Kurt’s Welcome
Chances are, you are sitting in this beautiful theater thumbing through the program and waiting for the red curtain in front of you to rise as it has for the last 36 years while I’m in my dressing room spraying a little mousse on my now gray-streaked hair.
Neither one of us knows exactly what will happen during the next two hours but we both know this - that my all-star band and world-class orchestra will wow us with their musical prowess, that my special guest David Archuleta will melt us with his wonderful voice and have us all reaching for a tissue, and that “yours truly” is bound to say a few things that will have my manager Kevin saying “I can’t believe you said that!”
As you sit here, look around you and notice that the hall is full of people who are, as the song says, aged from “one to nine-two,” donning drastically different Yuletide apparel, and representing a myriad of different lifestyles and cultures. The magic of these shows we’ve shared over the years is that we are all unified by the love, joy and peace found in the songs and carols of Christmas.
Take the feelings you feel tonight, wrap them all up with a bow, and then gift it to the ones you love (and even to those you don’t!) and just maybe we can all start feeling “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All!
About Kurt
KurtBestor is a two-time Emmy-award-winning and Grammy-nominated composer who, for more than 40 years, has composed and arranged music in a myriad of styles and genres. His accomplishments include numerous feature-length film scores, almost 20 popular albums, and memorable themes for national television themes, as well as a mix of live shows and commissioned works for choirs and orchestras.
As a gifted performer, Bestor has performed his popular Christmas shows for 36 years to sold-out audiences throughout the western United States. People from Seattle to Dallas have enjoyed his easy-going manner and rapport with the audience, as well as his distinctive arrangements of Yuletide favorites. When not performing his own music, Kurt spends much of his time arranging and producing music for a myriad of singers and instrumentalists including Kelly O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Jenny Oaks Baker, Megan Hilty, Andrea Bocelli, Caroline Campbell, and Brian Stokes Mitchell among many others.
Bestor has also performed internationally, conducting and performing with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Utah Symphony, the Cape Cod Philharmonic, and the Estonian National Orchestra, among others. He recently completed a commissioned composition (by AFCO’s Craig Jessop), which is a 5-movement work for choir, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and 2 pianos, titled “John F. Kennedy: Rise, Fall, and Immortality.” It was premiered at the ACDA Convention in Dallas to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination. He is currently composing an original piece for narrator and orchestra titled “Hamon E and the Missing Key” which he hopes to premier in 2024.
His first Christmas album is also his latest as he has remastered and rereleased “An Airbus Christmas,” by far his most popular album and one which further cements the celebrated composer as a beloved contributor to the popular holiday music anthology. Bestor makes his home in Salt Lake City with his wife Petrina and daughter Ella, where they spend much time hiking, skiing, and camping in the picturesque mountains surrounding his home.
Kurt’s Thank You
Iknowmy name is in the concert title “A Kurt Bestor Christmas” but it really is inaccurate. The only way a show like this lasts for three and a half decades is because I am smart enough to surround myself with the best people. From amazing musicians like Mike Dowdle and Eric Valentine to Salt Lake’s finest free-lance musician like Daron Bradford on woodwinds and Monte Belknap on violin, Then my crack audio team of Bob Abeyta and Eric “The Viking” make sure the whole things sounds “pro” while Matt and the guys from Cornerstone dazzle you with their lighting and stage design. There are a group of people who one might call my “Peeps” who work hard from mid-summer until the final concert note to make sure I am where I am supposed to be, everyone gets paid on time and we sweep up after ourselves here at the Eccles - that’s you Kevin, Eric, et.al.! I also have the BEST sponsors who help get the word out about the show. Sandy at Minky Couture and Patrick at Black Desert - much thanks to you and your companies. Lastly - before it “takes a village” to put on my yearly show, it takes a family. To my mom, sisters, daughters, extended clan and my incredibly understanding wife, Petrina - you all keep me grounded and loved.
