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According to some manufactures, an 8GB mp3 music player can roughly store 1,600 songs. But, who needs a fancy piece of technology when you’ve got Antonio Castillo de la Gala.

The famed pianist estimates that he knows and can play more than 2,500 songs. That number, by the way, is always rising. Castillo de la Gala’s lengthy piano repertoire will be on display as he performs at Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa Thursday, Feb. 11.

Castillo de la Gala will be performing for the special Winemaster’s Dinner event, which revolves around Opus One Winery from the Napa Valley. The luxury wine was founded in part by Robert Mondavi in 1979. Venues are limited to two cases of Opus One per year. The night includes a gourmet dinner in the 360 Ultra Lounge in the Cabazon resort.

Finding the brain storage space to memorize 2,500 songs requires a lot of dedication and focus, according to Castillo de la Gala.

“This is all I do!” he said. “I’ve never had another job. The only way I’ve ever even earned five cents in my life is playing piano.”

His musical journey began in Veracruz, Mexico when he was three years old. His grandmother sat him down in front of the family’s piano and he loved it.

“That’s all I wanted to do,” he said. “I was always on it. We had a piano in the living room. We didn’t have a TV or a telephone.”

His love of the piano brought him to the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City, where he earned the U.S. equivalent of a doctorate.

“Out of my generation, I was one of one two people to finish the program to be a concert pianist,” Castillo de la Gala said. “It was tough. It’s also tough to make a living as a concert pianist.”

Castillo de la Gala found a way to make a good living by playing popular music at hotels and restaurants. He performed five nights a week at the Hotel Bel-Air for close to 13 years. For the last six years, he’s been performing at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.

His nightly sets include what he calls the classic American songbook with songs like Cole Porter, Broadway show tunes and Hollywood soundtracks. His favorite song to perform is “Somewhere in Time” from the 1980 Christopher Reeve film. With the talent to play more than 2.500 songs on cue, he said he has a great track record when it comes to requests.

“I know pretty much 95 percent of the requests each night,” he said.

But, there are times when he gets stumped. Years ago, when the Disney animated film “Frozen” first captured the attention of children everywhere, he got a request from a family to play the song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” While he didn’t know the song, it didn’t take him long to add it to his list.

“I went to YouTube,” he said. “When I was younger, it would take me 2-3 minutes to know the song. Now it’s much longer. I have to listen to the song a few times now. If I find the sheet music online, I can do it right away.”

The Morongo show will get to show a different side of Castillo de la Gala. Instead of just playing standards and requests, his show turns more into a variety program that incorporate piano playing, comedy and storytelling.

“I try to make it entertaining and unique,” he said. “Let’s see how it goes!”

Information: 951-849-3080; morongocasinoresort.com.