TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS

EDGAR MEYER,
DOUBLE BASS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012, 8:00 P.M.
AT THE MCCULLOUGH THEATRE

Presented in partnership with the Butler School of Music BassFest;
DaXun Zhang, Assistant Professor of Double Bass, Director

“...the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument.” – New Yorker

“Edgar Meyer is the best bassist alive.” San Diego Magazine

A Grammy Award-winning bassist and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Edgar Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have established him as one of the finest artists of his generation. After a stunning 2009 performance with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain, Meyer returns to Texas Performing Arts in an intimate solo performance featuring classical music, jazz, bluegrass, and some of his own compositions.

As a solo classical bassist, Mr. Meyer has released albums with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Joshua Bell, Chris Thile, and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as several solo CDs. As a composer, Meyer has premiered works with Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Emanuel Ax, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Joshua Bell, Edo de Waart and the Minnesota Orchestra, the Emerson String Quartet, the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, and violinist Hilary Hahn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Hugh Wolff. In 1994 he received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and in 2000 became the only bassist to receive the Avery Fisher Prize.

This performance is a highlight of the Austin Bassfest, held during the weekend of September 21-23. Hosted by Professor DaXun Zhang at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, the Bassfest will be presented in partnership with Texas Performing Arts. This three-day long event will bring together masters of the double bass from around the world for a celebration of the double bass, its music and the musicians. Some of the world’s most celebrated double bassists will gather to share their artistry and teaching experience through solo recitals, master classes, and interactive events. The festival’s roster includes Edgar Meyer, Hal Robin, Lawrence Hurst, Paul Ellison, Tim Pitts, and Jeff Bradetich to name a few. Events during the Bassfest include a solo competition, as well as TMEA All-State Workshop for high school bassists. For more information on the Austin Bassfest, please visit http://www.music.utexas.edu/bassfest/Default.aspx.

For more information on this performance, please visit http://texasperformingarts.org/season/edgar-meyer-austin.

CALENDAR LISTING
Saturday, September 22, 2012, 8:00 pm –Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin presents Edgar Meyer at the McCullough Theatre (2375 Robert Dedman Dr.) A map of the campus: texasperformingarts.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($32 / Limited $10 student tickets / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff, seniors and Military) are on sale now at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at www.TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew; 512.471.0632
gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org