Virtuoso Edgar Meyer and the vibrant Scottish Ensemble combine energies for an evening of classical works
Grammy-winning bassist Edgar Meyer is celebrated the world over for his work as a performer and composer, while Scottish Ensemble has redefined the string orchestra with vibrant and engaging performances. These dynamos combine energies and genre-bending traditions for a performance of classical works, including a new composition by Meyer written especially for this tour, at the Moss Arts Center on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m.
A Blacksburg favorite, Meyer makes his third appearance at the Moss Arts Center for the performance, which will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
In addition to Meyer’s new composition, the evening concert will feature the first movement of Meyer’s string quintet, Gustav Holst’s “St. Paul’s Suite,” Bach’s Gamba Sonata in G, “Punctum” by Caroline Shaw, and Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending.”
This event brings together two formidable forces in classical music performance. Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the fore, and his uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002. Scottish Ensemble is the U.K.’s leading string orchestra with a core of outstanding string players who inspire audiences with vibrant performances that are powerful, challenging, and rewarding experiences that cross genres, styles, musical periods, and artistic forms to offer fresh perspectives on classical music.
In 2011, Meyer joined cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, and fiddler Stuart Duncan for the Grammy-winning “The Goat Rodeo Sessions.” He received his fifth Grammy Award in 2015 for his “Bass & Mandolin” collaboration with Thile, and his most recent recording, “Not Our First Rodeo,” is the 2020 follow-up to “The Goat Rodeo Sessions.”
Meyer also has carved out a remarkable niche as a composer. His “New Piece for Orchestra” was premiered and commissioned by the Nashville Symphony and the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2017, and “Concerto for Double Bass and Violin” was premiered in 2012 by Bell and Meyer at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Meyer collaborated with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain to write a triple concerto for double bass, banjo, and tabla, which was commissioned for the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.
Collaborations are a central part of Meyer’s work. In 2017, he joined fellow bassist Christian McBride to showcase their original music, and he has toured the U.S. with Ma and Thile to perform works from their Bach trios recording. He collaborated with Ma and Mark O’Connor for the 1996 “Appalachia Waltz” release, which soared to the top of the charts and remained there for 16 weeks. The follow-up recording, “Appalachian Journey,” was honored with a Grammy Award.
Based in Glasgow, Scotland, and led by Artistic Director Jonathan Morton, Scottish Ensemble regularly collaborates with high-profile guest artists, from trumpeter Alison Balsom and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly to cellist Pieter Wispelwey and violinists Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Nicola Benedetti, and is becoming increasingly known for its international collaborations with artists from other disciplines. Starting in 2014, the ensemble’s annual series of cross-artform collaborations has included immersive projects with visual artist Toby Paterson, Swedish contemporary dance company Andersson Dance, electronic-classical crossover composer Anna Meredith and visual artist Eleanor Meredith, and Scottish theatre company Vanishing Point.
Scottish Ensemble presents concerts throughout the U.K. and around the world. Recent invitations to tour abroad have resulted in engagements in Taiwan, China, Brazil, the U.S., and across Europe at prestigious venues such as the Shanghai Concert Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and festivals including the Edinburgh International, Edinburgh Fringe, and Thuringia Bach festivals.
The ensemble is committed to expanding the string repertoire, with recent commissions including new works from John Tavener, James MacMillan, Sally Beamish, Martin Suckling, and Anna Meredith.
This performance is supported in part by gifts from Ms. Deborah L. Brown and Erv and Betsy Blythe.
A conversation with Edgar Meyer and Scottish Ensemble
Scottish Ensemble members and Meyer come together for wide-ranging conversation on collaboration, composition, and performance on Thursday, March 31, at 2 p.m. in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre. Moderated by Alan Weinstein, associate professor of cello, bass, and chamber music in the School of Performing Arts, and co-presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech, the event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The event will also be available to view as a livestream.
Ticket information
Tickets for the performance are $25-55 for general public and $10 for Virginia Tech students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
The Moss Arts Center adheres to the guidelines of the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Tech in its operations. More information about these requirements is available on the Moss Arts Center website.
Paid parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Virginia Tech has also partnered with ParkMobile to provide a convenient, contactless electronic payment option for parking, which may be used at any parking meter, campus parking space, or lot with standard F/S, C/G, or R parking.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
