Rick Worrall鈥檚 goal was simple: to share his love of John Denver鈥檚 music.
It snowballed from there, and Worrall, now backed by local talent and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, was able to bring in Denver鈥檚 acclaimed composer, conductor and arranger Lee Holdridge to 琉璃神社 and Vernon stages for Rocky Mountain High 鈥� An Evening of John Denver March 29-31.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a John Denver fan and I knew his music lent itself really well to the symphony,鈥� Worrall said.
Inspired by a 2016 Elton John tribute put together by the band Jeans 鈥榥 Classics and the OSO, where Worrall said he came in last minute to sing, he approached the symphony with his idea to celebrate Denver. And it all evolved from there.
鈥淚 reached out to Lee Holdridge to see if I could rent the symphony charts,鈥� Worrall said.
Holdridge returned Worrall鈥檚 call within a few hours with the sad news that there were no longer any charts. However, after Worrall proposed that he come and conduct the symphony himself, Holdridge was on board and Worrall was thrilled.
鈥淟ee, he鈥檚 one of the Hollywood legends that鈥檚 still going,鈥� Worrall said. 鈥淟ee is one of the top Hollywood composers and arrangers. He鈥檚 done movies and TV 鈥� he has seven Emmys for his TV work, and two Grammy Awards 鈥� and he鈥檚 worked with everybody. Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, he still works with Neil Diamond, and he鈥檚 been working lately with Placido Domingo.鈥�
Haiti-born and Costa Rica-raised, Holdridge relocated to the United States at the age of 15 before arranging for some of the country鈥檚 biggest acts.
鈥淏oth Steve (Worrall鈥檚 brother) and I have had the opportunity to work with some pretty big people. We鈥檝e had great opportunities, but I always seek out the opportunity to work with more people. Lee is as close as you can get to working with John Denver,鈥� Worrall said.
Holdridge will hold the helm of the concert, which features Okanagan vocalists Steve Worrall, Mia Harris, Justin Moore and Delphine Litke backed by the band that includes Gary Smith, Scott Grant, Brian McMahon, Chris Stevens, Susan Aylard and guest pianists Neville Bowman and Melina Schein.
鈥淭he band comprises some of the best players in the Okanagan,鈥� Worrall said.
However, Worrall said, it鈥檚 important to note that the show is less of a tribute and more of a celebration of the beloved American singer/songwriter.
鈥淚 want the audience to come and enjoy the songs. I think people will be pleasantly surprised,鈥� Worrall said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that we鈥檙e going to create a very similar experience as seeing John Denver without him being there.鈥�
Rocky Mountain High 鈥� An Evening of John Denver ignites the 琉璃神社 Community Theatre March 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. and the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre March 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $59 adult, $54 senior and $27 youth and are available through the Ticket Seller in Vernon, 250-549-7469,, and 琉璃神社 Tickets, 250-862-2867, . A portion of the proceeds will support the Boys and Girls Club of the Okanagan.
entertainment@vernonmorningstar.com
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