Bassist

“Intersection” features music by composers who explore the terrain between traditional genre boundaries. The program features Anna Meredith’s astonishing 1980s electronica meets ’90s clubland composition Tuggemo, the first movement of Edgar Meyer’s virtuosic Concert Duo for Violin and Bass, Courtney Bryan’s gospel and jazz-flavored fusion of the sacred and secular, Soli Deo Gloria for two guitars, and the world premiere of Dmitri Tymoczko’s Nerds, for chamber ensemble. The evening concludes with Angélica Negrón’s dóabin, inspired by the invented language of a pair of twins; acclaimed composer Tyshawn Sorey’s shimmering, lyrical work, For Fred Lerdahl; and avant-garde icon György Ligeti’s minimalist composition, Six Bagatelles, for woodwind quintet.

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Intersection

Curtis Institute of Music Lenfest Hall

Genre-defying bassist and composer Edgar Meyer bridges the worlds of classical and bluegrass music to shine a new light on American music. The only bassist to ever be awarded a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, his diverse lineup of musical collaborators includes Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, and Béla Fleck. Meyer joins the Winston-Salem Symphony to perform his own Concerto for Double Bass and Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2.

Jessie Montgomery’s Strum likewise salutes American folk music, creating a mesmerizing groove through the plucking of strings, and Dvořák’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 9 masterfully fuses European classical traditions with the rich rhythms and melodies of the American landscape.

Edgar Meyer + The New World

R.J. Reynolds High School

In Mendelssohn’s case, the talent was supported by privilege. He was born into a family that was cultured and wealthy; his grandfather was the noted philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, and his father, Abraham, was a supremely successful banker (one remembered for his remark that he was destined to go down in history as his father’s son and his son’s father). As a result, young Felix, his gifted sister Fanny Cäcilie, and their younger sister Rebecka and brother Paul enjoyed certain perks as they moved through their childhood. One was that Felix had at his disposal a private orchestra to try out his new compositions at Sunday musicales in the family home in Berlin (where the Mendelssohns had moved when Felix was only two). Many of his lifelong friendships were developed during the years of the private house concerts; it was then that he grew close to Ferdinand David (the musician whom Mendelssohn blessed with his two violin concertos), Julius Schubring (the theologian who would go on to compile the texts for Mendelssohn’s oratorios), and Karl Klingemann (eleven years Mendelssohn’s senior, an accomplished amateur musician and a diplomat). Klingemann is at least partly to thank for the existence of the concert overture Fingal’s Cave, one of Mendelssohn’s most popular works.

Virtuosic

Ridgefield Playhouse

Experience intimate chamber music programs curated and performed by small ensembles of SF Symphony musicians. In this concert: music by two double-bassists, Shinji Eshima and Edgar Meyer, plus Aleksey Igudesman’s Latin Suite and Claude Debussy’s Piano Trio.

Chamber Music at Davies Symphony Hall

Davies Symphony Hall

These genre-defying virtuosos move with ease among classical, bluegrass, and North Indian music, creating a fusion uniquely their own. With 20 GRAMMY© Awards among them, these three artists are at the height of their powers, crossing sonic borders.

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, and Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

A harmonic convergence of virtuosity, the trio of tabla master Hussain, banjoist Fleck, and bassist Meyer reunite on the Miner stage to revisit their magical chemistry 14 years after the release of their GRAMMY-nominated 2009 album The Melody of Rhythm to celebrate the release of their new album As We Speak. They are joined for this evening by bansuri flute maestro Rakesh Chaurasia.



Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia

SFJAZZ Center

The first-time banjo legend Béla Fleck, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer got together to make an album, it was to write, not to play.

When Fleck and Meyer were looking for a third partner for a triple concerto, they had been commissioned to write to mark the opening of Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, they thought of Hussain, who was quite interested in orchestral writing. “We thought we could learn a whole lot from this guy!” says Béla. The result was The Melody of Rhythm (2009), recorded with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.

As We Speak: Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Feat. Rakesh Chaurasia

Soka Performing Arts Center

This amazing World Music gig is a confluence of Indian classical, Western classical, jazz, and bluegrass. The artists have collectively won 22 Grammys!

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Rakesh Chaurasia - Live in Concert ·

Wortham Theater Center

Bringing our milestone 50th season to a spectacular end, the Dover Quartet, violist Ida Kavafian, and cellist Peter Stumpf play Schoenberg’s soaring tone poem Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), which takes its inspiration from a poem about the transformative power of compassion and understanding, and pianist Haochen Zhang and bassist Edgar Meyer join members of the Dover Quartet for what’s arguably the most-loved work in the chamber music repertoire: Schubert’s Trout Quintet.

Trout Quintet

Lensic Performing Arts Center

Bassist Edgar Meyer—hailed by The New Yorker as “the most remarkable virtuoso” in the history of his instrument—joins the Dover Quartet for his own bluegrass-, folk-, and jazz-influenced Quintet. The program also features the Dover Quartet playing Haydn’s stately Emperor Quartet (originally written for the last Holy Roman Emperor) and pianist Haochen Zhang, violinist Ida Kavafian, and cellist Peter Stumpf performing Brahms’s gorgeous Piano Trio in B Major.

Edgar Meyer Quintet

Four longtime friends of the Festival—violinists Benny Kim, Daniel Phillips, Ida Kavafian, and Jennifer Gilbert—solo in one of the most beloved and well-known works of the classical music repertoire: Vivaldi’s sparkling, infectious, and brilliantly evocative The Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons

Enjoy an evening of musical entertainment with two of the world’s foremost bassists. Eminent jazz bassist Christian McBride brings his unique musical flair to complement Edgar Meyer’s accomplished background of classical, folk, and bluegrass. The two virtuosos and friends join forces and share the stage for a transfixing and lively performance that’s sure to be an electric evening for all!

