Kirsten & Dave
Kirsten Manville – Guitar, Flute & Vocals
Kirsten Manville grew up near Boston and studied piano from the
age of 8 and flute from the age of ten. She performed in her school's
band, chorus, and musical theater productions. Kirsten attended Bowdoin
College, where she studied flute and voice and sang in the Bowdoin
Chamber Choir. During her senior year she took up guitar and began
composing and performing in a folk trio. She graduated with a BA in
music in 1995. That fall she moved to Nashville where she worked for the
Nashville Symphony and sang in the Nashville Symphony Chorus. As if that
wasn’t enough music for her, on her days off she went and performed her
own songs at local Nashville coffeehouses. She’s kind of a show-off like
that. Since moving back to Massachusetts in 2001, Kirsten continues to
hone her songwriting skills, and enjoys backing other artists on both
flute and voice, when she's not performing with Kirsten & Dave.
David Simmons – Guitar & Vocals
David Simmons arrived by an equally
circuitous route. He played trumpet and sang in the chorus in grade
school. At puberty he had trouble getting used to his new voice, so he
began taking guitar lessons. Eventually he learned how to sing again. In
1991, Dave got involved in the local community cultural scene and began
producing, as well as performing in, local cultural events. He also
found time to play rhythm guitar in a 7-piece blues, ska, and swing jazz
band. Eventually he began to prefer the sound of the acoustic guitar,
but once in a while he still likes to drag out the old Telecaster. Dave
tries to get out and play every chance he gets, whether it’s solo or in
a combo. He needs to keep busy in order to stay out of trouble.