Edgar Meyer
Tessa Lark
Joshua Roman
String Theory, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will conclude Season 12 with String Theory @ Home, welcoming String Theory veterans Edgar Meyer, double bass, and Tessa Lark, violin. Joining them will be Joshua Roman, cello, making his String Theory debut.
String Theory was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Gloria Chien with the mission of exposing new audiences to chamber music, invigorating the local classical music scene, and cultivating a future generation of music lovers.
This season finale of String Theory @ Home will premiere online Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on String Theory’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube. Backstage Pass with the Artists will take place at 6 p.m., offering participants a time to visit with the performers prior to the concert.
The performance will feature works by Bach, Rossini, Akshaya Avril Tucker, and an original composition by Mr. Meyer.
A Tennessee native and internationally renowned five-time Grammy winner, Mr. Meyer is hailed by The New Yorker as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument.” He can be heard on a concerto album with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Bottesini’s Bass Concerto No.2, and Mr. Meyer’s own Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma and Concerto in D for Bass. In 2006, he released a self-titled solo recording on which he wrote and recorded all of the music, integrating piano, guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, gamba, and double bass.
Recognizing his wide-ranging recording achievements, Sony BMG released a compilation of “The Best of Edgar Meyer” in 2007. In 2011, Mr. Meyer joined cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, and fiddler Stuart Duncan for the Sony Masterworks recording “The Goat Rodeo Sessions” which was awarded the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.
Ms. Lark is 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 received one of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Emerging Artist Awards: the special Hunt Family Award.
A budding superstar in the classical realm, Ms. Lark is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky, delighting audiences with programming that includes Appalachian and bluegrass music and inspiring composers to write for her. She is an alumna of NPR’s From the Top, the premier radio showcase for the nation’s most talented young musicians, and is serving as co-host/creative for the show’s 2020-21 season.
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “…a cellist of extraordinary technical and musical gifts,” Mr. Roman’s performances embrace musical styles from Bach to Radiohead. Mr. Roman was the principal cellist for the Seattle Symphony by the age of 22 and has since become renowned for his genre-bending repertoire and wide-ranging collaborations.
Recent highlights for Mr. Roman include performing standard and new concertos with the Colorado, Detroit, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, and San Francisco symphonies. In addition to his other orchestral appearances, Mr. Roman has collaborated with the JACK, St. Lawrence, and Verona quartets and brings the same fresh approach to chamber music projects.
There will be no fee for the String Theory @ Home season finale, and all are welcome to view.
To view the performance or to register for Backstage Pass with the Artists, visit stringtheorymusic.org/watch. Viewing is also available at facebook.com/stringtheorycms or on YouTube by searching “String Theory at the Hunter.”
The concert will also be available on-demand for one week following the performance, and it will be rebroadcast on WTCI-TV on Saturday, May 29, at 6 p.m.
This presentation is funded, in part, by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
For more information on String Theory at the Hunter, call 414-2525 or visit stringtheorymusic.org.