Biography
Donald Neale is currently on the faculty of Columbia College where he teaches piano and directs the Latin Ensemble.
He is a much in-demand keyboardist, performing with a number of local blues, jazz, Latin and society bands, including blues legends Joe Kelly, Lynne Jordan, Cyrus “Harmonica” Hayes, Mexican superstar Nelson Ned, the Ken Gueno Septet, Central Standard Time, the Frontline Latin Jazz Ensemble, Sueños, La Confidencia, Orquesta Libertad, Conjunto, Nightshift Orchestra and the Dennis Keith Band. He toured with Dennis DeYoung (of Styx fame) and has played with a wide variety of artists and organizations such as Cerqua/Rivera Dance Theater, the Black Music Repertory Ensemble, the Springfield Ballet and Smokey Robinson. He currently plays with the High Society Orquestra and the Latin jazz group Crosswind. He has released two cd’s of solo piano music, For the Piano (1993) with compositions by Beethoven, Debussy and himself, and Pieces of Night (1998), piano music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and two discs of original chamber music with his group Lingua Musica entitled The Latin American Suites (2001) and One World, One Language (2003).
He began his study of the piano at the age of six and later studied classical guitar at the Cadek Conservatory of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga under the direction of Cuban master Mario Abril. He attended Northwestern University and although a math and physics major, he studied guitar with David Buch, composition with William Karlins, and jazz piano with renowned jazz educator Alan Swain.
Degrees