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Arts
David Archuleta
In 2008, more than 30 million television viewers fell in love; over 44 million votes made him the first runner-up in Season 7 of American Idol. Shortly after “Idol,” David’s first single, “Crush,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track sold over 2 million digital copies to become double platinum. Three months later, his self-titled album, David Archuleta, sold more than 900,000 copies worldwide. With a faithful social media following, David has toured all over the US, Canada, Asia and even in the Middle East. In 2020, David released his 8th album, Therapy Sessions, which featured an inside look into his internal struggle with himself-a battle he has experienced for most of his life trying to be something he was not, while knowing that who he really was would put him at odds with the church he grew up in.In 2021, David came out as queer to the LGBTQ community and continues to navigate his identity. During this time, he also had vocal cord surgery, which left him unable to speak much for 3 months, resulting in a period of self-reflection.In the summer of 2022, David then made his professional musical theater debut as “Joseph” in the acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 2023 is shaping up to be the Year of Archuleta, with his return to television, The Masked Singer saw David spread his wings as the Macaw, a bird known for its exuberant personality. David will be releasing music throughout this year.
“Prayer of the Children”
The Story Behind the Song
Over the years, I’ve written many songs with melodies more memorable, lyrics more poetic, and harmonies richer. But none of my compositions has had the kind of reach and emotional effect of Prayer of the Children. Ironically, I never intended to publish the song at all. I wrote it out of frustration over the horrendous civil war and ethnic cleansing taking place in the former country of Yugoslavia.
Having lived in this now war-torn country back in the late 1970’s, I grew to love the people with whom I lived. It didn’t matter to me their ethnic origin - Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian - they were all just happy fun people to me and I counted as friends people from each region. Of course, I was always aware of the bigotry and ethnic differences that bubbled just below the surface, but I always hoped that the peace this rich country enjoyed would continue indefinitely. Obviously that didn’t happen.
When Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito died, different political factions jockeyed for position and the inevitable happened - civil war. Suddenly my friends were pitted against each other. Serbian brother wouldn’t talk to Croatian sister-in-law. Bosnian mother disowned Serbian son-in-law and so it went. Meanwhile, all I could do was stay glued to the TV back in the US and sink deeper in a sense of hopelessness.
Finally, one night I began channeling these deep feelings into a wordless melody. Then little by little I added words....Can you
hear....? Can you feel......? I started with these feelings - sensations that the children struggling to live in this difficult time might be feeling. Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian children all felt the same feelings of confusion and sadness and it was for them that I was writing this song.
I took a long night to finish the song and I sang it for my wife and family, but that was about it. I put it away for awhile never thinking to sing it publicly. (Being primarily an instrumental composer - I rarely sang in concert. Then one night, as I struggled to fill a 2-hour concert, I decided to sing “Prayer of the Children.” It was in Abravanel Hall at a private concert for Folio Corporation. (I’m not sure, but I think it was 1994.) The song had an immediate reaction on those in attendance and I was surprised at the almost hushed sound as I sang.
I performed the song a cappella with a vocal synthesizer called the Digitech Vocalist - a vocoder that digitally split my voice into 5 distinct parts. (This is done via MIDI.) The sound makes me sound a bit like a hip Gregorian choir and lends a sacred sound to the song. To this day I usually perform the song this way.
Eventually the song was recorded and made its way on to a CD produced by Randy and Brian Blosil for the Wordperfect Corporation entitled “Innovators.” This CD was disseminated worldwide to over 500,000 Wordperfect 6.0 users. This aided in large part to people becoming familiar with the song.
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“Prayer of the Children” The Story Behind the Song
Someone heard the song in Pullayup, Washington and got it into the hands of Andrea Klause who felt it would work perfectly as an vocal arrangement for children’s choir. Already a talented arranger with many titles to her credit, she worked with me on a version that would soon be the de facto SSA arrangement of the song. This made its way throughout the Northwest (thanks to many choir directors and their Xerox machines. Aargh!). Eventually renowned choir director Weston Noble heard the piece and began performing it with his Luther College Nordic Choir. It was now becoming know throughout the midwest.
As Mr. Noble would participate as a guest adjudicator and conductor of high school honor choirs throughout the nation, he almost always sang “Prayer.” Because of the this, the song exploded across the
country to where now - over 500 choirs have sung the song in high schools, community choirs, and professional chorales across the country. It has even been sung in many countries including: Australia, Sweden, Mexico, German, among others.
The song has also been recorded (at last count) by over 100 choirs and used for such special occasions as the annual 9/11 commemoration, a yearly memorial service for the Columbine High School tragedy, and a concert in memory of the Oklahoma City bombing. These philanthropic uses of my song are the most meaningful to me because it was out of a spirit of desperation and frustration that the song was born. The fact that the song is used to console others in similar circumstances is how the song should be used.
“Prayer of the Children”
Celebrating 30 years
Can you hear the prayer of the children?
