Purchase Tickets | Seating Chart Westover Church
November 21, 2009
Westover Church
Saturday - 8:00pm
Rocky Mountain High
Jim Curry
Bruce Kiesling, conductor
John Denver's music lives on! Jim Curry, the voice of John Denver in the the CBS - TV movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story, wil join the Greensboro Symphony for a tribute to the life and music of John Denver. Jim's uncanny ability to mirror John's voice and look takes you back to the times of "Rocky Mountain High", "Sunshine" "Calypso" and "Annie's Song".
Sponsor
About the Artist
Jim Curry began his music career writing and performing the opening song, “The Time of Your Life” for his senior play. The song was then voted to be the 1975 class song and Jim was awarded a Rotary Scholarship to study music in college. Even at this early stage in his life Jim’s natural voice resembled that of singer/songwriter John Denver. Embracing the similarities, Jim continued to sing and specialize in the songs of John Denver, sharing John’s positive messages of love, humanity and environmental awareness.
The untimely death of John Denver’s in 1997 was a tragedy felt over the entire world. Such a void in the musical world left John's ardent fans demanding that his music survive. CBS television responded by producing a made for TV movie, “Take Me Home, the John Denver Story” in which Jim landed an off-camera role singing as the voice of John Denver. This experience inspired Jim to produce full–length John Denver tribute concerts.
On October 2007, the 10th anniversary of John’s passing, Jim brought a landmark concert to the stage in Aspen Colorado. It included many of John Denver’s former band members, some of them for the first time in a tribute show. Bass player Dick Kniss (who also tours with Peter Paul and Mary); Songwriter, guitar and dobro player Steve Weisberg (who penned many John Denver’s recordings); Banjo player Jim Connor (a former member of the New Kingston Trio and author of the hit song “ Grandma’s Feather Bed”); Legendary guitarist James Burton (Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and John Denver); and, in what would be one of his last major performances before his passing, singer/songwriter John Stewart of the famed Kingston Trio. The bold and dynamic thinking of Curry continues to produce historical concert engagements and bring icons of the music industry together into powerful shows.
About the Conductor
Conductor Bruce Kiesling is currently the Music Director of the Tulare County Symphony in California. His background encompasses conducting, harpsichord performance, theater, and piano work in both classical and popular genres. Originally from Canton, Ohio, Dr. Kiesling received degrees from the University of Michigan, the University of Miami (Florida) and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Bruce spent eight years as Resident Conductor for the Greensboro Symphony, where he led classical concerts, the Holiday Concert, the Gospel Concert (featuring Curt Karr, Richard Smallwood and Wintley Phipps), the highly successful education concerts, and many appearances with Carolina Pops.
In addition, he served as Music Director and Conductor for the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, having led the orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, and Carnegie Hall. Under Dr. Kiesling’s guidance, the youth orchestra program more than doubled in size and expanded to six different ensembles with more than 200 members. Bruce also led the Choral Society of Greensboro from 2007-2009.
Dr. Kiesling is also a harpsichordist and has led performances from the keyboard with the University of Miami Chamber Orchestra, the Clarke Chamber Players and the Florida Baroque Ensemble. In the theater, he spent several years as the Supervising Music Director for the five-time Emmy–award winning political satire troupe, The News in Revue.
Dr. Kiesling is an active composer of theater music and film scores. He has provided music for more than twenty productions in the past two years, including the feature films “Wesley” and “Foresight.” His music has been performed off-Broadway and in cabarets in New York City and at Triad Stage.
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