Edgar Meyer

Edgar Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship, in combination with his gift for composition, are appreciated by a vast, varied audience. His eminence in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.

As a solo bassist and composer, Mr. Meyer released a concerto album with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, on which he is joined by Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma; included on the program are Meyer’s own Double Concerto for Bass and Cello and his Concerto in D for Bass. Other recordings include an album of three of Bach’s unaccompanied suites for cello arranged for double bass, and a solo recording on which he wrote and played all of the pieces, incorporating instruments including piano, guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, viola da gamba, and double bass. In recognition of his wide-ranging achievements, Sony BMG released The Best of Edgar Meyer, a compilation disc.

In the 2006–07 season, he premiered a triple concerto for double bass, banjo, and tabla (co-written and performed with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain) for the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. In October 1999, Mr. Meyer’s Violin Concerto, written for violinist Hilary Hahn, was premiered and recorded by Ms. Hahn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Hugh Wolff. Mr. Meyer’s other notable works include his Double Bass Concerto No. 1 and his Quintet for Bass and String Quartet.

His collaborative projects include a duo with Chris Thile; a duo with Béla Fleck; a quartet with Joshua Bell, Sam Bush, and Mike Marshall; a trio with Béla Fleck and Mike Marshall; and a trio with Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O’Connor. The latter trio collaborated for Appalachia Waltz (1996), which soared to the top of the charts. Appalachian Journey (2000), the follow-up to Appalachia Waltz, won a Grammy Award, and the trio’s tour took them not only across the United States but also to Europe and parts of Asia.

Mr. Meyer also works with pianist Amy Dorfman, his longtime collaborator for solo recitals, featuring both classical repertoire and his own compositions. Mr. Meyer began studying bass at the age of five under the instruction of his father and continued further to study with Stuart Sankey. In 1994 he received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and in 2000 became the only bassist to receive the Avery Fisher Prize. Currently he is visiting professor of double bass at the Royal Academy of Music and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.