A Victorian Christmas With John Doan
Artist: John Doan
Address: P.O. Box 5081, Salem OR
Phone/Fax: USA 503-364-4787
E mail: harpguitar@gmail.com
Website: johndoan.com
Dates Available: December 2011
97304 USA
Media Support:
"Victorian Christmas With John Doan" (Emmy nominated television special produced for OPB)
"Christmas To Remember With John Doan" (as seen on PBS)
"Wrapped In White - Visions Of Christmas Past" (National CD release)
The Artist will supply a Press Kit for promotional purposes including: Photos; Color posters; press release; sample
program for sponsor to print and make available at concert; biography; reviews; and general information on the
performance. Much of these materials are available at the <www.johndoan.com>. John is available for phone or
live radio interviews in your area.
Concert Description:
This Emmy-Nominated show explores how the Victorians invented many Christmas traditions we remember and
quite a few we have forgotten. Harp guitar, classical banjo, chartola, and ukelin are but a few of the original
American instruments to be featured. The aim of this concert is to recapture the feeling of a time before radio, TV,
computer games, DVD, CD and MP3 players, and computer games provided most of our musical home
entertainment. Amateurism was very much alive back then, and people actually entertained themselves, especially
at the holidays! During the concert, Doan plays over a dozen late nineteenth-century instruments. These
instruments were once popular in American parlors, on vaudeville stages, and in mandolin orchestras. In addition to
playing each instrument, he explains their history in a entertaining and often zany fashion, shows slides of old
catalogues and archival photographs, and leads the audience to discover the origins of many of our American carols
and Christmas traditions. The audience becomes part of the show by singing (or whistling) along to a nineteenthcentury accompaniment. John will include in the performance several of his arrangements from his CD release
"Wrapped In White," a collection of twenty-one arrangements and medleys of favorite carols performed on dozens
of Americana instruments. At the end of the concert, everyone is invited to come up on stage for a closer look at the
fine craftsmanship that produced these vintage instruments.
Brief Bio:
John has performed with a diverse range of artists from Burl Ives and Mason Williams to Larry Carlton, and his
virtuoso playing and arranging has attracted praise from no less a guitar luminary than Chet Atkins. He has also
recorded and performed in the New Christy Minstrels as well as performed with Donovan, Rickie Lee Jones and
others. He recently contributed a chapter to "Between the Strings - the Secret Lives of Guitars" a veritable
compendium of the world's greatest guitarists with foreward by B.B. King. He has appeared in numerous magazines
including a recent feature in Christianity Today as well as staring in two much-loved television specials produced by
Oregon Public Broadcasting: "A Christmas to Remember With John Doan" (seen on PBS) and his Emmy nominated
"A Victorian Christmas With John Doan." His music has also been featured on numerous television presentations
including Walt Disney, among others. He lives near Salem, Oregon with his wife Deirdra, where he is an Associate
Professor of Music at Willamette University.
Reviews In Print:
"It is hard to say whether Doan is primarily a musician, teacher, historian, or storyteller. The teacher in him wants
his listeners to grasp the meaning behind the music ... he bridges the gap with stories. Through these parables, Doan
conveys spiritual truths that audiences might not accept from a more direct delivery. Those that have ears to hear it
will hear." Christianity Today
"Call him Mr. Christmas." Statesman Journal
"...guitarist and composer John Doan, putting a new twist on the standard Christmas concert, brought that 19thcentury tradition of homemade music to life...His low-key approach, in fact, effectively communicated the
charmingly casual joys of the popular music of the earlier day. He's performing important historical work, too, by
making his scholarship and respect for those lovingly crafted instruments and the sweet, simple music they were
designed for accessible to today's listeners." The Oregonian
"John Doan breathes new life into musty tunes with his pristine, intricate picking, which is laced with the delicacy of
a snowflake ... that evokes the nostalgic, mystical side of Christmas and leaves the shopping mall sentimentality
behind." Billboard Magazine
Concert Reviews:
"John Doan brought a positive experience to our facility where he played to a crowd that was "standing room only."
John Doan will bless your people and the afterglow will remain for a long long time."
Rev. Chuck Cooper - Vermont Hills United Methodist Church - Portland, OR
"Thank YOU for a terrific presentation of Victorian music in the spirit of Christmas. The people who were present
were so pleased and delighted--by your musical talent, by your humorous presentation, and by the amazing
instruments themselves, which tell their own stories and brought back many sweet memories. We were really
blessed by your concert. It helped to capture the "magic" of Christmas."
Rev. Dale Cockrum United Methodist Church - Olympia, WA
Your concert a magnificent triumph! Your presentation was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did everyone I
talked to. You're a fine and fascinating person, and I am glad to know you.
Rev. David Baumann Blessed Sacrament Church - Placentia, CA
Fee:
Various fee schedules are negotiable. If the sponsor does not want to commit to a set fee the program can be
supported by admission donations. Sponsor receives 20% and artist receives the remaining funds from suggested
donations (usually a $12 - $15 donation for admissions with discounts for children and seniors) or a guarantee of
$500 (whichever is greater).
A well-promoted event should be a "Win - Win" for all concerned. Churches enjoy an opportunity to provide for a
quality experience of fellowship among the congregation as well as a community outreach event that invites
members of the community into the church. Artist is provided for without drawing ministry funds away from the
church. If the program is offered at no charge to the community artist would receive $1800 fee (add travel expenses
outside of the Pacific Northwest).