LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A broad range of musical styles on the keyboard will be presented at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre on March 24 by six well-known professional pianists from the region.  

Musicians will combine their talent and years of experience to benefit fundraising efforts for the arts and education in Lake County.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is partnering with the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College to sponsor the second annual Professional Pianists Concert.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a no-host reception, followed by the concert at 7 p.m.

Lake County artists Tom Aiken, Tom Ganoung and David Neft will be joined by performers Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova and Elizabeth MacDougall from Mendocino County.  

The concert will feature all the pianists on stage throughout the evening as they trade stories and play musical selections that range from classical to jazz, boogie woogie to Cuban.

Tickets are $25 for regular reserved and $30 for special reserved and may be purchased at the box office on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by phone to 707-263-0577.

The Soper-Reese is located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, also sells tickets, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

Major sponsors and friends supporting this concert are Mendo Lake Credit Union, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Lincoln Leavitt Insurance, Bruno’s Property Management, Wildhurst Vineyards, Strong Financial Network, John H. Tomkins Tax Consultants, Peggy Campbell CPA, Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka, Cameron and Sharon Reeves, Jim and Wilda Shock, Pat and Lori McGuire and Pam Scully of Lakeport Furniture.

About the musicians

Tom Aiken

In obtaining his master’s degree with honors in music from California State University, Chico, Tom Aiken studied organ and harpsichord concentrating on music written before 1750 and the works of JS Bach.  

His graduate work was in baroque performance practices and music theory. While working on his classical studies he became fascinated by improvised music and jazz.

The long-time instrumental and vocal music instructor in the Kelseyville schools, Aiken is retired and enjoys performing and volunteering in the community.

Spencer Brewer

For more than three decades, Spencer Brewer has been a composer-pianist-producer on the cutting edge of instrumental music, inspiring audiences worldwide with his piano skills and unique melodies.

His music has been featured on virtually every television and radio station in the world.

Brewer wrote the national theme songs for the YMCA and Big Brothers/Big Sisters and contributed music for the feature film, “Heartwood,” among others.  

As a local community producer, he has helped organize hundreds of successful local events, including the popular Sundays in the Park in Ukiah.  

From his Laughing Coyote recording studio in Redwood Valley, he has recorded hundreds of artists, film scores and radio commercials.

Elena Casanova

Cuban-born Elena Casanova has a passion for her native music.

For most of her life, she has been bringing the soul of the Cuban Masters to audiences across this country.  

She studied at the Alejandro Garcia Caturla Music Conservatory in Havana, the San Francisco Conservatory, Pacific Union College, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Redlands.  

Casanova’s projects include composing the score for “Still Life,” a short film that was accepted into the Cannes Short Film Festival.  

She often performs as a soloist with the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra.

Tom Ganoung

Tom Ganoung is an active performer (concert stage, weddings, social events) and instructor in both Lake and Mendocino counties.  

He has been teaching, composing, recording and performing since arriving in Lake County in 1988.

His work with the Ukiah School of Music and the Allegro Scholarship Program benefits gifted and talented musicians.  

Ganoung has recorded with other local composers and pianists, and performs with the Lake County Symphony Orchestra.

Elizabeth MacDougall

Ukiah native Elizabeth MacDougall has been teaching piano at Mendocino College since 1985. She received her bachelor of music in piano performance and her master of music in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of the Pacific.

MacDougall has studied piano with and been coached by outstanding master instructors.

Her first CD, “New Perspective,” features her exquisitely-performed works of Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, Mozart and Bach.

David Neft

David Neft toured the western United States and Canada as a member of “Syndicate of Sound,” a Bay area rock band, and has opened for BB King, the Steve Miller Band, the Temptations and Tower of Power.  

He has a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from Cal State East Bay (Hayward).  

Neft jumped on a piano stool at the age of seven and has been steadily working on his keyboard skills ever since. He was an original member of “Bill Noteman and the Rockets.”  

As a solo pianist performing at special events, he specializes in classic songs from the 1920s to 1960s.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is a restored performing arts venue that seats 300 patrons and is operated by an all-volunteer management team under the auspices of the Lake County Arts Council.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, an affiliate of the Mendocino College Foundation, supports the College and its Lake Center in educating leaders, fostering intellectual growth and enriching lives by creating opportunities to invest in a better future for our students and communities.