April 12, 2005
Brilliant double bassist Edgar Meyer to perform two recitals at the Barton & Victoria Myers Residence
Summary Facts:
- Edgar Meyer
- Meyer is hailed as one of the world’s leading double bass players
- He is a recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant
- Chamber Music in Historic Sites® concerts
- Saturday, May 21
- 2 & 5 pm / Barton & Victoria Myers Residence, Montecito
- General: $60 / UCSB students: $25
- Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535
Prominently established as a unique and masterful instrumentalist, Edgar Meyer will delight two audiences both as a vibrant performer and an innovative composer on Saturday, May 21 at 2 and 5 pm at the Barton & Victoria Myers Residence in Montecito. Hailed by The New Yorker as “the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument,” Meyer combines unparalleled technique and musicianship with a gift for composition. In 2002 the MacArthur Foundation named him a recipient of one of its prestigious “genius” grants.
Fruitful collaborations are the cornerstone of Meyer’s work. This winter he toured with mandolin/banjo/bouzouki player Chris Thile from acoustic super band Nickel Creek. He has also worked in a quartet made up of violinist Joshua Bell and legendary bluegrass musicians Sam Bush and Mike Marshall. The album Short Trip Home, released in fall 1999, was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best Classical Crossover album and the group was subsequently invited to perform live at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards.
An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Edgar Meyer brought a new dimension to his long-standing friendship and collaboration with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck on Music for Two, their 2004 recording that features live performances from the pair’s first tour as a duo. This CD is the follow-up to the double-Grammy-winning Sony classical recording Perpetual Motion.
Among his imaginative projects for Sony Classical, Meyer and colleagues Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O’ Connor were widely acclaimed for the best-selling Appalachia Waltz, which soared to the top of the charts and remained there for 16 weeks. Joining with Ma and O’Connor for a second time, Appalachian Journey, the follow-up to Appalachia Waltz, was released in March 2000. Appalachian Journey won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album that season. In October 1999, Meyer’s violin concerto written for violinist Hilary Hahn was premiered and recorded by Hahn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Hugh Wolff.
In October 1997, the Fleck/Marshall/Meyer trio opened the 1997-98 season of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in conjunction with the release of their Sony Classical disc Uncommon Ritual. From 1986-1992, Meyer was a member of the progressive bluegrass band Strength in Numbers, whose members included Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck and Mark O’Connor. Meyer also works with pianist Amy Dorfman, his longtime accompanist for solo recitals, featuring both classical repertoire and his own compositions. To further explore his interests in a variety of musical genres, Meyer’s vast musical interests have also led him to be a widely sought after guest bass player for an assortment of recording artists, such as Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Lyle Lovett, T-Bone Burnett, and the Chieftains.
Meyer began studying bass at the age of five under the instruction of his father, and continued further to study with Stuart Sankey. He is the winner of numerous competitions. In 1994 he became the only bassist to receive the Avery Fisher Career Grant and in 2000 became the only bassist to receive the Avery Fisher Prize. Meyer premiered his bass concerto in 1993 with Edo de Waart and the Minnesota Orchestra, and in 1995, he premiered his Quintet for Bass and String Quartet in collaboration with the Emerson String Quartet, which was later recorded on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Also, in 1995, he premiered his Double Concerto for Bass and Cello, in collaboration with Carter Brey, cello and Jeffrey Kahane conducting the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival Orchestra. Most recently, Meyer made his Boston Symphony debut with Seiji Ozawa conducting, featuring the premiere of one of his own works, the Meyer Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma.
The Barton and Victoria Myers Residence, designed by Barton Myers himself, highlights the spectacular canyon setting in the Montecito foothills with an elegant “warehouse” in the tradition of Eames’ and early Myers’ work. The stunning house features steel, glazed garage doors and cascading pools. The home is sure to provide a truly unique site for the one-of-a-kind artistry of Edgar Meyer.
These concerts are the third of three performances in UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 2004-2005 performing arts season held in conjunction with the distinguished Los Angeles-based Chamber Music in Historic Sites®. This partnership allows Arts & Lectures to travel to unique and intimate environments to celebrate the experience of music in sacred, social and architectural contexts.
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Edgar Meyer by agreement with Chamber Music in Historic Sites®—a nationally licensed series, Dr. MaryAnn Bonino, president and founder. Thanks to the Pearl Chase Society for its support and to KCBX Public Radio and the Eagle Inn for sponsoring this concert. This project is funded in part by the Organizational Development Program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Tickets are $60 for the general public and $25 for UCSB students.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.