Jessica Meyer
What I find most exciting about this project is “that youth orchestra activities can continue during this crucial time of a young musician's development, and that I get to celebrate what is awesome about the viola.”
Biography
With playing that is “fierce and lyrical” and works that are “other-worldly” (The Strad) and “evocative” (New York Times), Jessica Meyer is a versatile composer and violist whose passionate musicianship radiates accessibility and emotional clarity. Her first composer/performer portrait album recently debuted at #1 on the Billboard traditional classical chart, where “knife-edge anticipation opens on to unexpected, often ecstatic musical realms, always with a personal touch and imaginatively written for the instruments” (Gramophone Magazine). As a solo performer, Ms. Meyer uses a single simple loop pedal to create a virtuosic orchestral experience with her viola and voice. Her solo shows have been featured at iconic venues such as BAMcafé, Joe’s Pub, and Symphony Space in NYC, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, in Paris at Sunset Sunside, in addition to venues in Singapore, Switzerland, Vietnam, the Emirates and beyond. Since embarking on her composition career only five years ago, premieres have included performances by Grammy-winning vocal ensembles Roomful of Teeth and Vox Clamantis, the American Brass Quintet, Sybarite 5, PUBLIQuartet, NOVUS NY of Trinity Wall Street, and A Far Cry. Upcoming projects include being the composer in residence at Spoleto USA, a concerto for herself to be premiered in Miller Theatre, and interactive orchestral performances in Carnegie Hall as part of their nationwide Link Up Program. Ms. Meyer is equally known for her inspirational work as an educator and is passionate about getting musicians of all ages off the page to activate their own creativity, improvise, and awaken their own inner composer. In addition to teaching virtual workshops, her most recent engagements have been for the Moab Music Festival, the National Youth Orchestra of Carnegie Hall, and for the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute.
A Fire to be Kindled
Ms. Meyer’s piece was inspired by a quote from Dorothea Brande: "A child's mind is not a container to be filled, but rather a fire to be kindled.” In tandem with her career as a violist, and now as a composer/performer, she has always worked with children of all ages. Her favorite moments are always when their inner fire has been lit and they feel supported while they investigate how to keep it burning, all while becoming better versions of themselves. Her piece is dedicated to all the violists out there of all levels who love their instrument, love their sound, and want to show their fire. Ms. Meyer would like to thank to the Portland Youth Philharmonic and their Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative for the opportunity to keep young musicians inspired and motivated during the Covid-19 pandemic.