One of Great Britain's outstanding pianists, Warren Mailley-Smith, is to perform at The Ritz Theatre Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mailley-Smith has been invited to perform for the royal family more than 30 times.

He said musical ability does not run in his family.

"Neither of my parents played an instrument, though both appreciated it and encouraged my brother and me to learn an instrument at a young age," Mailley-Smith stated via e-mail. "Needless to say, as we got older I stuck with it, whilst my brother gave up the violin in favor of basketball and accountancy as soon as he could."

Following success as a postgraduate major prize-winner at Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal College of Music, he continued private studies. His Web site (www.warrenmailley-smith.com) lists his repertoire as including Liszt, Debussy, Frank Bridge, William Byrd, Brahams, Handel, Mozart, Gershwin, Schubert and Rossini. With few exceptions, his concerts do not include religious music.

"So far in my career, my repertoire has focused mainly on music from the classical and romantic periods, which although it isn't sacred per se, was often inspired by spiritual thoughts. I grew up singing in church choirs though, so sacred vocal music was part of my life from an early age," Mailley-Smith explained.

"Chopin Souvenirs," his newest disk, was released less than a month ago. His performance at the Ritz is to include selections from that work, he stated.

In addition to classical music, Mailley-Smith stated he also enjoys "a mountain of great stuff out there to play."

"Favorite contemporary pianists include Martha Argerich (she has such wonderful fire, passion and freedom in her playing) and Murray Perahia (I love the way he shapes his phrases and makes the piano 'sing') and my favorite contemporary composer is probably Phil Glass," he said.

"This is my first time performing in Ohio and I am really excited about my visit to The Ritz Theatre in Tiffin," Smith said.