Dave Limina Appointed Piano Department Chair

Pianist and longtime professor Dave Limina is the new chair of Berklee’s Piano Department. Limina, who has taught at Berklee for more than 30 years, has influenced a wide spectrum of students as teacher, course innovator, and performer across several genres.  

“Dave is a longtime, outstanding member of our community who has a great understanding of the meaning of a Berklee education,” said Ron Savage, dean of the Professional Performance Division. “We are looking forward to what his vision, insight, energy, and enthusiasm will bring to our already world-class piano faculty, and the impact he will have on our community at large.”

Limina authored many popular courses and broke ground on Hammond organ instruction at Berklee. He is the author of the instrument’s foremost instruction book, Hammond Organ Techniques, which is printed in multiple languages, and the instructional video and book for contemporary keyboardists Accelerate Your Keyboard Playing. He also developed the courses Blues/Rock Keyboard and Pop/Rock Keyboard for Berklee Online, where he is an instructor. 

“As the largest piano department in the world, our faculty, all of whom are world-class performers and educators, will continue to teach with deep respect for the technique, tone-production, and classical repertoire that informs performance on the acoustic piano,” said Limina. "Our diverse faculty are leaders in the instruction of jazz, from traditional to the highest levels of modern improvisational creation, and we plan to expand our curriculum in many musical styles, including world music, Gospel, pop-rock, and neo-soul, and additional keyboard instruments such as Hammond organ, and others."

Limina has performed at major jazz, blues, and rock festivals around the world with such luminaries as B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Martha Reeves, Mighty Sam McClain, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Lenny Pickett, Ernie Watts, Freedy Johnston, Duke Robillard, Lori McKenna, Joey DeFrancesco, Scott Hamilton, Brooke Benton, and Courage Brothers. His playing can also be found on soundtracks and scores for film and television.

Limina is a longtime member of the blues-based band Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, where his versatility not only as a pianist, but also a keyboardist, composer, and producer is on display from the band’s catalog of more than a dozen recordings. A number of the Broadcasters’ albums have placed at the top of Billboard’s Blues Albums chart.