Dino Kartsonakis (born July 20, 1942) is an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

heritage. He is known for his arrangements of religious music for the piano.

Biography

Dino was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and attended Glad Tidings Tabernacle. He began playing his grandmother's piano at the age of three. The first song he learned was ''At the Cross''. He enrolled in piano lessons at age five. Dino received his professional training at The King's College as well as the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

of Music. For many years he served as pianist for evangelist

Kathryn Kuhlman Kathryn Kuhlman (May 9, 1907 - February 20, 1976) was an American evangelist who is best known as a 'faith healer' who hosted healing services. Early and personal life Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was born near Concordia, Missouri to German-American ...

. Dino traveled extensively and produced well over 50 recordings on his own as well as mainstream labels. He has worked with various other evangelists. Dino hosted two television shows: the "Dino and Debby Show" in the 1970s with his first wife Deborah Keener, and "The Dino Show" which aired on the former

Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...

. Dino described his style as combining the classical and the sacred. His technique has been described as fluid and brilliant and he has been termed the "Christian Liberace" because of his flair, costumes, pianos and jewelry. Many of his works are religious-based or contemporary arrangements of classical works. Dino also performed in his own show in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postma ...

. Among his accomplishments is production of what is known as the "Peace Series", a collection of CDs featuring more subdued piano arrangements against a backdrop of nature sounds. Dino performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

December 15, 2005. He participated in an auction benefiting Music Cares, a charitable organization that helps struggling musicians and entertainers. Dino received a participation

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 1999 for his work on the soundtrack of the movie

The Apostle ''The Apostle'' is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Robert Duvall, who stars in the title role. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Walton Goggins, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, Miranda Richardson, and Billy Joe Shaver also ...

Personal life

In 1974, Dino married his first wife, Grammy Award nominee Deborah Keener, and together they have a daughter, Christina (who is an accomplished and well known composer, songwriter, producer and has conducted at Carnegie Hall). After touring as Dino & Debby, the two divorced in 1981. In 1986, Dino married his second and current wife, Cheryl, who is the sister of the late pastor and

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

singer,

Gary McSpadden Gary McSpadden (January 26, 1943 – April 15, 2020) was an American pastor, singer, songwriter, record producer, television host and motivational speaker. He had musical roots in quartet music and Southern gospel with Statesmen quartet, The Sta ...

, formerly of

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

and the

Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...

. Cheryl has a daughter from a previous marriage. In 2007 Dino and Cheryl opened a bakery in

Branson, MO Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, post ...

called Dino's Cake & Coffee Co. (formerly Dino's 24 Karrot Cake Company). Dino remarked that baking was his passion second only to performing his music. They are a major supplier to the

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...

stores and cafés. In 2011 Dino and his wife Cheryl lost their home during a flood in the Branson, Missouri area. Dino lost all of his possessions such as his grand show pianos as well as all of his costumes, industry memorabilia and awards. The Kartsonakis' then started helping the community by doing fundraising concerts to help other victims rebuild their lives and homes.

GMA awards

Eight

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...

: *1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986: Instrumentalist of the YearDove Award Recipients for Instrumentalist
". Published by the

. Retrieved November 15, 2006. *1993, 1996: Instrumental Album of the YearDove Award Recipients for Instrumental Album
". Published by the

. Retrieved November 15, 2006.

Discography

*1963: ''No Greater Love'' *1964: ''Your Requests'' *1969: ''The Greatest of Miracles'' *1970: ''Reflections of Dino'' *1972: ''Kathryn Kuhlman Presents Dino'' *1972: ''Christmas with Dino Playing Your Favorite Carols'' *1973: ''The Miracle with David Rose'' *1973: ''Alleluia'' *1973: ''With Love from Dino'' *1974: ''Dino Plays Folk Musical Themes'' *1974: ''He Touched Me'' *1975: ''My Tribute'' *1975: ''A Salute to the United States of America'' *1976: ''Dino on Tour'' *1977: ''Dino Plays Classic Country'' *1978: ''Love Song'' *1979: ''Just Piano Praise'' *1979: ''Rise Again'' *1980: ''Rush Hour'' *1981: ''Just Piano Praise II'' *1982: ''Encore'' *1983: ''Just Piano Praise III'' *1983: ''Chariots of Fire'' (Dino's only

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nomination for Best Gospel Performance, Male). *1983: ''Majesty'' *1984: ''A Christmas Gift of Love'' *1984: ''Great is the Lord'' *1985: ''Regal Reign'' *1986: ''A Place For Us'' *1987: ''A Piano Portrait'' *1987: ''A Wonderful Time of the Year'' *1988: ''Dino Kartsonakis'' *1989: ''Peace in the Midst of the Storm'' *1990: ''All Creation Sings'' *1991: ''Majestic Peace'' *1992: ''Christmas...A Time For Peace'' *1992: ''Somewhere in Time'' *1993: ''Rhythm of Peace'' *1994: ''Miracles'' *1995: ''Classical Peace'' *1996: ''Quiet Time'' *1997: ''Moonlight Sonata'' *1997: ''The Apostle Soundtrack'' *1997: ''The Lord's Prayer'' *1997: ''Unforgettable'' *1998: ''A Christmas Celebration'' *1999: ''Quiet Romance'' *2000: ''Quiet Inspiration'' *2002: ''Somewhere in Christmastime'' *2007: ''Birthday of the King''

Compilations

*1976: ''Christmas with Dino'' *1985: ''Encore'' *1998: ''Dino Collector's Series'' *2007: ''Sacred Piano Hymns''

Video

*1987: ''A Concert Spectacular'' *1998: ''Music For All Time'' *2000: ''Christmas Extravaganza'' *2002: ''Easter Spring Spectacular'' *2007: ''Birthday of the King''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kartsonakis, Dino American television evangelists American performers of Christian music Living people 1942 births Grammy Award winners Performers of contemporary Christian music People from Branson, Missouri Musicians from New York City Juilliard School alumni American people of Greek descent