Swiss pianist Silvan Zingg returned to Ponca City to perform at the Poncan Theatre on Saturday, July 22. The performance marked the return of Zingg to the Poncan Theatre for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late February of 2020.

He was born in Lugano, Switzerland and learned to play piano before starting school. Zingg hailed from a musical family and would listen to his father’s records and performances.

“My father had many records and he would play a little bit piano, but mainly other instruments. He was very good at trumpet playing for jazz, banjo, clarinet, then later he would play bass, double drums,” said Zingg. “He also played folk music, Swiss folk music, so accordion, horn and mandolin.”

Zingg’s career spans over 30 years as a professional entertainer, performing internationally in 50 countries.

“I like to bring my music all over the world. I play American music actually, boogie-woogie comes from the United States,” said Zingg.

Boogie-woogie, Zingg’s signature style, is a genre of blues music that was developed in African-American communities in the 1870s, but became especially popular in the late 1920s.

“I enjoy [boogie-woogie] because when you are a kid, you like the speed, everything has to be fast,” said Zingg. “The left hand is so fast in boogie-woogie, and I like that especially. I like the dynamics. With a piano you can make it slow, then you can make it louder. And of course I love boogie-woogie because it can entertain people.”

With pandemic lockdowns in effect, Zingg’s worldwide tours were cancelled. During that time, he took the time to develop other skills and hobbies. Primarily, he focused on painting, graphic design, and studying biology.

“When I was a kid, this was my favorite topic in school. The laws of biology and nature, it was interesting, but now I’ve started to perform,” said Zingg Zingg had continued to perform throughout the pandemic utilizing Facebook Live, but “It was fun, but I prefer to have an audience in front of me. I alway try to make participation with the audience. I tell them how to clap, how to shout, I do this Liberace tune, and the train. It’s something going on at my concert and I always try to entertain,” said Zingg.

Zingg will be staying a bit longer in Ponca City, as he will be performing a benefit concert for the restoration of the Carriage House at the Marland Grand Home on Friday, July 28 from 7 pm to 9:30 pm.

“Its a mission, I think of every musician to bring something to the people to forget these hard times we have. Sometimes we have wars, and we have pandemics, and this and this,” said Zingg. “I think the role of music was always to entertain the people.”

More information about Zingg and his other projects can be found on his website at www.silvanzingg.com.