuban music. His latest project, “Picking Up the Pieces” bridges past and present as he navigates life in the United States. Del Valle describes himself as a “very bad music reader,” “Like me!” chortles Spencer Brewer. “I practice, very, very slowly when learning new pieces from sheet music.”
Tammy L. Hall: A Grammy-Recognized Pianist
Both de Grassi and Jeremy Cohen suggested Tammy Hall as the second addition to this year’s lineup. “Once we connected, Tammy said she’d love to perform with us,” says Brewer.
Tammy L. Hall is a Grammy-recognized, award-winning pianist/composer/educator/collaborator/musical director, whose career spans 40+ years. Hall has worked with vocalists and instrumentalists including Etta Jones and Ernestine Anderson; Ms. Loretta Devine, Leberta Lorál, Susanne Mintzer, Marcus Shelby, Terri Lyne Carrington, Regina Carter, Houston Person, Laurie Anderson, Gerald Clayton, Mads Tolling, Linda Tillery, Holly Near, Barbara Dane, Mimi Fox, and Allison Miller. She recently composed original music for the podcast Red 4 Revolution, written by Jana Smith and Renée Wilson, which won the 2024 award for Best Independent Audio Fiction at the Tribeca Film and Audio Festival. She received the Arts Council for Monterey County’s Champions of the Arts award in 2024 and is a proud resident of Seaside.
The Other Performers
The remaining 9 performers have all spent a year, or 32, performing with their keyboard comrades at previous events. “Everyone’s better than they used to be,” smiles Tom Ganoung.
When Ganoung begins a piano session, it begins with a creative pursuit to compose music he’s never heard before. “It’s an integration of skills developed over a lifetime of delighted study, inspiration in the moment, finding the joys of music and the search for something new—the birth of a new entity.” He performs at the Pianist Benefit Concert, weddings, supper clubs, special occasions and private parties. He continues to direct The Allegro Scholarship Program, created in 2000 to assist primarily young musicians with music instruction expenses. “We have added providing instruments and college grants to the fund’s benefits, and annual support for symphonies, youth orchestras and music programs in Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties,” he notes, with an even broader outreach to benefit several performance and music education programs in 2026.
“Tom might be better. But I’m not better. I’m older and wiser,” says Ed Reinhart, who can always be counted on to provide more than his share of laughs at the performances.
Reinhart, alias Earl Dixon, has been “boogie-ing” his way around Mendocino County for over three decades, calling himself “Rico Suave” since his last trip to Ecuador. Reinhart is best known as the King of Boogie-Woogie and Blues, and in the presence of King Boogie, no one is left not tapping their feet. Reinhart’s CD, “Got Some on My Fingers,” released in the mid-90’s was a regional hit with fans, establishing him as a local musical force. Following the pandemic, Ed played occasional solo gigs and is collaborating with musical colleague vocalist Dawn Sent fen in their duet group, Between Engagements. Reinhart has been front man for many local Boogie/R&B bands including the Burning Sensations. He performed in three productions with Spencer Brewer: “Please Don’t Shoot the Piano Player,” “Dueling Pianos,” and “Drooling Pianos.”
Elena Casanova: A Cuban-Born Pianist
Elena Casanova distinctly remembers her first season with the Professional Pianists. “Elena kept asking me questions,” says Brewer. “‘What’s going to be in the program?’ she’d ask me. ‘There is no program,’ I’d respond. ‘How long am I playing?’ she’d ask. I’d tell her, ‘We don’t exactly know,’ he grins. “We’d all be backstage, talking and joking around. Chris suggested we just bring it all out on stage—the talking, laughing and even the potted plant,” says Reinhart. “That’s when Elena really went off the rails,” Brewer laughs.
“Chris would take full credit for this,” Brewer continues.
“The pieces I do are usually pretty long and focused. I don’t have ADHD, but that first year, with the talking and distractions, it was very nerve-racking,” Casanova laughs.
Elena Casanova is a Cuban-born pianist. She attended San Francisco Conservatory of Music, graduating from the University of Redlands. Casanova was president of the Ukiah Community Concert Association and continues to support it and other non-profits. She has two Cuban Classical solo albums: “Recordando: Remembering the Maestros of Classical Cuban Music,” and “Ensueños: Daydreams of Cuba,” honoring her mentors, women composers and education at the Havana Conservatory. “Fuente Sin Igual” is her release of improvisations on Spanish Hymns, dedicated to her father. She has performed numerous piano concertos including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 “The Emperor” and loves performing Latin Jazz. She is adjunct professor of piano at Pacific Union College, has created a multi-media production of Cuban classical music and performs with the Eloquence Ensemble.
“I’ve learned to force myself to be a little more spontaneous,” Casanova laughs. “Even at my first audition at conservatory, I was told by my teacher to take a moment and relax before I start playing.”
Ben Rueb: A Classical Pianist and Educator
Another classical pianist and educator returning this year is Ben Rueb. Studying piano as a child, Rueb developed a deep connection to classical music. By fifteen, his first public performance included music by Schumann, Bach’s Preludes and Fugues and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. He majored in physics while continuing to refine his pianistic craft—with his analytical background ultimately shaping his teaching. “It’s allowed me to blend musical artistry with a clear, structured and highly intuitive method of instruction.”
After 25 years of teaching, Rueb is known for nurturing young musicians, fostering technical skill and artistic curiosity. Rueb moved to Mendocino County in 2014, performing regularly with chamber music ensembles and appearing as guest pianist with the Ukiah Symphony. He is a full-time piano instructor at the Ukiah School of Music—committed to inspiring next-generation musicians by helping students discover confidence, creativity, and joy through the piano.
