“As a pianist, Holt is the classical music equivalent of an extreme sports athlete.”

“...exceptional...”

“…a pianist who isn’t as famous as he ought to be.”

“Steeped in the avant-garde and joyfully curious about music in all its forms…Holt is known for his simultaneously insightful and whimsical interpretations of the classical concert experience…a performer to keep an eye on.””

“From Mike Garson’s “Homage to Chopin and Godowsky” to selected transcriptions of Radiohead and funky beats of techno etudes, he performed each selection with passion and grace, submerging himself into them. His hands worked fast and elegantly with the piano as his face reflected the mood of the songs. After every pause the audience could still feel and see him savoring the remnants of raw emotion from the works…He kept the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the concert, and even though the program sat in the laps of many, he had them wondering what would come next.”

“Meanwhile, among the local heroes, I would hazard the guess that the award for delivering the most notes-per-second among all recent virtuoso ventures might easily go to a slender chap named Danny Holt, who knocked ’em dead at the last Jacaranda concert with a performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Rudepoema a couple of Saturdays ago…Danny Holt, composer, improv artist and phenom, turned this virtually unplayable piece into huge entertainment.”

“…simply outstanding…The closing piece, British composer Graham Fitkin’s Relent, in its U.S. premiere…brought the audience—who had shrieked, shouted and whistled after many of the numbers—to its feet.”

“Brilliant…he attacks the instrument with verve.”

“Pianist Danny Holt has been blurring and bursting musical barriers for years.”

“Danny Holt aims to point out that serious music needn’t mean staid and tedious.”

“If his upcoming concert of classical music is met with a mosh pit, pianist Danny Holt wouldn’t mind at all.”

“An artistic maverick who isn’t afraid to tackle tradition.”

“Expect the unexpected.”

“Holt enthralled audiences with his interpretation of Lang’s ‘spartan arcs,’ a toccata-like piece that pulses from beginning to end with tantalizing serialist-like cycles.”

“Other Villa-Lobos had begun the program, the Rudepoema for solo piano, a continuous essay in irrational virtuosic demands…A slender, cool chap named Danny Holt mastered the daylights out of it…a phenomenal performance.”

“The four-hand piano Sacre blazed like a comet through the hall. Both illuminating and liberating, one could only stand mute at the work’s astounding musical structure… Vanhauwaert and Holt tore into this piece like furies, undeterred by daunting challenges…It was a performance at turns propulsive and precise, aggressive and tender. What aplomb these two demonstrated!”

“Danny Holt is a performing artist who takes great care in packaging likable music to timid audiences. He is not a secluded genius tinkering at horrible noises for a possible alien future where people will learn to love horrible noises…He is wild & fun, & his taste always steers him towards music that can showcase his playful playing & deepest emotions. Style, tho, is what really sets him apart from other “emerging concert pianists” – his background in percussion and composition has left him with superior skills at playing difficult rhythms with precision, & everything always with crisp cleanliness. …Everything about Mr Holt’s approach to classical piano music is alive – his composers are alive and paying attention, his playing is full of life, and his audience is awake.”

“…an absolutely committed, heroically still performance by pianist Danny Holt [of Markus Trunk’s Leaflet]”