Special Event: Bass Sensations Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer

Aspen Meadows Resort

Three masterful genre-benders—Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, and Edgar Meyer—come together once again to blur geographic borders and musical boundaries for an exuberantly virtuosic and exciting evening of music.

Bluegrass, classical, global music, jazz, and more come together and recombine in unheard-of ways. Their joy is palpable, and the audience will share the excitement and enthusiasm. 

Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain

Berklee College of Music

“When we are performing on stage, in composing mode or creating mode, we are basically having a conversation,” says renowned tabla player, Zakir Hussain, of his bandmates, banjo legend Béla Fleck, the great double bassist Edgar Meyer, and bansuri player Rakesh Chaurasia. “So the music emerges as we speak.”

As We Speak: Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain

Dance is love in motion. Winter Mix: Love Songs/Love Stories explores the complexities of love through three pieces, including a performance of Gerald Arpino's renowned classical work Birthday Variations set to the music of Giuseppe Verdi. Short Trip Home, by director and choreographer Garrett Ammon, features music composed by Edgar Meyer and Joshua Bell performed by bluegrass musicians Sam Bush and Mike Marshall. It is a story of family dynamics, marriage, parenthood and witnessing children find new love as they create their own place in the world. Finally, Marcus Jarrell Willis, currently the Resident Choreographer from Ballet Cymru in Newport, Wales, has imagined an exciting new work to premiere at Winter Mix with a very carefully curated song list focusing on love and relationships. Don't miss it!

Winter Mix

Playhouse on the Square

Like a shooting star, Franz Schubert blazed across music's sky for a brief 31 years, leaving behind over 1,000 works that transformed the Classical into the Romantic age.
Four programs spanning Schubert's creative career and variety of compositions offer a rich journey into one of music's most ethereal worlds. A fifth concert explores how the legacy of Schubert and composers in the two centuries following his death have re-worked and been inspired by his compositions.

Winter Festival: From Song

Lincoln Center

Curtis Institute of Music students perform over 100 free recitals during the semester, held on most Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. Admission requires advance registration and is complimentary.

Viola, Trumpet, and Bass

Curtis Institute of Music

American music masters Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, and Edgar Meyer join with George Meyer for the kind of special collaboration usually heard only at a bluegrass festival. Bush and Marshall are mandolin virtuosos rooted in bluegrass. The Meyers (Edgar on acoustic bass, son George on violin) come from the classical world. Together, they make acoustic music that can only be categorized as “amazing.” You’ll hear works from the 1999 genre-bending album Short Trip Home (which featured Bush, Marshall, and the elder Meyer), plus new music written for this tour. Four musical stars are coming together in a burst of creativity; don’t miss it!

Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer & George Meyer

McCallum Theatre

American music trailblazers Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, George Meyer, and Bryan Sutton come together in this energizing ensemble, each with a keen sense of musicianship and mastery of their instrument and genres. Blending new grass and classical, they bring the summer bluegrass festival circuit to the Bing.

Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, George Meyer, and Bryan Sutton

Stanford University

Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, George Meyer

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Formed at the Curtis Institute of Music, the members of the Dover Quartet count among their mentors some of the greatest musicians of our time, and the ensemble’s performances continue to combine the hallowed standards of string playing’s golden age with adventurous programming and appealing personal presence. Their program for CMS shows all their facets, and in addition, we are thrilled to present bassist Edgar Meyer in his own bass quintet, which received its first performance for CMS in 1996.

Dover Quartet with Edgar Meyer

Five-time Grammy-winning bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, whose unparalleled technique and ingenuity in composition and performance has made him one of the most notable bassists in history, is joined by the Scottish Ensemble, for an upbeat performance. A MacArthur Award recipient and the only bassist to receive an Avery Fisher Prize, Edgar Meyer has carved out a remarkable and unique niche in the musical world, taking an instrument normally relegated to the back of the orchestra and realizing its full potential as a musical centerpiece. Through reimagined and original compositions, Meyer makes the bass the focal point of a piece and in his collaborations with other artists, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, and Chris Thile, he shows how versatile the instrument can be.</p><p>Winner of the Ensemble Award in the 2020 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, the Scottish Ensemble promotes the rich diversity of the string repertoire, exploring adventurous ways through which it can be presented and shared, and seeks out thoughtful ways of connecting classical music to contemporary life.

Edgar Meyer and the Scottish Ensemble

An astounding group of virtuosos—Yo-Yo Ma on cello, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Edgar Meyer on bass, and Chris Thile on mandolin—reunite live for the first time in nearly a decade. Joined by featured vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, the lively talents of these exceptional artists come together on stage to create a singular sound that’s composed, part improvised, and uniquely American—music so complex to pull off that the group likens it to a goat rodeo, airplane pilots’ nickname for a situation in which many different things need to go right to avoid disaster. In the words of the Los Angeles Times, this concert presents “unlikely musicians on unlikely instruments in concerts … that [are] part blues, part bluegrass and a smidgen of Bach.” Hang on to your seats as the music transports you to magical heights with heart-rending ballads and Americana energy!

Edgar Meyer

Bassist

Events

Mar 30, 2024

Intersection · Curtis Institute of Music

2 - 3 Mar, 2024

Edgar Meyer + The New World · Winston-Salem Symphony

Feb 10, 2024

Virtuosic · Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra

Jan 28, 2024

Chamber Music at Davies Symphony Hall · San Francisco Symphony

Nov 21, 2023

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, and Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia · Oregon Symphony

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