Linda Gentille, originally from Pacific Palisades California has resided in New Jersey for the past 17 years. In 1996, founded the South Jersey Academy of Music in Petersburg, New Jersey where she taught over 200 students a year in voice, piano, guitar, bass, music history and orchestral arrangement. As a professional touring musician, she gave a new professional musical prospective to her many students over the past decade. .

As a professional touring musician, Gentille has performed in over 30 US states, and 20 countries. She began her career with The Liberace Show as a teenager and quickly developed her own touring show. She performed on numerous television shows and became known as an international piano superstar in China. She holds the world record for performing more concerts in China than any foreign artist.

Gentille currently arranges music and performs with her own big band orchestra arrangements on luxury cruise lines and in performing arts centers across the United States. Gentille conducts and performs over 75 concerts each year with hundreds of different musicians nationwide. Her unique ability to adapt to various music styles from Classical to Jazz has made her a sought after concert act.

Her musical background stems from a long history of musicians in her family. Her great grandfather Albert Deal founded the first state Kentucky Orchestra. He was the leader of many orchestras and bands and later moved to Greenwood, Mississippi where he founded the local city orchestra. Her great grandmother, Anna Louise Deal was one of America’s first female published ragtime composers with numerous compositions to her record including the Chicago World’s Fair song in 1933 “ Come To Chicago.”

Although Gentille studied privately with James Kohfeld, Julliard graduate from Santa Monica, California, her grandparents writings and documents were instrumental in her orchestral arrangement study. Hundreds of orchestral arrangements were passed down through the generations to Gentille to use in her many concerts around the world.

In 1996, Gentille joined forces with Jim Yester, founding and lead singer of “ The Association.” Together they formed a group that would educate students about the dangers of illegal drug use. The group was called “ Say No Way.” They later molded the assembly programs to focus on the importance of American Music and it’s history. They took this program to over 100 schools nationwide during the past decade.

In 1997, Gentille was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to perform and lecture in their country. That was the first of over 14 tours that Gentille would make over the past decade. The first tour was so successful that they invited her for the next 10 consecutive years. She toured over 66 major cities in China, over 30 provinces and she performed in every major performing arts center around the country.

During Gentille’s numerous concert tours, she lectured at over 50 Music Palaces, the Chinese equivalent of a music conservatory. Her extensive musical background and linguistic ability opened numerous doors in the country. Gentille speaks and performs in 9 languages including fluent Mandarin.

From 1997 to 2006, Gentille spent 6 months a year touring China, both concretizing and educating the music students of China. She currently has a lecture on this decade of amazing experience called “ !0 YEARS IN CHINA.” The book of the same name was published in 2010.

In 2006, Gentille produced a new concert production to promote the history and heritage of American Music. The school project was called The American Music Project with the community concert called The American Piano Show. The concert featured a more formal multi-media presentation of the great American composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, John Philip Sousa, and Scott Joplin.

In 2007, Princess Cruises invite Gentille to perform on their luxury cruise line while conducting the orchestras. Her success in the concert halls on the cruise ships led to numerous other offers from Royal Caribbean, Cunard and Celebrity.

Gentille continues to perform both as a concert solo artist and with numerous orchestra ensembles around the country. Her current plans are to dedicate the next year to the formation and orchestration arrangements for Jersey Shore Pops. Her concert tours are seasonal during the performing arts season of September to May, which leaves her summer to devote her time to arrangements for the new orchestral ensemble.

Linda Gentille playing the Caring Song

Caring Music written by Thelma Irene

Mel and Thel's favorite List of Songs

Sweetheart Sing-Along Song Sheets

Christmas Sing-Along Song Sheets

Email the Webmaster
DannyBoySinging all rights reserved.
revised: January 01, 2002