Daniel Lockert

Daniel Lockert is a multi-talented pianist/collaborator, organist and harpsichordist, beginning his piano studies at the age of five. He received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with a minor in organ from Loma Linda University. Following were studies for an advanced degree at the University of Southern California in the specialized area of accompanying, studying with the renowned pedagogue Gwendolyn Koldofsky who was the pioneer in the field of accompanying and the pedagogue to many distinguished accompanists.

Daniel was honored as the only American finalist at the first International Accompanying Competition held in Den Haag, the Netherlands. In his role as pianist/collaborator, his wide-ranging career has taken him around the globe, playing throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. He has been praised for exhibiting a strong sense of rhythm, lovely variety of touches, and a convincing sense of historical style.

Daniel has partnered with many notable singers past and present of the Metropolitan Opera, including Deborah Voigt, Enrico di Giuseppe, Brenda Boozer, and Canadian mezzo-soprano Janice Taylor. He has performed in recital all over the US with baritone Christópheren Nomura. His chamber music performances have included appearances with the Alexander String Quartet among others. Other noteworthy collaborations have included Nathaniel Webster, Angelina Reaux, David Gordon, Catherine Robbin and cellist Gary Hoffmann in addition to jazz singer Luciana Souza. And, he has been paired with a number of distinguished conductors including the late Sir David Willcocks and William Hall. Following one of his many recital appearances, it was stated in a Los Angeles Times’ review that “Daniel Lockert was the expert pianist of the occasion; his sensitive and authoritative playing matched in every way the level of the singing.”

In his role as coach and teacher, he has been on several faculties including the Juilliard School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University, Cal State University East Bay, Notre Dame de Namur University, Holy Names University and Santa Clara University. He has also served on the coaching staff at the San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Presently, he is bass section leader and assistant organist at First Congregational church of Palo Alto, CA and pianist/organist at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA. Additionally, he accompanies the Ashmolean Chorus of Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, CA.

Daniel Lockert, pianist, was born in San Diego, California, where he began his piano studies at the age of five. After receiving his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with a minor in Organ from Loma Linda University, he attended the University of Southern California. It was there that he was awarded an advanced degree in the specialized area of accompanying, studying with the renowned Gwendolyn Koldofsky, the pioneer teacher in the field of accompanying and the pedagogue to many distinguished accompanists. While at USC, he also studied instrumental accompanying with Brooks Smith, accompanist to Jascha Heifeitz and Jenny Tourel.

In his role as coach and teacher, Daniel has been on the staffs and faculties of the Juilliard School, the San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, the Aspen Music Festival, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University, Cal State East Bay, Notre Dame de Namur University, Holy Names University, Mills College and Santa Clara University.

He has been the musical director for many shows and theatrical productions, including I Do! I Do! and Fiddler on the Roof, both in Los Angeles and New York. Daniel has a particular passion for Stephen Sondheim, and has had the opportunity to be the musical director for several Sondheim reviews at the Marin Theatre Company, including Summer Nights of Sondheim, Side by Side by Sondheim, and You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow. For the Pleasanton Children’s Theatre, he musically directed Into the Woods as well as at Notre Dame de Namur University. For the same university he musically directed The Light in the Piazza and Mama Mia. For the main stage at Marin Theatre Company he made his conducting debut with Sondheim’s Company directed by the late Albert Takazaukus. Since then, he has musically directed and accompanied several shows for their “Words and Music” series, including Love is in the Air, Pure Gershwin, Bernstein on Broadway, September Song, the Great Broadway-Sing-a-Long, a Berlin Kabarett with soprano Angelina Reaux and Frostiana by Randall Thompson, conducted by Daniel’s wife, Jenny Matteucci. . For the same company he collaborated on a 2-piano version of Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark. For the San Francisco Performances series, “Salons at the Hotel Rex”, he performed a recital of the solo piano pieces of George Gershwin. In 2005, Daniel musically directed and performed with some of the Bay Area’s leading musical theatre and cabaret performers, including Lisa Vroman, in a 75th birthday celebration for Stephen Sondheim. The live concert, Simply Sondheim, has been recorded and is available on i-tunes.

