Inspired by life: International musician Bogdan Ota plays the JACC tonight, Kroc March 6

Moving. Meaningful. Epic.

Bogdan Ota's special brand of neoclassical music draws from the sensations, memories and emotions of the most simple, yet most complex source: life.

"My music is inspired by history, by facts, by the Bible, things that really happened and created a big emotion in people,” Ota said Wednesday, comfortable in the studio of his Post Falls home. "As a composer, I’m based on inspiration. If I’m not inspired, I’m not writing music."

Ota, an international composer, concert pianist producer and recording artist, is performing at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center at 7 tonight.

Originally from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Ota and his family moved to the United States in 2015 to experience American values and culture while he pursued his musical aspirations. He began playing the piano at age 6-and-a-half; Ota was immersed in academic training for 18 years, which also included 12 years of music school.

He was a finalist on "Norway's Got Talent," where he won a Sony Music/Day 1 Entertainment management contract. He has released three albums, toured the world and played to crowds of 30,000 across Europe.

But the Otas were ready for an American adventure.

"Europe is an old-fashioned place," Ota said. "We have old buildings, old churches, cathedrals, but they recognized Mozart 200 years after he died. What America is doing is recognize the talent and reward the talent instantly."

After living in Las Vegas for a few years, he and his family missed the landscape and climate of Transylvania, so they decided to make their home in North Idaho.

"I'm not a very cosmopolitan person," Ota said. "I'm an old soul, and I've always wanted to live in the mountains and have nature close to me."

Ota is opening a new chapter in his career as he establishes himself as a household name in the Northwest. Samples of his music are available on his website, www.bogdanota.com, where fans can also explore piano classes, music production and bookings with the artist.

Tonight will be his first performance in his new hometown.

"I am excited, and I'm really nervous,” Ota said.

"People will come to see Beethoven played by some guy they've never heard. When you play your own music, it’s like you’re going to the first date naked. ‘Do you like me, oh by the way, I like dirt bikes,” he joked. “You’re completely exposed in the first second."

Ota's songs and albums all tell stories that he will share with his audiences, adding even more layers to the intricate sounds and visual elements of his works.

"Without art, we cannot survive as a human species. It’s not all intellect. It’s not all mathematics,” he said. “When something bad happens, and there’s no other way to blow off steam and you’re not using art to escape that bad thing, people go to alcohol and drugs and that will lead to violence and families coming apart. That’s why I think this is a very important element of life."

The JACC is at 405 N. William St. Post Falls.

Doors open for wine and light refreshments at 6:30 this evening. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.thejacklincenter.org.

Ota will also perform his "BLISS" concert at the Kroc Center Theater, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, Coeur d'Alene, at 7:30 p.m. March 6. Tickets are $30 for VIP, $26 for standard and $21 for seniors, military and students. Info: www.kroccda.org