Offering a fresh take on standards of the American Songbook
as well as innovative new acoustic compositions, The Kruger Brothers perform at Diana Wortham Theatre on November
17, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Drawing on a rich cultural palette, theirs is a music
that celebrates the best of what music can be: exciting, engaging, intelligent,
and delightful. Dan Tackett of Bluegrass
Journal notes, “The Kruger Brothers are nothing short of magnificent, the
classiest of acts as can be found on today’s bluegrass and acoustic scene…The
Krugers’ sound is both intense and tranquil, it’s classic, classy and
classical, and it’s jazzy and grassy – all at the same time and packed into one
CD or one of the brothers’…concerts.”
Since a formal introduction to American audiences in 1997,
the Kruger Brothers’ remarkable creativity and facility with their instruments have
made them a fixture within the world of acoustic music.
Born and raised in Europe, brothers Jens Kruger (banjo, vocals) and Uwe Kruger
(guitar, lead vocals) started singing and playing instruments at a very young
age and were exposed to a wide diversity of abiding musical influences. The
brothers were performing regularly by the time they were 11 and 12 years old,
and began their professional career in 1979. Their first public performances
were as a duo, busking on the streets of cities throughout eastern and western
Europe. Joel Landsberg (bass, vocals), a native of New York
City, joined the brothers in the early ‘90s and together they established the
incomparable sound that the trio is known for today. In 2002, the brothers
moved to the United States, and are based in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
In an ever-expanding body of work, Jens Kruger, Uwe Kruger, and Joel
Landsberg personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the
core of the American musical tradition. Their contribution to American musical
culture has been noted through a National Endowment for the Arts grant for Music
from the Spring, a symphonic suite composed and orchestrated by Jens Kruger,
which premiered in 2007. In late 2010, the Kruger Brothers premiered the Appalachian
Concerto, a concerto for banjo, bass, guitar, and string quartet. Their most
recent release, Best of the Kruger Brothers (2012),
includes a selection of songs from their existing albums and compositions, as
well as previously unreleased material.
The Kruger Brothers’ Asheville performance is made possible by Performance Sponsors Dianne
& David Worley, and by Mainstage Music Series Sponsors BMW of Asheville and
Henry LaBrun, with additional support from Media Sponsors 880AM The
Revolution, News Radio 570 WWNC, and WNC
magazine.
The Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place is
located in the same complex as the Asheville Art Museum and the Colburn Earth
Science Museum and is within walking distance of many shops and restaurants.
The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts exceptional acoustics and
sightlines, making it the premier performance space in all of Western North
Carolina. The Mainstage Series is supported by a grant from the North Carolina
Arts Council, a state agency. The Mainstage Series 2012/2013 Season Sponsors are
the
Asheville Citizen-Times, Creative Energy, Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-go,
the North Carolina Arts Council, and Renaissance Asheville Hotel. To obtain more information on the Mainstage Series or to
purchase tickets, call the theatre’s box office at (828) 257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.
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