Kurt Bestor

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Kurt Bestor is a New Age, Jazz musician. He is known for his synthesizer Christmas similar to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. His well known songs are Prayer of the Children, Mama don't you weep. He is also known for composing music for the 1993 movie Rigoletto. He's also known for writing music for the Mormon church videos. His Christmas songs were once aired on The Weather Channel like God Rest Ye Merry gentlemen, Carol of the Bells and others were aired in the December months in the 1980s and 1990s.

He plays in the Salt Lake City Concerts and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Childhood years

Kurt Bestor was born in 1958 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He took piano lessons as a child and his mother taught him how to play the piano. His grandpa played the trumpet in Western Big bands and his uncle played with the trumpet in "Jack Benny's band". Later Kurt Bestor played the trumpet when he was a Teenager. Later on Kurt Bestor and his family moved to Orem Utah in 1966. He went to Orem High School and Learned how to play the Trumpet. When Kurt Bestor watched the 1975 movie Jaws and he said "I knew that's what I wanted to do when I saw "Jaws" during high school. I have made a goal to score films ever since." He decided to compose soundtracks for movies which he would do for "The Buttercream Gang", "Rigoletto" He was also influenced by classical music.

Kurt Bestor's college years

In 1976 Kurt Bestor and his family joined the LDS Mormon church. He then went on a Mormon mission in Yugoslavia where he served his Mormon mission, he observed the poverty and the problems like war and hunger and children homeless. He also got married to his first wife Melodie. He would later write his famous song Prayer of the Children After his Mormon mission he later went to BYU to write his songs for student projects and he composed music for the "Sundance Film Institutes composer lab." He later dropped out of BYU college to pursue a Music carrier in Jazz, New Age, and Gospel music.

Kurt Bestors music career (1987-today)

In 1988 Kurt Bestor composed the very first Christmas music using synthesizer music. He made Arius Christmas volume 1 released it on cassette and CD and it was a success in his career. Also The Weather Channel played Kurt Bestors Christmas music in the months of December in the late 1980s and 1990s. He later went on to making Joyspring, Seasons, Evening Angels Arius Christmas volume 2 and the well known CD Innovators with his famous song Prayer of the Children who he composed with his best friend Sam Cardon. He also made Noel Christmas volume 3 and made Sketches with the song Mama don't you weep He also made music for the Mormon Church videos and also composed the soundtrack for the 1993 movie Rigoletto and for the 2000 cartoon movie "The Scarecrow". In 1999 Kurt Bestors marriage with his first wife Melodie fell apart and got a divorce in 2000. He quickly remarried to his second wife Holli Ammon but a few years later got a second divorce which also caused problems with being active in the Mormon church. Despite the problems with his divorce. Kurt Bestor still performs at the Salt Lake Utah concerts and at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir He also wrote albums like Innovators II and music for the "Salt Lake City 2002 winter Olympics" He is troubled by the September 11, 2001 attacks and the "Iraq War" in the 2000s. Today he is still performing music in Salt Lake City concerts.

Discography

  • Kurt Bestor Christmas volume 1.- 1988
  • Joyspring- 1988
  • Seasons- 1989
  • Joyspring II- 1990
  • Kurt Bestor Christmas volume 2.- 1992
  • Evening Angels- 1994
  • Noel Christmas volume 3- 1995
  • Innovators- 1995
  • Sketches- 1997
  • Fathers- 1998
  • The Dance- 1999
  • One Silent Night- 1999
  • Innovators II- 2002

Soundtrack scores

  • A more perfect union: America Becomes a nation- 1989
  • The Witching of Ben Wagner- 1990
  • Split Infinity- 1992
  • The Buttercream Gang- 1992
  • Rigoletto- 1993
  • The Buttercream Gang 2 in secret of treasure mountain- 1993
  • Behind the Waterfall- 1995
  • No More Baths- 1998
  • The Ghost of Dickens past- 1998
  • New Testament soundtrack- 1999
  • Book of Mormon soundtrack- 1999
  • Doctrine and Covenants soundtrack 1999
  • The Scarecrow- 2000

Sources

  • Kurt Bestors official website.
  • Kurt Bestors imdb Profile page
  • Chasing his muse has given him much turmoil.
  • How composer Kurt Bestor found his own Christmas groove


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