Dolph Traymon in Concert

Dolph Traymon, best known as the proprietor and music man at the Fife and Drum in Kent, will be moving his Steinway from Main Street to the library at the Marvelwood School, at the top of Skiff Mountain in Kent, on Sunday, September 29 at 4 p.m. to play a special benefit recital for the Marvelwood School.

Since opening the restaurant in 1973, Dolph has become a Litchfield Hills institution. Stop anyone in Kent or the neighboring towns and they will recognize the name, the man, and his piano wizardry. But what they won't recognize is the secret side of Dolph Traymon, a concert pianist and a graduate of the Julliard School of Music in New York City. You will see and hear both the old and the new, including music you have never heard him play before.

Now approaching 83, when many people his age are nursing arthritic fingers, Dolph continues to let those nimble fingers fly across the piano keys six nights every week. He continues not only to play, but also to write new music. But you will never see a sheet of music on the piano. "It’s all in my head," says Dolph, and quite obviously all in his hands.

For the concert at Marvelwood, Dolph will be playing classical pieces by Chopin, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Gershwin, as well as a selection of standards by Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein and Stephen Sondhelm. The entire recital will be available on a CD.

Marvelwood, a small co-educational 9th to 12th grade school for boarding and day students, is celebrating its fifth year at the top of Skiff Mountain. It is a very special school for smart kids who have yet to reach their performance capabilities. "I really want to help this school," says Dolph Traymon. "They are preparing kids from all over the world, some with problem academic backgrounds, for college. They've turned kids around. It’s inspiring."

Tickets for the concert start at $35. People who donate $125 are invited to a pre-concert reception at the home of the Marvelwood Head Mistress, Toby Scott. For donors who give $250 there will also be a wine reception at Skiff Mountain Farm, home of Thomas Sebring, following the concert. All proceeds from the event will go to the Marvelwood School Campaign Fund; for tickets or more info, call 860-927-0047.