On bended knee, in the shadow of an unknown room
Empty eyes with no more tears to cry
Turning heavenward toward the light
Crying Jesus*, help me
To see the morning light-of one more day
But if I should die before I wake, I pray my soul to take
Can you feel the hearts of the children?
Aching for home, for something of their very own
Reaching hands, with nothing to hold on to, But hope for a better day a better day
Crying Jesus*, help me
To feel the love again in my own land
But if unknown roads lead away from home, Give me loving arms, away from harm
Can you hear the voice of the children?
Softly pleading for silence in a shattered world? Angry guns preach a gospel full of hate, Blood of the innocent on their hands
Crying Jesus*, help me
To feel the sun again upon my face, For when darkness clears I know you’re near, Bringing peace again
Dali cujete sve djecje molitive?
(Croatian translation:
‘Can you hear all the children’s prayers?’)
Can you hear the prayer of the children?
(*note: Originally, the song was written with the lyrics “Crying Jesus…” Bestor now recommends substituting the words “Crying softly…” enabling people to subconsciously substitute “Jesus, Allah, Yahweh, etc.” This way, the song’s universal message of love will be felt without any barriers or limitations.)
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MUSICIAN CREDITS
Guitar Michael Dowdle
Bass Carlitos del Puerto
Drums ................................................................ Eric Valentine
Percussion ........................................................... Todd Sorenson
Woodwinds ......................................................... Daron Bradford
Violins ...............................................
Monte Belknap, Aaron Ashton, Emily Day-Shumway, Donni Evans, Julie Beistline, Melissa Draper, John Shin,Erika Hubbard
Violas Candi Wagner, Lorraine Larsen
Celli Hannah Brown, Cassie Olson
Contrabass Ben Henderson
Flute/Piccolo Jeannine Goeckeritz
Oboe/English Horn ..................................................... Justin Torres
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet ................................................ Erin Voellinger
French Horns............................................Kenji Hood, Brian Blanchard
Musician Contractor ................................................ Rebecca Moench
AUDIENCE INFORMATION
ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES
FM Assistive Listening Devices are available free of charge at each performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Hearing aid compatible T-Loops are also available. Ask at Coat Check for details.
WHEELCHAIR SEATING
Ample wheelchair seating is available. Please inform Ticket Office representative when making your reservation that you require a wheelchair space or to request curbside assistance.
LATECOMERS
In consideration of patrons already seated, reserved seating will be accessible until curtain, after which alternate seating might be used. During some productions, late seating may not occur until an intermission. When traveling to performances, please allow ample time for traffic delays, road construction and parking.
CHILDREN
As a courtesy to other audience members, please ensure that children at performances are not disruptive during the show. Babes-in-arms are not permitted in the theatre during performances unless specifically indicated.
NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK
QUIET PLEASE
As a courtesy to performers on stage and to other audience members, please turn off cell phones, pagers, or any other noisemaking device. Also, please refrain from permitting concession items such as candy wrappers and water bottles to become noisy during the performance.
CLEANLINESS
Thank you for placing all refuse in waste receptacles as you exit the theater.
COPYRIGHT ADHERENCE
Unless otherwise stated and in compliance with copyright laws, it is strictly prohibited to take any photographs or any audio or video recordings of the performance.
NEED EXTRA LEG ROOM?
Let us know when making reservations, we can help.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
In the event of an emergency, please remain seated and wait for instructions. Emergency exits are located on both sides of the house. Please identify the exit closest to your location. (Eccles-only) Patrons in wheelchairs should wheel to the closest elevator to the north or south where red signs read ‘Area of Rescue Assistance.’ First-responders will help you exit the building.
Dan Miller, President; Cynthia Bell Snow, Office Administrator; Jackie Medina, Art Director; Ken Magleby, Graphic Design; Patrick Witmer, Graphic Design/Web Developer; Paula Bell, Dan Miller, Advertising Representatives; Hudson Printing, Printer.
Kurt Bestor Christmas playbill is published by Mills Publishing, Inc., 772 East 3300 South, Suite 200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106 Phone: 801.46.8833 Email: advertising@millspub.com Website: millspub.com Mills Publishing produces playbills for many performing arts groups. Advertisers do not necessarily agree or disagree with content or views expressed on stage. Please contact us for playbill advertising opportunities. Copyright 2023. PLEASE RECYCLE
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