Joy for the world: Kurt Bestor hopes to bring peace with Christmas concerts

On the morning of his first Christmas concert, Kurt Bestor goes early to Abravanel Hall. All the sound, lights and staging work has been done the previous night.

"I walk out on that stage alone, the only one there, and I feel like I've come to such a familiar, homey place. I sit at the piano and imagine the hall filled with people. And I hope they have the same feeling. It's good to be back," he explains.

It's a small moment of peace that he savors.

Bestor has put on an annual Christmas concert for 21 years. "I feel like I've built a feeling of comfort and trust with my audience, and that's very gratifying," he says.

When he started out, "there were hardly any other Christmas concerts. Now, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, you can find something good almost every day." He's thrilled that he continues to be part of the Christmas tradition for so many people, but he also feels a responsibility.

"My challenge is to stay relevant.

"Tradition is a scary word in many ways. There's the noble side that means you've stood the test of time, but you don't want to sound dated or old. People pay to come here; I feel duty-bound to give them a good show. That means raising the music level a notch every year."

Over the years, Bestor has produced a number of Christmas CDs, and "some people ask me why I don't just choose some numbers off those albums. But I don't think I'd be here 21 years later if I did that."

This year's special guest will be Jonathan Butler, a jazz guitarist and singer who grew up in South Africa under apartheid and is a two-time Grammy nominee. "It was a stroke of luck getting him to come; he's very busy, but he had this window," Bestor says. "Plus, he comes from a family of 12 children, so he'll fit right in in Utah."

One of the special numbers they will do will be "Joy to the World" with a "Zulu undercurrent. I think it will bring the house down."

Bestor will again bring in drummer Eric Valentine and bass player Carlitos del Puerto. "They are as professional as you'll find anywhere." And, he says, as always it is a privilege to work with some of the best local musicians, like Michael Dowdle, Aaron Ashton, Daron Bradford, Meredith Campbell and others, many of whom have been with him from the beginning.