Denis D'Aoust (pronounced deh-NEE dah-OO) is a pianist / organist / vocalist / composer / arranger / producer with an extensive repertoire.  His natural talents cover a wide range of playing styles, from quiet cocktail-style piano to interpretive jazz to rock & swing dance music.  He has a vibrant yet soothing singing voice, and can call up years of hits including the best of Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Billy Joel, Mel Torme, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, Errol Garner, Duke Ellington—a broad array of selections that cover Contemporary Pop, Standards, Musicals, Jazz, Blues and Rock.  Along with English, his repertoire includes songs in Spanish and French.  In any setting, he's seldom stumped by requests for specific pieces of music, drawing on his natural music talent to perform anything he’s ever heard.

Denis can perform in varied formats:
·      Acoustic piano
·      Acoustic piano with bass pedals and a state-of-the-art      digital rhythm programmer
·      Portable piano (Korg-S500), a digital wonder that      allows him—as a single performer—to virtually sound    like a trio or even a small band.
·      Multi-manual pipe and electric organs

The wide variety of music he performs is ideal for wedding ceremonies and receptions, private parties, clubs, restaurants, hotels, as well as discrete background piano for corporate functions, dinners or banquets.  His natural musical talents, along with his ability to play anything he’s ever heard, make him a perfect backup keyboardist for any kind of band or studio ensemble.  His years of experience in recording studios have given him the expertise needed to create integrated arrangements and to do studio production work using the latest techniques, including computerized digital editing.

When growing up in Ottawa, Canada, Denis’ natural musical talents came to light early.  At age five, his parents put a big accordion into his small hands and that signaled the beginning of his musical career.  At age twelve, he took on a larger keyboard by learning to play the organ.  This sowed the seeds not only for his future piano and keyboard career, but the skills he learned in using his left foot on the organ's foot pedals are now the same skills he uses to accompany his piano and keyboard work with electronic bass pedals. This bass work, along with rhythms from a digital drum machine, allow him to sound like multiple performers.

At age 16 he began playing Hammond organ in a band called The Hawks, while also playing the organ for church services and solo horn in a drum corps. Two years later, he was playing in a soul band called The Sheltered Souls, adding electric piano to the Hammond.  During his teens, Denis had the honor of playing solo organ for the Governor General of Canada. As a member of The Sheltered Souls, he performed for Queen Elizabeth II of England at a Canada Day celebration. While working as a graphic designer for Environment Canada, Denis kept his artist’s hands busy playing organ and singing for local bands. In addition, he was a member of the George White Orchestra, a 12-piece dance band.  Later he formed a small band of his own, The Denis D’Aoust Ensemble, which was a popular choice for parties and corporate functions in Ottawa.

The early eighties marked the beginning of Denis’ career as a songwriter, at the same time as he shifted his musical talents to acoustic piano.  His first long-term engagement as a solo pianist and vocalist was as featured entertainer in the Rendezvous Lounge of Ottawa’s Skyline Hotel (now the Crowne Plaza) for five years.

After moving to Toronto in 1986, Denis attracted crowds at the Terrace Lounge in the Four Seasons Inn On The Park Hotel for ten years.  He then moved downtown to Toronto’s prestigious Sutton Place Hotel where, for over four years, he was the house entertainer in the hotel's popular and elegant Accents Lounge.  International celebrities like Sharon Stone, Jimmy Smits, Pat Morita, Gary Busey and Neil Sedaka—in town shooting films or on concert tours—dropped in regularly to enjoy Denis’ music.

Denis also delighted listeners at numerous corporate functions for IBM, Ford of Canada, Chrysler Corporation, Royal Bank of Canada, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Ottawa and Toronto.  He was a popular choice for wedding ceremonies & receptions and bar & bat mitzvahs, and he was in demand for private functions including a party at the home of the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays. Denis has appeared on network television as a solo act and as part of a group.

While entertaining during the evenings, Denis spent his days engineering, arranging and producing music for various musical performers, as well as his own material, in his August Night Music studio.  During this time he continued writing songs, releasing his first singles "You Came Along" and "Too Many Yesterdays" in 1988, both of which garnered international air play.  A Spanish version of "Too Many Yesterdays" was chosen to be recorded by a leading South American recording artist under the title of "Amar Sin Hablar."

During these years Denis expanded his musical horizons. He worked on a full range of independent and major-label music projects, wrote "jingles" for radio and television, and provided his producing and vocal talents for Kidcircle, Inc. and Warner Music children’s multi-media educational projects.  He also did "voiceovers" and produced music and sound effects for Les Editions Hurtubise, a French publishing company.

In 2000, Denis released two CDs—Early Rain and Songs In The Key To My Heart—all of which he arranged and produced.  He returned to the Terrace Lounge at Toronto's Inn On The Park Hotel where he delighted audiences three nights a week.  That same year, he was asked to be a judge in the Best Producer category at the Juno Awards, Canada’s equivalent of the U.S.’s Grammy Awards.  During these years, he continued engineering and producing music in his August Night Music studio.

For six months in 2002, Denis was the entertainer aboard an exclusive small French luxury cruise ship, Le Levant. His soothing instrumentals provided background music during the daily cocktail hour, while the after-dinner guests enjoyed relaxing and dancing to his wide repertoire of songs.

Over the 2002-2003 holiday period, Denis completed a two-month exclusive engagement at the famed Carlton Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland.  This elegant resort village, one of the world’s premier ski resorts, draws an international array of visitors.  Denis’ fluency in French and Spanish delighted this sophisticated clientele, and his natural ability to play anything he’s ever heard allowed him to provide a wide array of entertainment to guests from many countries. 

After Switzerland, Denis moved to the San Francisco Bay area where he continues to sing, play piano & keyboards, and entertain with his accordion (listen here).  He also composes, arranges and produces music for independent artists and  special projects (see & hear samples on his Studio Works page).

Stefanie Herzer Photography

Denis has delighted the crowds at New Year's Eve galas at the famed Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach, has performed for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other notables, and won accolades when he played in Las Vegas.  He regularly entertains at corporate functions, provides customized music for wedding ceremonies & receptions, and is in demand for numerous private parties throughout the Bay Area, northern California ... and beyond!