October 29, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Concert rock violinist Aaron Meyer and multi-instrumentalist Bill Lamb present an evening of classical crossover arrangements, original works and old favorites as they join the Oregon Symphony for a Special Event concert on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Media support is provided by KINKfm102.
Through his unique productions, Meyer has bridged the gap that has traditionally separated classical and popular music with his innovative blending of the two styles. This combination has now become known as a Grammy recognized category, Classical Crossover. Meyer has performed with various artists, including Smokey Robinson and Everclear, and for some diverse audiences, including the Dalai Lama and the fans of the NBA Western Conference Finals. Together with his collaborators, multi-instrumentalist Bill Lamb and orchestral arranger Raymond Granlund, Meyer presents a concert that features a range of classical-tinged works from Bach to Boccherini, traditional Christmas tunes and Jewish melodies and a number of original compositions with his band, which includes Lamb on guitars, vocals, keyboards and octave mandolin, pianist Janet Jones, drummer Nate Jenkins, bassist Jeff Leonard, percussionist Israel Annoh and vocalists Alison and Sarah Lamb.
The first half of the concert includes Meyer’s original versions of the theme from Paganini’s 24th Caprice, “Winter” from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Boccherini’s Minuet in A and the fugal theme from J.S. Bach’s Violin Sonata in A minor, as well as arrangements of the Christmas carol “O Come All Ye Faithful” and traditional Jewish melodies “Oseh Shalom” and “Siman Tov.” After intermission the Symphony performs Kabalevsky’s “Colas Breugnon Overture.” Meyer and his band then finish the evening with a number of original works including “Iniziare, ” “Anjoulin,” “Oktyaber,” “Ricochet” and “Tonga de Jante.”
The performance is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range from $23 to $65 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Concert rock violinist Aaron Meyer has successfully bridged the worlds of classical and popular music, performing a unique blend of the two that has now become the Grammy® recognized category Classical Crossover. He has performed with orchestras and ballet companies as well as artists such as Smokey Robinson, Aaron Neville and Everclear.
Meyer’s classical training on the violin began at age five. At the age of eleven he made his stage debut, soloing with the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra. His studies continued with Luis Biava, the associate conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra and at Indiana University with Yuval Yaron, a student of Jascha Heifetz.
Meyer has performed in concert halls around the world and his energetic music has won him appearances at two World Peace Conferences, a special performance for The Dalai Lama and the NBA Western Conference Finals.
Meyer has arranged and performed scores for PBS programs, national TV spots and the critically acclaimed Pink Martini Album “ Sympathique.” Most recently he composed, conducted and recorded string parts for Everclear’s “ Slow Motion Daydream” album. Meyer has released four albums in collaboration with producer and composer Bill Lamb.
Meyer’s innovative Classroom Music Project (CMP), now in its fifth season, is an extensive artist-in-residence program with cross-discipline academic curriculum, music composition, cutting-edge recording technology, production and performance. Funded entirely by grants and donations, it allows Meyer to work with students of all ages. Each year, he visits many elementary schools around the Pacific Northwest, introducing thousands of students to assisting thousands of students in creating CDs of student-written songs that are released at student benefit concerts for music education in collaboration with the Portland Schools Foundation and Portland State University.This list of instruments Bill Lamb has played as a session musician is only outdone by the list of stars he has performed or recorded with. Vocalist and songwriter Bill Lamb plays the dulcimer, octave mandolin, mandolin, bass, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars. In his career as a musician he’s recorded with Elton John, Crystal Gayle, and Johnny Mathis.
During his career at Warner Brothers Records, Lamb worked extensively with legendary producer Glyn Johns, producer of The Eagles and Eric Clapton. He also collaborated with producer Jimmy Bowen who broke Garth Brooks and Reba McIntyre.
In addition to his talent for playing, Lamb is an accomplished composer and has enjoyed having his original songs recorded and performed by Kenny Rogers, Nicollete Larson, Ronna Reeves, The Spinners, Randy Meisner of The Eagles, and Ian Mathews.
Lamb began collaborating with Concert Rock Violinist Aaron Meyer in 2000 when they co-wrote and produced “ Near The Edge,” which debuted with Oregon Ballet Theatre. Finding they complemented each other, the duo has continued to work together, releasing three more albums: “ A Winter’s Dance,” “Iniziare” and “The Fourth Season.”
Lamb most recently composed and produced the 40-minute original sound track for a multi-part radio series in collaboration with Oregon Public Broadcasting based on the journeys of Lewis & Clark that will be released nationally in 2005.
Raymond Granlund is a versatile singer, composer, and pianist. He completed Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in opera with William Murray at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, was a three-time Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and was a member of the Apprentice Artist Program for Singers at the Santa Fe Opera.
Granlund has sung in recent years with the Sacramento Philharmonic, American Bach Soloists and Berkeley Opera. He also studies South Indian (Carnatic) classical singing with Indian music guru, Geetha Iyer. Granlund was composer-in-residence with Portland’s Magnolia from 2000 - 2002, and currently holds the same position with Bay Area aerial-vertical dance troupe Project Bandaloop.
He is composer and pianist of the avant tango ensemble Los Peregrinos, and this year, has performed original compositions at venues in China, Italy, Atlantic City and at the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. Granlund has worked very closely with Aaron Meyer and Bill Lamb over the last nine months, orchestrating all of the music for this evening’s performance with the Oregon Symphony.
