The Fredonia School of Music will present the Meridian Arts Ensemble, recognized around the world for its work in 20th century music as well as creative and experimental movements in ethnic, jazz, and rock styles, in a free public concert on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. at Rosch Recital Hall.
A master class for School of Music students will be held on Monday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m., in Mason Hall Room 1075. Ensemble members include Fredonia music Associate Professor Raymond Stewart, tuba; Jon Nelson and Tim Leopold, trumpet; Daniel Grabois, horn; and Benjamin Herrington, trombone.
Founded in 1987, Meridian Arts Ensemble is perhaps best known for its commissioning, recording and performance of new music. In addition to over 1,000 performances, 11 CD recordings, and over 80 premieres, Meridian has worked closely American composers including Milton Babbitt, Frank Zappa, Dafnis Prieto, Tom Pierson, Nick Didkovsky, Su Lian Tan, Steven Barber and David Sanford.
The group has received numerous awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Concert Artists Guild, Chamber Music America, the Mary Flagler Cary Trust, ASCAP, the Koussevitsky Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Arts International and the Netherland America Foundation, among others. Eight of its 11 CDs were issued on Channel Classics Records, a record label from the Netherlands that specializes in classical music.
Meridian Arts Ensemble has toured extensively, in 48 states in the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Holland, Romania, Taiwan, Japan, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil and Mexico.
