ARTISTS:   

Honolulu Symphony: Season Opening
Andreas Delfs, conductor
Béla Fleck, banjo
Edgar Meyer, double-bass
       
Zakir Hussain, tabla
                                                 

CONCERT:   

Saturday, September 19 at 8 p.m. & Sunday, September 20 at 4 p.m.
       
Blaisdell Concert Hall
   

PROGRAM:   

MEYER: The Melody of Rhythm – Triple Concerto for Banjo, Double Bass and Tabla
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”)   
Additional selections to be announced from stage.

TICKETS:   

$19, $26, $40, $52, $70 (including service fees)
Military & seniors receive 20% discount.
Student and children’s tickets are always $10.
Tickets sold at Ticketmaster outlets (1-800-745-3000), Macy’s and www.ticketmaster.com.
       
Call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 (weekdays) or (808) 524-0815 ext. 245 (evenings) for more information.
www.honolulusymphony.com

Honolulu – Maestro Andreas Delfs and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra will open the 2009-2010 Halekulani MasterWorks season with Edgar Meyer’s The Melody of Rhythm – Triple Concerto for Banjo, Double Bass and Tabla: new music that is groundbreaking, incomparable and immensely enjoyable. Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, who won acclaim in two sold out Pops concerts last season, composer and double-bass master Meyer and legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain will join Delfs and the Orchestra to share this highly rhythmic work that melds Indian classical music, American roots and “big sky orchestral horizons” with Honolulu audiences. This exciting season opening also features Mendelssohn’s beloved Symphony No. 4 “Italian.”

The Melody of Rhythm was originally commissioned by the Nashville Symphony in 2004. At that time, Meyer and Fleck agreed their dream collaborator would be Hussain. 

“There was a lot Edgar and I wanted to learn from him – mathematics and harmonic musical concepts – and now we had something to offer him in return,” said Fleck, who developed a fascination with the tabla during a tour of India in the 1980s. “This project feels like getting together with some brothers we hadn’t seen in some time.”

“Working with Béla and Edgar is an experience that transcends musical collaboration,” adds Zakir. “Certainly it is a creative effort unprecedented in my own life, a way of looking at melody and rhythm through their eyes, affording me another way of expressing myself through my instrument. Plus we're family!”

Fleck, Meyer and Hussain released a CD featuring the Triple Concerto, recorded live with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Leonard Slatkin, on August 25, 2009.

Tickets for the Symphony season opening concerts are on sale now and start from $19. This season, the Symphony continues its community outreach program to help more families and young people enjoy the music-making experience together by offering student and children’s tickets for only $10 each. In addition, seniors and military service members will enjoy a 20 percent discount off all ticket purchases.

About Béla Fleck

Béla Fleck is often considered the premiere banjo player in the world. A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school, he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, and in 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks. In 1982, Fleck joined the progressive blue-grass band, New Grass Revival, making a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects as a virtuoso instrumentalist unbounded by genre.

In 1989, Fleck formed the Flecktones with members equally talented and adventurous as himself. The Flecktones, comprised of Victor Wooten on electric bass, Jeff Coffin on sax and flute and Future Man on percussion, have recently released the holiday record Jingle All The Way with guests Edgar Meyer, Andy Statman and Tuvan throat singers. 

Fleck and director Sascha Paladino are currently premiering the documentary Throw Down Your Heart at festivals nationwide. Motivated by a deep love of African music, the film follows Fleck on a boundary-breaking musical adventure to explore the little-known African roots of the banjo and record an album. The album and tour are planned for Spring 2009.

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones perform for more than 500,000 people annually, and Fleck has received more Grammy nominations in more diverse categories than any other musician in history.

About Edgar Meyer
In demand as both a performer and a composer, bassist Edgar Meyer has formed a role in the music world unlike any other. Hailed by The New Yorker as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument,” Meyer’s unparalleled technique and musicianship, in combination with his gift for composition have brought him to the forefront 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, 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.

As a composer, Meyer has carved out a remarkable niche. In the 2006-07 season, he premiered the triple concerto for double bass, banjo and tabla (co-written and performed with Béla Fleck and Zakir Hussain) – which will open the Honolulu Symphony 2009-2010 season. Meyer premiered his Double Concerto for Bass and Cello with Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa. In October 1999, Meyer's violin concerto, written for Hilary Hahn, was premiered and recorded by Hahn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under Hugh WoIff.

Collaborations are a central part of Meyer's work, including widely-acclaimed performances and recordings with Chris Thile, Joshua Bell, Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O'Connor. Meyer collaborated with Ma and O'Connor for Appalachian Waltz in 1996 and its Grammy Award-winning follow-up Appalachian Journey in 2000.

About Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but have also earned him worldwide fame. The favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, he has not let his genius rest there.

Hussain is widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement. His contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar in the early 1970s and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Hamson, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Rennie Harris and the Kodo drummers of Japan.

A child prodigy and the gifted son of tabla legend Ustad Allarakha, Hussain was touring by the age of 12. Hussain came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career that includes no fewer than 150 concert dates a year. He has composed soundtracks for the films In Custody and The Mystic Masseur directed by Ismail Merchant, Bertolucci’s Little Buddha, for which Hussain composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor, Vanaprastham (The Last Dance), and Everybody Says I’m Fine.

Halekulani MasterWorks 2009-2010 Season Tickets On Sale Now


Season tickets are on sale now at the Symphony Box Office: (808) 792-2000. New patrons receive a very special offer: 50 percent off their season tickets. New patrons will enjoy season ticket packages for as low as $99 for 12 concerts!

Become a season ticketholder and enjoy these benefits and more!

• NEW BENEFIT – Mozart Festival Discount: Enjoy a 20% discount off Mozart Festival tickets.
• NEW BENEFIT – Beethoven’s Ninth Discount: Enjoy a 20% discount off Beethoven’s Ninth tickets.
• Ticket Exchange: If your schedule changes, you can exchange tickets for another date.
• Ticket Insurance: Can’t find your tickets? Don’t worry – we’ll replace them!
• Discounts on Extra Tickets: Share the Symphony with friends and family! Enjoy a 20% discount off additional ticket purchases for regular series concerts.
• Premium Seating: Season ticketholders enjoy the best seating placement in the hall.
• V.I.P. Invitations: Enjoy exclusive events, such as open rehearsals.
• Savings: Save up to 50% off the cost of buying single tickets.
• Ticket Donations: Donate tickets back to the Honolulu Symphony and receive a donation receipt. Ticket donations must be processed 48 hours before a concert.