Profile by kirill zubaryev by Freestyle Academy

The Piano Man

A Profile on Dirk Damonte By Kirill Zubaryev

irk was born in California and grew up in Burlingame after his family moved there when he was fairly He felt his calling to be a Minister at the age of 16 when he attended camp. Since elementary school he had been playing on the piano.

he was and still is very passionate about it as it has always been very big part of his life. After graduating High School, he went on to college, where he realized he could use his piano skills to make a living through music. After realizing that, Dirk transferred schools and became a music major, that was where he met his wife, Carol.

After realizing that, Dirk transferred schools and became a music major, that was where he met his wife, Carol. About six years after they both got married, Dirk decided it was time for him to reignite his pursuit to become a Minister in the Methodist Church. He ended up getting a degree in ministry, music, and worship arts.

“I think the one thing that I know about life is everybody needs to have a Dirk. Somebody for them who inspires a who loves them who makes him feel full and rich and like they have something to offer the world someone to be in partnership with somebody who wants to create and make the world better and not everybody has that and everybody needs that whether it’s a mentor or a best friend or a partner that you’re working with whatever it is. Everybody needs a Dirk in their lives” -Carol Damonte

Fast forward 35 years after Dirk’s marriage. Dirk is happily married and has a son who is in his mid-early twenties. Dirk ended up becoming the director of Music and Worship Arts along with his wife and now they both work at the Los Altos United Methodist Church. Dirk also co-runs choir and makes music for them. He often ends up making music not only for the choir, but also for the mass at which he and his band play at every Sunday at 5pm.

“I think the greatest asset he has is that he is extremely humble. He does not need to bring focus to himself about the good things he does and he’s of a lot of pretty awesome and rich but it’s never about him and if you have a humble day it’s a pretty rare thing I think that’s probably his greatest asset.” (C. Damonte). Dirk is someone who can only be described as kind; he cares a lot about the people around him and about the things that he does. He has this aura of tranquility, knowledge and awareness around him that is very unique. He always seems to have the answer to any issue, any problem, He’s a type of person that you can easily connect with, he is very understanding and is more than willing to offer you advice or to lend you a hand. Many people not only describe him as a talented musician, but as someone who is kind and humble.

Dirk has been playing music for the vast majority of his life, starting all the way back in elementary school. His instrument of choice is the piano, but he also makes a lot of music through ProTools using not only the choir recording he has made with the church choir but also his band recordings and his piano recordings. Dirk tries to make his music slightly different than everything else out there. He was a fan of jazz when he was younger, and he says that is a big impact on his music. On top of what he uses to make his music, he also mixes in organ and guitar music to make it what it is today.

Dirk’s family is very fond of his music. His music is one of his greatest attributes and abilities. According to his wife “there are people who are born and can naturally do great things, and then there are people who work hard to do great things”, and to her, Dirk is both. Dirk’s ministry and way of life impacts the people around him in a very positive way, allowing him to better connect with people through it. If it wasn’t for music, Dirk wouldn’t have gotten into the Church. In a way, music gives purpose to Dirk; it has been part of his life so long that in a way he would be lost without it. Dirk’s music can be viewed as his anchor to earth but also as a pathway to God, a way for him to express his faith and his praise unto God.

“But he just he lives it, he breathes it, he touches a piano and everything just comes alive whether that’s in a way that’s calming or exhilarating or in a way that makes you feel something deeply.” (C. Damonte) Dirk grew up with the Methodist Church and has been part of it for the majority of his life. He feels that his expression of faith is very much conveyed through his music. Distinguishing between religion and faith is something few people are able to do. Americans today tend to believe that it is the same thing, but Dirk has a different perspective “Faith to me means my relationship with God. Religion is a means of expressing my faith but but the most important thing to me is my faith and my connection with God”. Religion and faith mean a lot to Dirk and his family, as it is one of the major threads that binds them all together. For example, Dirk and his wife both found each other through music and faith, they met at a chapel service. “We met in college in the music department and I actually met her at a chapel service so it’s kind of the religion and music thing working together and when we first got married we started working here and did youth choir at the did the children’s choir.”

Works Cited

[1] Damonte, Carol. “Interview 2.” Live interview. 23 Sept. 2015. [2] Damonte, Dirk. “Interview 1.” Live interview. 16 Sept. 2015. [3] Damonte, Dylan. “Interview 3.” Live interview. 30 Sept. 2015. [4] Harris, Alex, and Brett Harris. Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion against Low Expectations. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2008. Print.