artist info

In 1965, the first ever “Peanuts” animated special took place. It was a landmark event and it was the start of a tradition that would continue year after year. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a tradition enjoyed around the world by fans of all ages. Now, over 50 years later, Contemporary Jazz Piano Legend, David Benoit along with distinguished Vocalist, Courtney Fortune, is paying tribute to this incredible piece of entertainment history.

This inspirational tribute concert features the classic music of Vince Guaraldi along with “Charlie Brown Christmas” originals from David Benoit, who took over the helm as music composer for the new Charlie Brown Christmas TV Specials more than a decade ago, as well as classics from David Benoit’s illustrious career as a Multi-Grammy Nominated Solo Artist. The heart-warming show is sure to get the audience in that Christmas Spirit and bring out the ‘kid’ in all of us this holiday season.

A “founding father” of contemporary jazz, Benoit has as wide-ranging musical resume as anyone in music. Influenced by jazz, Broadway, symphonies, and more, he has scored more than 20 chart-topping radio hits, created the wildly popular soundtracks for the Peanuts television movies, scored music for films produced by Clint Eastwood and Sally Field, and created themes for popular soap operas such as All My Children. He has collaborated with such diverse artists as The Rippingtons, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, and CeCe Winans, among many others as well as working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Philippine Philharmonic. Having recorded over 40 albums, Benoit’s wide-ranging musical vision and talent has been one of the great stories of contemporary jazz.

Courtney Fortune is an acclaimed singer, songwriter and music mentor. Courtney grew up in Bellingham, Washington, near Seattle's vibrant music scene, where she started playing jazz and rock clubs at an early age. She was immediately recognized for her distinct smoky voice and often compared to singers like Karen Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt and Peggy Lee.

Courtney began touring across the US and internationally, with residencies in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Japan, and at Disneyland. She has released two studio records, both produced by 7-time Grammy nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden, the second of which was recorded at the iconic Capitol Studios in Hollywood. She was featured singing her original song “Lost In The Memory” on The Chris Walden Big Band album Full On! and documentary of the legendary Al Schmitt, The Art of Recording a Big Band. Al Schmitt also discussed Courtney’s performance in his episode of Mix With The Masters. Courtney currently tours with Grammy nominated pianist David Benoit.

In addition to being a performer and songwriter, Courtney is the founder of Songmaker Sessions: songwriting and recording workshops for teens and adults. She is the co-founder of the Commercial Music Program at LACHSA, and co-founder/co-director of The High School Songwriters Summit at the GRAMMY Museum.