Classical music with a fresh twist comes to Bass Hall in Fort Worth

by PegNews wire

Dynamic string trio Time for Three is hailed as a “classically trained garage band” that’s gaining recognition for breaking classical music out of its traditional mold. Their engaging performances mix high energy with elements of classical, country western and jazz. These ground-breaking performers will take the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra October 9 – 11 at Bass Performance Hall.

The two violinists and one double bassist will perform Concerto 4-3, written for them by FWSO composer-in-residence Jennifer Higdon. On a more traditional note, Dvořák’s wildly popular Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World,” a musical tribute to the American spirit, offers a triumphant finish. On Saturday and Sunday, the concerts open with another of Higdon’s works, Machine. Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts.

Time for Three transcends traditional classification, with elements of classical, country western, gypsy and jazz idioms forming a blend all its own. The members ― Zachary De Pue, violin; Nicolas Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass ― carry a passion for improvisation, composing and arranging, all prime elements of the their playing.

What started as a trio of musicians who played together for fun while students at the Curtis Institute for Music evolved into Time for Three, or Tf3 for short, a charismatic ensemble with a reputation for limitless enthusiasm and no musical boundaries. The ensemble gained instant attention in 2003, during a lightning-induced power failure at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. While technicians attempted to restore onstage lighting, Meyer and De Pue, who were both performing as members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, obliged with an impromptu jam session that included works as far afield from the originally scheduled symphony as “Jerusalem’s Ridge,” “Ragtime Annie” and “The Orange Blossom Special.” The crowd went wild.

The ensemble has performed on many of the nation’s most important stages, including the 92nd Street Y in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The group recorded the soundtrack to the History Channel's production The Spanish-American War, and will soon release its third CD. Recent performances include those with the Cleveland Pops, San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, Sunshine Pops, New World Symphony and the Philly Pops with Peter Nero.

Jennifer Higdon maintains a full schedule of commissions and her music is known for its technical skill and audience appeal. Hailed by The Washington Post as "a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form and a generous dash of pure esprit," she is one of America's most frequently performed composers. She is the recipient of several awards, including a Pew Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship and two awards from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. The Telarc release of Higdon: Concerto for Orchestra / City Scape won a Grammy Award in 2005. Her work blue cathedral is one of the most-performed orchestral works by a living composer. Some of her recent commissions include works for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, eighth blackbird, Tokyo String Quartet and Ying Quartet. She has written a new violin concerto for Hilary Hahn to be premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra. The San Francisco Opera has commissioned her to write an opera to be premiered in 2013. A solo disc of her chamber music was recently released by Naxos. She is on the composition faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she holds the Milton L. Rock Chair in Compositional Studies.

Source: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra