Melissa, Gary & Sheryl
Sweet Prospect's music appeals to all ages. Some folks dance to the happy tunes, while others just tap their toes.
Where to find them:
Sweet Prospect performs regularly in and around Pensacola, Florida. They also travel to perform in the Southeast & Midwest United States. Check the "Performances" page for public appearances. Sweet Prospect is available for public and private events such as concerts, festivals, weddings, and parties.
Engagements:
Sweet Prospect has performed in a wide variety of venues. Live Radio and TV appearances include WUWF Public Radio's "Radio Live" program, several times live on WHIL Public Radio in Mobile, Alabama, numerous times on WEAR TV 3 on their popular early morning "3 in the Morning" and also WPMI TV 15's morning program. Festival performances include the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, University of West Florida's "Festival On The Green" and St Rose of Lima's Fall Festival in Milton, FL. They have represented Pensacola at the State Capitol in Tallahassee for the Northwest Florida Day celebration three of the last four years. Birmingham Alabama's "City Stages" was a new concert venue for Sweet Prospect in May 2002. Sweet Prospect performed in concert for over 12,000 people at Pensacola Heritage Foundation's "Evenings in Olde Seville Square" concert series from 2001 through 2005. In October 2002, Sweet Prospect joined with Gulf Coast Chorale and The New Community Choir in Pensacola, Florida and presented a concert of music of world cultures, called "One World, Many Voices". Sweet Prospect "hit the road" for a quick tour in November 2002 to perform at Three Rivers Community Schools Performing Arts Center in Three Rivers, Michigan and for Fine Arts Concert Series in La Porte, Indiana. Sweet Prospect participated in Mobile, Alabama's International Festival also in November 2003. Spring 2003, Sweet Prospect performed at Pensacola's Festival of Nations and Mobile Alabama's First Tartan Day Celebration. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock Arkansas and First Presbyterian, Hernando, Mississippi hosted Sweet Prospect for concerts in January 2005. Sweet Prospect has performed for numerous other public & private events. For additional performance information, view the "Performances" page on this website.
Our Producer: Grammy Award winning record producer Larry Butler
was quoted in Pensacola Today Magazine as saying, "The first time I heard their music, it made me smile. This music is so emotional, so real there is no pretension, and you can feel it." Sweet Prospect was thrilled to have their first CD, "Trees" produced by Larry Butler, who has over 100 gold and platinum records to his credit.In April 2003, Sweet Prospect released "A Moment's Rest." It is an inviting, warm instrumental recording of Celtic and American tunes.
Delayed by Hurricane Ivan, "Cold Frosty Morn" was released in January 2005. This recording includes seasonal favorites such as "Carol of the Bells", "Silver Bells" and of course "Cold Frosty Morn".
For additional information on all three CDs view "About our CDs" page. Sound clips are available too.
| MELISSA ALLURED
plays Celtic music and Appalachian tunes on hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, pennywhistle, recorders, and percussion. Melissa also enjoys performing Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music with an early music ensemble. She is a member of the Dogwood Dulcimer and Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Associations, and played hammered dulcimer in the production of "The Quilters" with the Pensacola Little Theatre. Melissa, originally from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, resided in Birmingham, Alabama for many years before moving to Pensacola, Florida in 1994. Melissa teaches students on hammered and mountain dulcimers, and recorders. Melissa's husband, Donald E. Allured, an accomplished composer and clinician for English handbells, has written many lovely tune arrangements for Sweet Prospect. SHERYL BRAGWELL is a native of Pensacola, Florida. Sheryl's early love for music was encouraged by participation in choirs, choruses and piano lessons. She first heard and fell in love with the sound of hammered dulcimers at a concert in North Carolina in 1991. Sheryl plays hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, bowed psaltery and percussion. As a member of the Dogwood Dulcimer and Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Associations, she has performed Traditional American music for special events and regional festivals throughout the Southeast. As an ensemble instrumentalist, Sheryl has accompanied church choirs performing "An Early American Service of Lessons and Carols" by Tim Sharp with orchestrations by Keith Christopher. Sheryl's husband Bill Bragwell travels with the group and is their sound technician, roadie, bus driver and occasional bodhran player and singer.
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GARY DIAMOND also a native Pensacolian, began studying music at an early age. Gary is the guitarist for Sweet Prospect and also plays trumpet for Pensacola Civic Band, churches an other events about town. Through the years he has performed many musical styles as a member of several local groups ranging from a brass quintet to a variety dance band. Gary's intuitive playing and finger picking style of the guitar enhances Celtic music, blends perfectly with the hammered dulcimers and recorders and provides solid foundation upon which the other instruments build. LISA KIRKMAN-KITTELL performed as vocalist and played several instruments with Sweet Prospect on their "Trees" CD and until August 2002. Lisa resigned performing with Sweet Prospect, due to health and family reasons. Larry Butler produced Sweet Prospect's initial CD "Trees." He is a native of Pensacola who has headed up United Artists record's Nashville division. Larry Butler Productions has produced over 100 gold and platinum albums. |
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