CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Chris Thile
Edgar Meyer

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 8:00 PM

Chris Thile, Mandolin
Edgar Meyer, Bass

with special guest Mark O'Connor, Violin

Chris Thile, Mandolin
Widely regarded as one of the most interesting and inventive musicians of his generation, Chris Thile has changed the mandolin forever, elevating it from its origins as a relatively simple folk and bluegrass instrument to the sophistication and brilliance of the finest jazz improvisation and classical performance.

Mr. Thile’s newest venture, Punch Brothers, is already playing to sold-out crowds around the world. Comprised of five young and fiercely talented musicians—Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Noam Pikelny (banjo), and Greg Garrison (bass)—the band has captured the attention of music lovers across genres. In February 2008, they released their Nonesuch Records debut Punch featuring Thile’s ambitious four-movement chamber suite The Blind Leaving the Blind, which was premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall as part of John Adams’s In Your Ear Festival in 2007. The album received critical acclaim around the world from authorities and sources on many genres. The group’s first album, How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, was also widely praised and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for the song “The Eleventh Reel.”

For more than 15 years, Mr. Thile played in the wildly popular band Nickel Creek, with whom he released three albums for a combined two million records sold, was awarded a Grammy in 2002, and traveled the world on sold-out concert tours. As a soloist he has released four albums, on which he conquered a dizzying range of instruments, songwriting challenges, and musical styles. Mr. Thile has also performed and recorded extensively as a duo with double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer and with fellow eminent mandolinist Mike Marshall. In April 2007, Mr. Meyer and pianist Emanuel Ax commissioned Mr. Thile to write a piece for double bass and piano, which they performed on a tour including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. Additionally, Thile has collaborated with a pantheon of bluegrass innovators including Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush.

Edgar Meyer, Bass
In demand as both a performer and a composer, Edgar Meyer has formed a role in the music world unlike any other. Mr. Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the fore, where he is appreciated by a vast, varied audience. His uniqueness in the field was recognized by a MacArthur Award in 2002.

As a soloist, Mr. Meyer has released a concerto album with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra featuring Bottesini’s Gran Duo with Joshua Bell, Meyer’s Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma, Bottesini’s Bass Concerto No. 2, and Meyer’s Concerto in D for Bass. In 2006, he released a self-titled solo recording on which he wrote and played all of the pieces, incorporating seven varied instruments. His newest recording is a CD and DVD of original material with Chris Thile.

As a composer, Mr. Meyer has carved a remarkable and unique niche. In the 2006-2007 season, he premiered a triple concerto for double bass, banjo, and tabla (co-written and performed with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain), and a piece for double bass and piano that he performed with Emanuel Ax. Mr. Meyer has performed with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, featuring the premiere of one of his own works, the Meyer Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma. 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.

Collaborations are a central part of Mr. Meyer’s work. His widely-acclaimed performing and recording 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 in 1996 and its Grammy Award-winning follow-up Appalachian Journey in March 2000.

with special guest Mark O'Connor, Violin
Mark O’Connor’s music has found a national spotlight through a series of groundbreaking recordings that include Appalachia Waltz, The American Seasons, The New Nashville Cats, Heroes, Hot Swing, and Thirty-Year Retrospective (the latter two on his own label OMAC Records). He is best known as a composer and violinist who brings his own style of American string music to classical musicians and audiences with unprecedented success and in unpredictable ways. With a recent relocation to New York City in 2005, Mr. O’Connor continues to appear with his Appalachia Waltz Trio, and his group Hot Swing. In addition, he continues to appear as soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras performing his own six concerti. The Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp and Strings Conferences in Tennessee and San Diego are internationally renowned, and he plans to bring one to New York City soon. Visit markoconnor.com where Mr. O’Connor’s sheet music, OMAC Records, Camp information, and a schedule of performances are available.