He has collaborated with noted composer Craig Bohmler on several productions: for the Willows Theatre he assisted the composer on Mountain Days: the John Muir Musical, performed at the Concord Pavillion and for the San Jose Repertory Theatre, Bohmler’s the Haunting of Winchester. In addition, he was music director for Bohmler’s Enter the Guardsman, which was performed aboard the cruise ship QE2. (Subsequently, Mr. Lockert developed and directed a Broadway review, also featured on this cruise line.) Most recently, Mr. Lockert was music director for a staged reading of Bohmler’s All the More to Love, the real life story of the “colorful” dress shop of the same name, formerly owned by Daniel’s wife, Jenny Matteucci.

Daniel has taught and coached students for special Sondheim projects at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has been a vocal coach for the summer Music Theatre Conservatory at Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, CA.

Daniel is active as a cabaret pianist and singer, having collaborated with many San Francisco Bay area performers at the former Plush Room, the New Conservatory theater, 42nd Street Moon, Martuni’s, Society Cabaret (SF and San Jose) and Feinstein’s. With his wife, Jenny Matteucci, they perform and sing together as the Mattlock Duo with music ranging from Fats Waller to Ricky Ian Gordon.

As a soloist or collaborator, Daniel Lockert is equally versatile on the piano, organ and harpsichord. A native of San Diego, CA, he began formal piano studies at the age of five. Throughout high school, he exclusively studied the organ. After getting his Bachelor’s in Piano Performance and a minor in organ from Loma Linda University, he attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and obtained an advanced degree in the specialized field of Accompanying, studying with the originator of the field, the renowned Gwendolyn Koldolfsky. While at USC, he also studied instrumental accompanying with Brooks Smith, accompanist to Jascha Heifeitz and Jenny Tourel.

Daniel was honored as the only American finalist at the first International Accompanying Competition held in Den Haag, the Netherlands. In his role as pianist/collaborator, his wide ranging career has taken him around the globe, playing throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. He has been praised for exhibiting a strong sense of rhythm, lovely variety of touches, and a convincing sense of historical style.

Daniel has partnered with many notable singers past and present of the Metropolitan Opera including Enrico di Giuseppe, Brenda Boozer, Janice Taylor and Deborah Voigt. He has teamed with singers Christópheren Nomura, Nathaniel Webster and Angelina Reaux in numerous concerts around the country. His chamber music performances have included appearances with the Alexander String Quartet, cellist Gary Hoffman and Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Sousa. He produced and directed a Schubertiade series for San Francisco Performances at the Rex Hotel. For the same organization’s “Salons at the Rex” Daniel performed a recital of the solo piano pieces of George Gershwin. Mr. Lockert has also paired with a number of distinguished choral conductors including the late Sir David Willcocks and William Hall. Following one of his many recital appearances, it was stated in a Los Angeles Times’ review that “Daniel Lockert was the expert pianist of the occasion; his sensitive and authoritative playing matched in every way the level of the singing.”

Daniel has been the musical director for many shows and theatrical productions, including I Do! I Do!, Fiddler on the Roof, Side by Side by Sondheim, You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow, Company, Into the Woods (twice), the Light in the Piazza and Mama Mia. He has been associated with several of the musicals of composer Craig Bohmler, as music director or assisting the composer, in Mountain Days: the John Muir Musical, Enter the Guardsman (on the QE2 cruise ship), the Haunting of Winchester, and more recently All the More to Love. Daniel has accompanied numerous cabaret performances at the former Plush Room, the New Conservatory Theater, Society Cabaret, 42nd Street Moon, and the Marin Theater Company. As a cabaret artist, along with his wife Jenny Matteucci, they perform and sing together as the Mattlock Duo with music ranging from Fats Waller to Ricky Ian Gordon and Dominick Argento.

In his role as coach and teacher, Daniel has been on the staffs and faculties of the Juilliard School, the San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, the Aspen Music Festival, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Chapman College, Notre Dame de Namur University, Holy Names University, Cal State East Bay, Mills College, and Santa Clara University.

He is presently bass section leader and assistant organist at First Congregational church of Palo Alto, CA as well as pianist/organist at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA.