Bio: Jason Tonioli
New Age pianist Jason Tonioli (pronounced: toe-knee-oh-lee) was born in 1979 and raised in Soda Springs, Idaho and Roy, Utah. He started piano lessons when he was in Kindergarten and enjoyed practicing for the first year. Throughout his school years he disliked practicing (however, he did enjoy the fact that girls like a guy who can play piano). His piano skills are a product of excellent teachers and a mother who wouldn’t let him quit lessons. If it weren’t for a mother who won the “piano war” with her son, he would have never recorded or written music.
Jason always enjoyed playing piano as long as he could play what he wanted, the way he wanted. When practicing, he would often play part of what Mozart, Beethoven or Rachmaninoff had written and part what he made up while playing. His mother and teacher often looked down upon changing what was written and always told him that when he started writing his own music, he could write and play the way “he thought” it should be done. He was influenced by Yanni, Enya, Jim Brickman, Jon Schmidt (a.k.a. The Piano Guys) and Paul Cardall.
Jason has recorded his albums at Big Idea Studio in Sandy, Utah with the help of Chuck E. Meyers and Jake Bowen who are well known for producing video game music for PlayStation as well as Disney Pixar. Jason has self published 8 albums and 8 piano solo books. He has also provided music for the popular TV documentary, History of the Saints as well as many other online video productions.
Jason has typically been known for his solo piano work and piano solo hymn arrangements, LDS Piano Solos and Christmas piano solos, but in 2017 he collaborated with 3 of the former lead singers (Alex Sharpe, Lynn Hilary, Edele Murphy and Lisa Nolan) from the groups Celtic Woman and Riverdance to produce two albums of hymn arrangements that feature vocals with his arrangements.
In 2018 he collaborated with violinist John Knudson to publish an album of original compositions entitled “Finding Peace” in Fall of 2018. John spent 18 years on the east coast performing with many symphonies as well as backing up hundreds of famous rock and pop bands, including Bon Jovi, Bill Joel, Aretha Franklin, and many more. John has performed at the Presidential Inauguration for President Bush, Clinton, and Obama.
When Jason isn’t playing piano he is also a well known thought leader in the banking industry, runs a record label “Aingeal Music Worldwide” is one of the founders of the tour company Amazing Vacations Costa Rica and Travel Agency Amazing Vacations USA. His Costa Rica team specializes in planning family and group trips in Costa Rica that focus on Adventure, Culture, Humanitarian and Educational tours. His travel agency focuses on helping families and groups plan cruises, Disney trips and other adventure vacations to all parts of the world.
Most important of all, he is a full time dad with four amazing kids and his amazing wife Stacy.
A Note from Jason for Mothers and Piano Students
“When you play my music, have fun with it. If you don’t like the way a note sounds, go ahead and change it. Play it the way you think it should sound. I’m ok with that and promise not to come out of my grave to haunt you if you do. However, I do caution you to be careful when changing any dead composer’s music, like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc. They have been known to roll over in their graves and haunt anyone who changes their music; they have been known to roll over in their graves and even emerge from them to haunt the musicians who change their music.”
“To any piano student who has wanted to quit lessons (probably several of you): DON’T QUIT! You’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Your teacher and parents really do know what they are talking about when they tell you you’ll be glad you kept taking lessons. (Remember, this is coming from someone who told his mom he hated piano for years.) Stick it out and keep practicing. I promise you, you’ll be glad you did, and when you get older you’ll thank your parents and teachers for not letting you give up.”
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