“It’s interesting that I get tagged as a classical musician, but I play Broadway. Elena gets tagged as a Cuban musician. Tom plays everything, but he’s most recognized for his own compositions,” says pianist and instructor Elizabeth MacDougall.
MacDougall is a classically trained pianist who has performed at the Professional Pianists Concert from the beginning—performing works by Bach, Beethoven and Shostakovich. She especially enjoys listening to what her colleagues bring to the stage, and loves sharing her eclectic repertoire at community events. Since 1985, MacDougall has been teaching students of all ages a wide range of musics, ranging from popular show tunes, rock ‘n’ roll and classical compositions. Elizabeth currently performs for musicians worldwide on the Tonic app, where participants play for the inspiration and enjoyment of others.
Charlie Seltzer: A Musical Family Legacy
“Ed, Elizabeth, Tom and I are the originals,” says Brewer. Elena came a bit later. This is Charlie’s 6th year, after taking a break last year.”
Charlie Seltzer grew up in a musical family, singing and playing the piano at a young age and never stopping. He majored in music in college and has a master’s degree in musicology. Seltzer can often be found directing and accompanying musicals, and he loves leading sing-alongs in people’s homes. Seltzer is currently on the faculty of Mendocino College where he teaches “A History of American Musical Theater” and “The Actors Voice—” a coaching class for actors who sing. “Make Haste Slowly” is Seltzer’s key to learning a song well.
“When I read a new piece of music, I learn one bar at a time,” says Brewer. It might take months.”
“I just want to say that not one blooper—not one single mistake has ever been committed on this stage, by anyone. We perform everything precisely as rehearsed,” says Reinhart—omitting that absolutely no rehearsals ever take place for these concerts.
“There was that time Ed played Zez Comfey’s Dizzy Fingers as a duet with Chris,” says Brewer. “Ed learned it by ear, not in E Flat Minor. He was playing it in C minor. I had to climb up on the piano and ask Ed to move the song up two notes. I predict you and Chris will perform another duet.”
Chris James Gootherts: A Jazz Legend
Chris James Gootherts performed under the stage name Chris James, coming to prominence in the 80’s and 90’s touring jazz festivals and colleges. He shared the stage with jazz legends Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstein, Freddie Hubbard and Carmen McCrae, and performed at the Monterey and other jazz festivals, jazz cruises, clubs, and concerts. His first album, “Dessert” was released in 1986. Other albums include “Piano Christmas,” “Just One More Kiss,” “First Take” and 2 live albums with the Power of God band. Chris’s corporate career was in human resources and recruiting, with international roles at Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. He recently retired from Selkirk Sport (We Are Pickleball) and has returned to his roots in the music business.
With a piano style influenced by the greats of Chicago blues and Texas Boogie, Wendy DeWitt performs at festivals and leads workshops and master classes around the US, Caribbean and Europe. She toured with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters—seeing first-hand the evolution of blues to rock ‘n’ roll, and has performed with Joe Lewis Walker, Big Time Sarah, Otis Rush and Steve Freund.
DeWitt relocated to Ukiah in 2015 with her husband/drummer Kirk Harwood, and is finishing her college degree, writing a column for Backstage Magazine and hosting Blues Piano Orgy on KZYX. She holds the position of Musician for California State Grange, served as Vice President of the Golden Gate Blues Society, and was responsible for major funding of the Society’s Musician’s Relief Fund. As a producer Wendy presented Queens of Boogie Woogie, International Boogie Woogie Festival, Blues Piano Orgy and Night of the Living Piano. She has served as a judge at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN and is a voting member of NARAS.
“Spencer played something classical one year, didn’t he?” “Je Compris?” says MacDougall.
“Excuse me. Who did that piece first? I did,” Reinhart emphasizes.
Spencer Brewer: A Storyteller Through Music
Which brings us to Spencer Brewer—a storyteller creating tales through musical compositions and imaginative assemblage art sculptures. As a composer, pianist, artist and producer, Brewer has inspired audiences for decades with his piano prowess, stories and haunting melodies. His music has been featured on Home Alone 2, LA Law, Sex & the City, Thirty Something, The Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters Shows, over 15 years of Olympic World games, NPR, CNN, and hundreds of television programs and films worldwide. Brewer wrote the National YMCA theme song, the National Big Brothers/Big Sisters Theme Song, the theme song for the Japanese Postal Service, and scored Lee Mun Wah’s award-winning films on racism. His latest musical release, “Behind the Veil” is a compilation of musical experiences, artistic endeavor and subtle mystery.
Along with 15 solo and duet albums, Brewer’s #1 hit records, “The Pipers Rhythm” and “Dorians Legacy,” lodged in Billboard’s Top 10 charts. He and his wife Esther hold monthly assemblage camps at their studio, where participants enjoy a day making assemblage art or “painting with objects.”
“Over the years, we’ve featured between 30 to 35 pianists at these events,” Brewer notes.
“The good luck about music is that we can’t kill anyone,” smiles de Valle.
“Just because you can’t kill with music doesn’t mean we can’t try,” Reinhart grins.
Archives of previous concerts are available through the Ukiah Community Concert Association.
The Mendocino College Center Theatre is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road. Autographed CDs, music, and books by the artists will be available for purchase. Event proceeds benefit the Ukiah Community Concert Association, Mendocino College Recording Arts Club, and the Allegro Scholarship Program. Tickets are available at Mendocino Book Company, Mazahar (Willits), and online at www.UkiahConcerts.org or https://ukiahcommunityconcertassociation.thundertix.com/
For more information, phone (707) 463-2738.