UUSC Presents James Durst in Concert

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota
is pleased to present James Durst in concert. 
Quietly traversing the planet as a touring artist since 1965, Durst has
performed for rapt audiences of every age in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia and more than 200 cities in 45 countries throughout the Americas,
Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, in Russia, Azerbaijan,
Japan, and Korea.   Most recently, he has
toured numerous times in India and Israel. In October 2011 he returned to
Vietnam for the first time since touring there in 1974, to honor his friend,
legendary composer Pham Duy (1920-2013) on the occasion of his 91st birthday

Drawing from a rich and ever-evolving
repertoire of distinctive songs both original and gathered in some two dozen
languages that reflect a global perspective and underscore the
interconnectedness of life, Durst engages each disparate audience in a
participatory journey condensed from his travels, bringing his audience closer
to our world and to each other.

As well as performing as a solo act, Durst is
a member of “Work O’ The Weavers,” a folk group which was formed as a homage to
Pete Seeger and the three other members of the Weavers.  The Weavers were very popular during the
“folk” era and Seeger and Durst were good friends until Seeger’s recent death
at the age of 94.

Durst employs his role as minstrel to
communicate global and social concerns common to his audiences, such as
environmental sustainability, world peace and greater human understanding,
distilling them into the profoundly personal – and vice versa; while employing
the uniquely synergistic qualities of word and melody to dissolve language,
cultural and other barriers. Once, following a concert in Skopje, Macedonia, a
woman who spoke no English found James backstage. Through an interpreter, she
said “I didn’t understand a word, but,” touching the area of her heart, “I
understood what you were saying.”

The interplay of his skillful, rhythmic guitar
playing and strong, expressive voice provides a colorful palette which he uses
to paint compelling musical pictures that encourage individual empowerment and
compassionate relationships, while helping his audience to feel more hopeful
about themselves and their place on the planet. James’ performances are
spirited, lighthearted, relevant and often humorous.

More information about the artist as well as
photographs can be found at www.jamesdurst.com.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota
is a Welcoming Congregation serving Sarasota and Manatee counties.  More information can be found at: www.uusarasota.org
and information can be obtained by emailing engage@uusarasota.org.