David Rosenthal’s illustrious talents and ambitions have propelled him to the pinnacle of the modern music world since his graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston.  Top Ten Singles, Grammy Nominations, and World Tours with names like Billy Joel and Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Enrique Iglesias, Robert Palmer, Cyndi Lauper and many others.  For most folks, a dream of unobtainable proportion and for Dave, well, merely a few “BUCKET LIST WISHES” he’s been able to check-off on his Keyboardist, Orchestrator, and Synth Programmer’s to-do list.

David also shares his passion for music through education; giving lectures at universities and music industry seminars, and more recently, the release of his DVD, “Building Your Music Career.”

Elton John, Dave Rosenthal, Billy Joel

One might argue that David Rosenthal has done it all in terms of professional achievements, and in the opinion of Ferro Productions, that argument would hold up in even the highest court of law.  That being said… let’s take a look at where it all began.  How does a young boy with an interest in music end up touring the globe with Billy Joel on the world’s biggest stages?  Let’s rewind the clocks and take an exclusive behind the scenes look at David Rosenthal’s path to success…

“I started playing when I was seven.  I asked my parents for a piano, I don’t know why.  They told me no, that pianos were too expensive.  Weeks passed and I continued to ask my parents everyday for a piano, but still the same response.  Finally I decided to start saving my allowance money. Eventually, after eight weeks, I had saved two dollars.  I went back to my parents and asked ‘Will this help?’ They were so moved by my passion that they went and wrote that check for the piano, minus two dollars, and I gave the guy the rest of the money in my allowance quarters,” shares Dave.

At this point in time, a young David began taking piano lessons just like any other child would.  Unlike any other child, however, David was progressing at a rapid pace.  Mr. Rosenthal recalls his old piano teacher sitting down with him after a lesson and asking him how he was learning these songs so fast; insisting that there must be some sort of external source that would justify this phenomenal progress.  In his truest, most sincere fashion, David responded, ” I don’t know.  You tell me to play this, so I play it.  I don’t think it’s that hard.”

A few years passed and David started “getting more serious” and studying Classical Music.  Along with his astounding interest in the Classical genre, the twelve year old David was interested in Pop and Rock music, much like other adolescents. Although, unlike his peers, David was now playing in a band… with a group of seventeen and eighteen year-olds.  He was so young that his parents wouldn’t let him hang out or even practice with the band at any location other than their own home.  Nevertheless, David was jamming and loving life, all-the-while continuing on his quest to fulfill that burning desire in his heart to learn music.

Coming out of High School it was very apparent that David’s love for music would be punching his ticket to the future.  As previously mentioned, Mr. Rosenthal attended Boston’s Berklee School of Music.  While enrolled at Berklee, he completed an intricate, unimaginable TRIPLE MAJOR in Audio Recording, Electronic Music, and Piano Performance.   As if David’s list of accomplishments wasn’t monumental enough by the time he graduated, he was about to make his resume sexier than he ever thought possible.  In fact, he was about to join the club where there are no resumes needed, just sheer talent and reputation…

At the start of the 1980′s, Rainbow, headed by lead-guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, was one of the biggest names in Rock n’ Roll.    Mr. Blackmore happened to be mutual friends with a guy that David Rosenthal was a friend of, so when the band was auditioning for a new Keyboardist in 1981, David sent Ritchie a tape of his cover band and some classical piano pieces and subsequently received an invitation to try-out for the band.

 Mr. Rosenthal recalls showing up for the audition, not knowing what to expect.  “I showed up and Ritchie wanted me to play his equipment.  I had never played any of those keyboards before, but we just jammed, and I did well.  When I got the call back saying it was between me and one other guy and that I had to come in for another audition the next night, I quickly found a Sam Ash in Long Island with a Mini Moog and I played around with it all day until I went to the audition.  I wanted to get an edge any way I could, so I figured if I got to know the synth better I could go to the call-back and be able to do more with it than I had the day before.”  Needless to say, the twenty-year-old David got the gig and the rest is legitimate music history.

It’s always a pleasure working with a true professional like David Rosenthal.  David, like many others in the entertainment industry, always had a deep desire to keep learning and keep creating.  Remember: It’s not about the fame, or the money; rather, it’s about the love and the passion.

“Music chose me, I did not choose music.  There was no shade of grey for me.  This is what I do, period.  It all worked out for me but whether it did or didn’t work, I would still be doing what I do, and that is music.”

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