Songs without words

The lights go down and the auditorium goes silent as the curtains open to reveal composer and pianist, David Leighton.

Leighton was invited by Temple Beth Shalom of Ocala to perform a piano concert at the CFCC Fine Arts Auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 9.

Beth Mueller, Leighton's sister, invited her brother to come to Ocala to perform as a fundraiser for the Temple last year. The concert was such a success that a repeat performance was held.

Mueller opened for her brother expressing her thanks to the Temple for allowing her brother to do what he is passionate about.

"David loves piano, and he loves to play it even more." Mueller said. "He loves to inspire music in others."

Leighton, who played a variety of pieces from classical Beethoven to contemporary pieces like "The Entertainer", has been a working classical musician since he was 22.

Leighton began as assistant chorus master for the Metropolitan Opera and continued on to work in several other places including the Dallas Opera and the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany.

Currently the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra in New York, Leighton is trained in both classical and contemporary styles.

Leighton began his performance by discussing the titles of the works he was about to play. He explained that while some had literal meanings that many titles are "to get you to dream."

"Piano pieces are songs without words," Leighton said.

Many of the 200 or so attendees were members of the Temple, but a large part of the audience was not affiliated with the synagogue at all.

Patrick Deglaris, 16, a student at Trinity Catholic School came with his parents and had no idea that the event was hosted by the Temple. A musician himself, he said that he was impressed by Leighton's talent.

"It's not only understanding what you're doing," Deglaris said. "Even just the memorization, it would take me weeks to get a part of a song done."

After Leighton finished his last song of the night, "Rhapsody in Blue", and walked off the stage, the crowd cheered him back to the piano for an encore performance. Leighton obliged by playing one more piece, a selection by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Many in the crowd, including Sandra Gevin, 58, from the U.K., said that the performance was worth braving the freezing temperatures that evening. Gevin and her husband have a house in Summerfield, and spend their winters in Florida.

"We came last year too and we enjoyed it so much," Gevin said. "When we knew it was happening again we said we would like to come again."

Gevin said that she and her husband were invited to Leighton's concert last year by friends who knew Leighton's sister.

"He is so talented," Gevin said. "It is just so enjoyable."