TIME for THREE Nick Kendall, Violin Zachary De Pue, Violin Ranaan Meyer, Double Bass January 30/31, February 1, 2015
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TIME FOR THREE Nick Kendall, violin Zachary De Pue, violin Ranaan Meyer, double bass January 30/31, February 1, 2015 Time for Three - Zachary (Zach) De Pue, violin; Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass - defies traditional classification. Performing music from Bach and Brahms to their own arrangements of The Beatles, Katy Perry, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, they have performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Jazz clubs, European festivals, NFL games and the Indy 500. Their hit YouTube anti-bullying video Stronger, featured on CNN and the Huffington Post, has inspired students around the globe. Their packed 2012/13 season will include the release of their second album, a return to Carnegie Hall, their first tour of Asia, and the world premiere of a new concerto by William Bolcom, in addition to their continuing residency with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. What started as a trio of musicians who played together for fun while students at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute for Music evolved into Time for Three, or Tf3 for short -- a charismatic ensemble with a reputation for limitless enthusiasm and no musical boundaries. Violinists Zachary De Pue and Nicolas Kendall first discovered their mutual love of fiddling in the country western and bluegrass styles. Then bassist Ranaan Meyer introduced them to his deep roots in jazz and improvisation. After considerable experimentation, the three officially formed Tf3 and for the first few years enjoyed a close affiliation with, and were presented in performances by Astral Artists. The ensemble gained instant attention in July 2003, during a lightning-induced power failure at Philadelphia’sMann Center for the Performing Arts. While technicians attempted to restore onstage lighting, Ranaan and Zach, who were both performing as members of The Philadelphia Orchestra, obliged with an impromptu jam session that included works as far afield from the originally scheduled symphony as “Jerusalem’s Ridge,” “Ragtime Annie,” and “The Orange Blossom Special.” The crowd went wild, and as they say, “the rest is history”. To date, the group has performed over a thousand engagements as diverse as its music: from featured guest soloists on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s subscription series to Club Yoshi’s in San Francisco; from residencies at the Kennedy Center to Christoph Eschenbach’s birthday concert at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany; from NFL games to the Indy 500, and countless private and corporate events including a concert on the aircraft carrier Intrepid in New York in 2012. In January 2010, TF3 released its first commercial CD, Three Fervent Travelers, on the E1 label. It was an instant success, debuting in the top 10 on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes, and remaining in the top 10 on the Billboard Crossover Charts for more than 10 months. This followed the group’s first two self-produced CD’s, Time for Three and We Just Burned This For You!, which sold more than 20,000 copies. Time for Three’s second album will be released under the Universal Record Label in 2014 and will feature their own mash-ups and arrangements of popular contemporary music as well as performances by incredible guest musicians. In 2011, Time for Three raised over $20,000 from its fans in one week through a Kickstarter campaign to finance the production of their first professional music video. The result was Stronger, a powerful anti-bullying YouTube video on TF3’s own arrangement of music by Daft Punk and Kanye West. The video was an instant success, and has established Time for Three as leading musicians in the fight against bullying, partnering with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center to bring their message to schools and students across the country through residencies, workshops and the media. The ensemble has embarked on a major commissioning program to expand its unique repertoire for symphony orchestras. The first project was Concerto 4-3, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was premiered in six performances by Tf3 with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach in January 2008 and has been performed dozens of times since to great acclaim; it was released on CD by the Fort Worth Symphony in 2012. 2010 saw the premiere of Travels in Time for Three by Chris Brubeck, co-commissioned by the Boston Pops, the Youngstown Symphony, and 8 other orchestras. The next work in the series was 'Games and Challenges' by William Bolcom, commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony and premiered in May 2013. In 2009, Time for Three inaugurated an ambitious 3-year residency with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a groundbreaking project among American orchestras where the artists not only got involved at the community level, but also curated the wildly successful “Happy Hour” series of concerts with the orchestra throughout the season. The project generated tremendous excitement and greatly increased the orchestra’s profile, especially among the younger demographic, and made them household names in Indianapolis. Thrilled with the success of the residency, the Indianapolis Symphony decided in 2012 to extend and greatly expand Time for Three’s contract, with the group now spending 14 weeks per season with the orchestra doing everything from programming, arranging and performing concerts to education, fundraising, PR and community outreach. In 2013 Time for Three's residency with the ISO received an Indiana Innovation Award. In addition to its demanding performing schedule, the trio is committed to reaching younger audiences and has participated in a number of educational residencies and outreach concerts including annual visits to PaulNewman’s Hole In The Wall Gang Camp for children with terminal illnesses; weeklong residencies at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; Carnegie Hall’s Family Concerts; and countless jam sessions and impromptu music-making with students, anywhere from university classes to pizza parties and coffee houses. “The guys” want to share their infectious love of music with everyone. Time for Three has been seen and heard frequently on various television and radio broadcasts throughout the country, including numerous times on Public Television and NPR, CNN, and was featured in a documentary film about Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square directed by Robert Downey, Sr. The group recorded the soundtrack to the History Channel's production, The Spanish-American War. .