Bio
Kurt is an entrepreneur, an avid world-traveler, a renowned composer, and an award-winning filmmaker. He joined his family’s olive oil business, the Olive Farm, in 1999, and also ran their Portland-based commercial real estate development business, 300 Partners, for five years before retiring to pursue his number one passion – composing music!
Kurt formed his love for music at a very young age. Through his upbringing, he was exposed to a variety of musical genres which included Pop, Rock & Roll, Classical, and songs from Musical Theater’s Golden Age – especially,
My Fair Lady. Kurt remembers helping his mom prepare supper as they both sang along with the
My Fair Lady soundtrack. Immersed in a household full of music, Kurt taught himself how to play the piano at age 12, composed a piece for his grade school orchestra, and started writing songs, with lyrics, in high school. Kurt’s songwriting was heavily influenced by the music of the 60’s and 70’s including The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Elton John, and David Bowie.
As Kurt continued to hone his craft, one song in particular was to have a profound impact on the direction of his songwriting and compositions. That song was “Harry’s Game”, by Ireland’s own CLANNAD. After hearing that song, Kurt wholeheartedly embraced Celtic Music and he’s been writing Scottish/Irish-inspired music for well over 25 years. Kurt has said his mission is to bring back melodies to music. In a recent interview he said that, “Each piece of my music conveys a different emotion, thought, or message. I want to compose melodies that touch people and are memorable”.
Kurt’s music ultimately led him to filmmaking. He realized, early on, that the best way to get his music out into the musical sphere was to take his songs and produce music short films based on his tunes. His first film was Highland Home, based on the song of the same name. The film went on to win 54 awards/mentions, as it traveled around the international film festival circuit.
Kurt’s ongoing success can also be attributed to his USA and international collaborations with the world’s best in music and film. Tim Gorman, composer/producer/former keyboardist for The Who, orchestrated
Highland Home, The Moon Followed Me to Falmouth, Strolling Down Brighton Pier, The Wish I Made, and A Heart Drifts Away. Kurt also teamed up with Jake and Luke Morgan, of Morgan Creative, Ltd. (Ireland), on the orchestration, filming, and editing of the music drone video,
Dawn at Gougane Barra. Kurt has also worked with internationally renowned ensembles including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London, England) and the Will Palmer Orchestra (Dublin, Ireland).
Kurt is a member of the Scottish Music Industry Association and the Arts Club, London and an Associate Member of the Dramatists Guild (USA) and the Society of Composers and Lyricists (USA). Kurt has many more
projects, and exciting collaborations, in the pipeline. Please visit often to see what Kurt, his team, and his musical partners, are up to! Sláinte!