Music was one of the bright spots for the pioneers who settled Southern Oregon in the 1800s. Lives of frequent hardship were lightened by songs of home and love; toil accompanied by music was easier to endure; and gatherings with friends and family were cause for celebration. On Sunday, January 10, Historic Jacksonville, Inc. will launch a monthly program series called “Pioneer History in Story and Song,” featuring “21st Century troubadour” David Gordon using familiar folk songs and the stories behind them to bring the experiences of our ancestors and the history of the region to life.
The series commences with “Songs & Stories of the Oregon Trail,” music that helped strengthen 19th Century emigrants seeking adventure, fortune, and better lives. David will perform a dozen actual tunes that emigrants sang around the campfires as they journeyed west in the 1840s and 1850s and tell the stories of the songs and the emigrants. This one-hour program begins at 2 pm in the Naversen Room of the Jacksonville Library located at 340 West C Street. Admission is $3, with proceeds dedicated to maintaining and preserving historic structures in Jacksonville, Oregon, and bringing their history to life.
Future sessions will spotlight songs from the Victorian Parlor (February 7, 2016), Gold Rush (March 13, 2016), Civil War (April 10, 2016), and Gold Rush Saloons (May 1, 2016), with more to come.
David Gordon has been described by The Washington Post as “an irresistible performer,” weaving a soothing musical tapestry of songs, irresistible vocals, gentle guitar stylings, stories, musings, and his own unique brand of goofy humor. With this series, he combines his consummate charm, wit, and story telling skills with a return to his early musical roots.
A career that began with a love of banjo, guitar, bluegrass, and an early ambition to be a high school music teacher morphed into an international career as singer, lecturer, author, historian, and recording artist. A 40-year veteran of the operatic and concert stage, David has portrayed 60 principal roles with the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Washington Opera (Kennedy Center), Chicago Lyric Opera, Hamburg State Opera (Germany), and other operas around the world. He has also been guest soloist with virtually every major North American symphony orchestra and with other great orchestras and music festivals on four continents. He is a prolific recording artist, soloing on 15 classical CDs for RCA, BMG, Telarc, Decca, and other major labels. In recent years, David has been voice instructor at Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University, and the University of California at Berkeley.
The Chicago Tribune has called David “one of the world’s great Bach tenors,” and David has been an integral part of the Carmel Bach Festival for the past 27 years. Beginning as soloist, he has become the Festival’s dramaturge, lecturer, and director of the Vocal Master Class for young professional singers. Now a permanent member of the Festival’s artistic staff, he not only gives most of the pre-concert lectures, but also translates all lyrics into each production’s English super titles. In his definitive book, Carmel Impressarios, David retells the story of Hazel Watrous and Dene Denny, founders of the Bach Festival, Carmel Music Society, and a Monterey theater company.
David’s fascination with history extends far beyond music and Bach Festival origins. When he and his wife Ginna—a noted artist, chef, author, bookbinder, and publisher in her own right—visited friends in Jacksonville, they were hooked. Jacksonville became their home one year ago, and now David is delighted to join the ranks of people who bring history to life in historic Jacksonville, Oregon.
For additional information, contact 541-245-3650 or info@historicjacksonville.org.
David Gordon can be reached at 831-238-2934 or dg@spiritsound.com.