A Classic Concert Series Event
Supporting Sponsorship provided by App State Campus Store and Broyhill Family Foundation.
Grammy-nominated violinst Tessa Lark, acclaimed cellist Joshua Roman, and virtuoso bassist Edgar Meyer combine talents for an unparalleled evening of music.
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata for Viola de Gamba in G Major, BWV 1027
Adagio
Allegro ma non tanto
Andante
Allegro moderato
Edgar Meyer – Trio 1986
I
II
III
IV
Edgar Meyer – New Trio (2024)
I
II
III
IV
Edgar Meyer – Trio 1988
I
II
III
IV
Edgar Meyer on the Lark/Roman/Meyer program:
“In 1986-1988, I wrote a series of three string trips that I premiered with Daniel Phillips and Carter Brey at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. These were the first longer pieces that I had conceived as such, and they set the tone for my next four decades. Only one was partially recorded. After meeting Tessa and Joshua a few years ago, I realized that they were perfect for helping me document this personal milestone. I have now set out to write a new trio for us to “complete the thought.”
Main photo credit: Robbin Myers
Tickets
Contact theschaefercenter@appstate.edu, call 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046, visit the box office at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, or purchase online.
$40 Tier 1
$30 Tier 2
$20 Tier 3
$10 Children (12 and younger)
App State Faculty/Staff:
10% off Tiers 1, 2 & 3. Contact Box Office for discount code.
Local Residents (Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga, and Wilkes counties):
10% off Tiers 1, 2 & 3. Zip code required at check out.
Parking
Parking can be challenging, particularly for sold-out events. Please allow extra time to park and arrive at the theatre before showtime. See map for parking recommendations.
Accommodations
App State is committed to providing an inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities. If accommodations are needed in order to fully participate on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Disability Resources (828-262-3056). It is recommended that accommodation requests be made two weeks prior to the event.
About Tessa Lark
Violinist, composer, arranger, commissioner, Stradgrasser
Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. In 2020 she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, and she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky.
Highlights of Lark’s 2023-24 season include the world premiere of Carlos Izcaray’s Violin Concerto and performances of Michael Torke’s violin concerto, Sky – both pieces written for her – as well as her European orchestral debut with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. She also performs with the Virginia Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, England’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and others; and gives duo concerts with double bassist Michael Thurber and jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.
Lark’s newest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, was released this past spring. Her debut commercial recording was the Grammy-nominated SKY, and her discography also includes Fantasy; Invention, recorded with Michael Thurber; and a live recording of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
In addition to her performance schedule, Lark champions young aspiring artists and supports the next generation of musicians through her work as Co-host/Creative of NPR’s From the Top.
Lark plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Photo credit: Lauren Desberg
About Joshua Roman
Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone… and playful zest for exploration” (New York Times), as well as his “extraordinary technical and musical gifts” and “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom… that goes straight to the heart” (San Francisco Chronicle). His genre-bending programs and wide-ranging collaborations have grown out of an “enthusiasm for musical evolution that is as contagious as his love for the classics” (Seattle Times).
Committed to bringing classical music to new audiences, Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony winner/MacArthur Genius Bill T. Jones, Grammy Award-winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tony Award-nominated actor Anna Deavere Smith. His concert of the complete Bach Solo Cello Suites after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election had nearly a million live viewers, and his solo performance with the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall was viewed by 33 million people across nearly 200 countries, with Yo-Yo Ma introducing him as “one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st century musician.”
As a soloist with an “exceptionally high quality of performances” (LA Times), Roman has performed with leading orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony, BBC Scottish, and Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Music Academy of the West, Illinois Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Roman has also premiered new works composed for him by Mason Bates, Reena Esmail, Timo Andres, Gabriela Lena Frank, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lisa Bielawa, and others.
Photo credit: Shervin Lainez
About Edgar Meyer
Hailed by The New Yorker as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument,” Edgar Meyer is the only bassist to be awarded both the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize and MacArthur Grant, solidifying his unparalleled talent in his field. In 2024, he was honored with his sixth and seventh GRAMMY® Awards for As We Speak, the second acclaimed studio album released with long-time friend and collaborators Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, and Rakesh Chaurasia.
2024 also saw the release of But Who’s Gonna Play the Melody?, a duo album featuring fellow bassist Christian McBride, as well as a complete recording of Meyer’s three concertos for bass and orchestra with The Knights, conducted by Eric Jacobsen and produced by Chris Thile. The concerto project includes his Concertino for Bass and 14 Strings, recorded in 2023 with the Scottish Ensemble led by Jonathan Morton, who commissioned and toured the piece with Meyer in 2022.
In addition to his performing and recording career, Meyer is a celebrated composer. Most recently, he was one of five composers commissioned by American violinist Joshua Bell and the New York Philharmonic for his project The Elements, which had its world premiere in 2023.
This season, Meyer will tour the US with violinist Tessa Lark and cellist Joshua Roman. The newly formed trio will perform newly commissioned work alongside his string trios composed in 1980.
Mr. Meyer is the subject of an ongoing documentary filmed and produced by Tessa Lark, Andrew Adair, and Michael Thurber.
Photo credit: Jim McGuire
