Music enthusiasts are in for a special treat when Brian Gurl and his Fabulous Five take the stage at the Brock Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 14th at 7:30 pm.
This innovative and imaginative six-piece production is an artistic powerhouse that takes the audience into the world of the unexpected – with wonderful musical arrangements, exciting vocal harmonies, pianistic power and fabulous “takes” on the music of these great icons while still honoring the original compositions.
The group offers provocative arrangements of such Beatles classics as Eleanor Rigby, And I Love Her, and others. Brian’s expressive renditions of Manilow hits such as Mandy and supercharged versions of Bandstand Boogie and Could it be Magic? are total showstoppers. A dramatic Piano Man and poignant And So it Goes by Billy Joel, showcase his gift of deeply touching an audience’s heart. Add Brian’s jazz, classical, and theatrical influences, engaging persona and a totally hot band, and you have a riveting and transformative production, where every song is a new adventure.
A Lifetime of Music
Brian was born and raised in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and began studying classical piano at the age of six. His gift of perfect pitch was discovered by his father one day when Brian asked, “Why is the lawn mower running in the key of G?” By the time he was eight, Brian was delighting his classmates and friends, playing by ear many popular melodies he heard on radio and television, much to the chagrin of his piano teacher, he began sneaking in rhythmic and melodic embellishments to his renditions of Chopin and Beethoven! He studied classical piano throughout high school while continuing to investigate other genres. By the time he was 19, Brian was making his full-time living as a pianist and gradually expanded his artistic horizons to include ragtime, jazz, blues, pop, rock, Broadway, Latin and other styles.
His early performing experience includes many premier resorts, hotels and piano bars in the Northeast as a young solo pianist, five years in a five-piece dance band and four years in the Woodstock, Vermont Jazz Quintet playing be-bop to contemporary jazz. Under the direction of Broadway actress, Karen Shepard, Brian and his wife, Joey, wrote and created many popular musical comedy reviews while running and operating their own theater in Southern Vermont. In total, Brian has created and starred in over 15 different musical stage productions – continually morphing into a more diverse and eclectic performing artist.
2016-2017 Season of Applause! Performance Series
This concert is part of the 2016-2017 Season of Applause! performance series sponsored by the Davie County Arts Council, which is dedicated to the discovery, appreciation and enrichment of the arts throughout Davie County. The Arts Council has been carrying out its mission of “Connecting PEOPLE to the ARTS!” for decades. Other upcoming shows include This Magic Moment, three former lead singers from three of the world’s most renowned vocal groups–The Temptations, The Platters and the Drifters–have come together to create the ultimate musical experience; The Duttons, high-energy entertainers who will rock the stage with a variety of genres from Bluegrass to contemporary, rock to country, as well as comedy and dance; and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, with over 80 awards, 5-time Grammy nominee Rhonda Vincent–crowned “The New Queen of Bluegrass” by the Wall Street Journal–leads the most honored band in bluegrass music.
Tickets Available Online Now
Tickets for all shows are Adult: $33; Student / Senior: $32 and may be purchased at http://daviearts.org/shows-tickets/ or by visiting the Brock Performing Arts Center at 622 North Main St., Mocksville. The Box Office is open from 12-5 pm, Monday through Friday and one hour before performances. It can be reached at 336-751-3000. For more information, contact the Arts Council at (336) 751-3112.