Prairie View A&M University Endowed Professor of Fine Arts Danny R. Kelley ’65, D.M.A., started playing the piano at, believe it or not, age 2 and has not since stopped.
Without any formal training, the young Dr. Kelley would play tunes he heard on the radio on the piano, which his parents bought for his older sister. And, to their family’s surprise, not just random notes here and there but complete melodies with full chords and accurate rhythms.
“Music is my inborn talent, given to me, I suppose, by the Almighty, upon conception,” Kelley mused. “No instruction, just the talent that became evident. It was a God-given talent.”
Since his parents started him on piano lessons when he was 5, he kept up with them until he completed his doctoral studies. “I always knew I wanted to become a professional musician,” he said. “From a very young age, I always dreamed of performing recitals and performing with orchestras. And I have been blessed to have had the opportunities to do just that, in addition to teaching. Those have been my passions.”
Music is what brought Kelley back to Prairie View A&M in 1978 after graduating, about ten years earlier, magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in music, specifically piano performance. Upon graduation, Kelley maintained connections with the University, returning at times for various performances.
Once he completed his military obligation and doctoral courses, he was invited back as faculty by then-University President Alvin I. Thomas. “I’ve always maintained an interest in this great University and really wanted to be a part of its history-making,” Kelley said. “I have never been disappointed in my decision to return to my alma mater. It has afforded me many valuable opportunities.”
After he joined the faculty as part of the Department of Music, Kelley served as the dean of the Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences before he was appointed to the endowed professorship in 2020. Previously, he taught at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Peabody Preparatory.
“Music is my inborn talent, given to me, I suppose, by the Almighty, upon conception.”
“Music is my inborn talent, given to me, I suppose, by the Almighty, upon conception.”
Prior to PVAMU, Kelley taught piano and theoretical skills for 17 years. He is thankful for his musical mentors, all great performers: Albert Hirsh, Walter Hautzig, and Leon Fleisher. Kelley credits his professors at Prairie View and a childhood piano teacher from his hometown with fine-tuning his fundamental skills that prepared the stage for his career in piano, and he endeavors to do likewise.
He hopes to impart an appreciation for music in his audience as in his students, calling music “a lifelong experience.”
As the Endowed Professor of Fine Arts, Kelley feels a bigger purpose. “The fine arts are central to the education of everyone. I cannot imagine producing graduates from any university who have not had an exposure to the arts,” he said. “The fine arts complete the education. They round out humanity’s purpose.”
As a classical musician, Kelley finds performing especially inspiring. “It is a marvelous music experience to perform in solo recitals, as well as with orchestras,” he said. “The thrill of learning music, memorizing it and ultimately presenting it to an audience is a special experience, very personalized.”
In his career, Kelley has played in hundreds of performances, including with the Houston Symphony, the Peabody Chamber Orchestra, and more. His recitals have taken him all over the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Caribbean, Germany and Poland.
To this day, Kelley plays the piano every day. “It is a joy, as it has always been. Music is who I am.”