The Spirit of Christmas

Flutist Pamela Whitman and Bassist Rich Kurtz present The Spirit of Christmas. Flutes, ethnic flutes, flute choirs, guitar and bass capture the Spirit of the Season. World music interpretations of holiday favorites and tender emotional renderings of rarely heard carols will bring joy to your heart and a celebration to your feet!

Bios:

In 1989, Pamela Whitman created Compassionate Heart Productions to promote peace and intercultural understanding through music. She founded and directed the world-rock band WorldColor. The band promoted peace through music by touring nationally and internationally with musicians from different countries. Her three-year cultural exchange program with Nepal included collaborations with Nepal’s leading musicians. The project included television and radio broadcasts, recordings, tours and documentaries that have aired in seventeen Asian countries. Artists for a Better World honored Pamela in an international award ceremony in Hollywood for her humanitarian work as a musician.

Whitman has starred at such diverse venues as The Brooklyn Academy of Music; The Birendra International Convention Center (Kathmandu, Nepal); Xinghai Concert Hall (Guangzhou, China); The House of Blues (Hollywood); The Himalayan Hard Rock Cafe and more. She has performed in the Costa Rican Rainforest; on Indian Reservations and at spiritual centers and Performing Arts Centers throughout the United States. In 2022, she toured Peru in collaboration with Peru’s leading Pan Flutist, Clemente Cesar Villalobos Leiva. In 2024, she collaborated with Dakota Flutist Bryan Akipa in a tour of tribal schools in South Dakota. She is currently collaborating with India’s virtuoso tabla player Samir Chatterjee.

Pamela is a recording artist who enjoys using ethnic flutes in her music and collaborating with musicians from various cultures. She uses special effects to induce a peaceful response in the listener. You can hear her original New Age music on Hearts of Space Radio and all digital and streaming outlets. 

Since 1989, Pamela has been the Principal Flutist of the Ocean City Pops Orchestra, where she loves playing classical favorites by the sea. She has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras throughout the United States and is an active chamber musician. She earned her degree in Flute Performance from the University of Michigan and has been a student of Julius Baker and Jim Walker.

Rich Kurtz plays upright bass in the Bay Atlantic Symphony and electric bass with many East Coast bands. Rich owns and operates the award-winning music studio Cadence Music. Rich is one of the most experienced bassists working today, having performed thousands of recorded appearances and live concerts. He has performed with Ray Charles, George Benson, Luciano Pavarotti, Peter Cetera, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein, Andrea Bocelli and more. Rich holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and Education. 

In his original compositions, Rich continually experiments with new sounds to expand the sonic horizons of his instruments. He creates ambience with electronica, cello, fretless bass, and guitar.