September 2, 2015 Meeting

Our presenter for this evening is Mr. Daniel Meyer. With exceptional energy and elegant expressivity, Daniel Meyer is recognized as one of the top conductors of his generation.

As Music Director of the Asheville Symphony and Erie Philharmonic, Meyer has helped to reinvigorate the orchestras in both communities, enlivening the arts community with innovative programs and a dedication to create and sustain enthusiastic audiences for classical music.

In his continuing commitment to Erie and northwest Pennsylvania, Meyer develops new youth concerts for thousands of area schoolchildren, appears as a regular guest on WQLN radio and JET-TV, frequently presents to local schools and civic clubs, and continues to broaden the Philharmonic’s reach through performances at Edinboro University, the Erie Art Museum, and the Academy Theatre in Meadville. His monthly presentations at Springhill are popular community events, where he introduces the coming symphonic concert’s music.

Having just lead the Philharmonic through its celebrated 100th Anniversary year, Meyer has created a 101st season to include some of the finest young artists in the classical world today. Sphinx Competition-winner Elena Urioste and renowned pianists Simone Dinnerstein and Joyce Yang make their Erie debuts. Meyer will also collaborate with percussionist Christopher Rose and lead the Philharmonic in important works of our time, including composers Jennifer Higdon, Anna Clyne, and John Adams. He will also conduct the premiere of a new work written in honor of the Philharmonic’s 101st season by American composer David Stock.

As a guest conductor, Meyer recently appeared with the Wiener Jeunesse Orchestra on tour, led the Neue Philharmonie in Germany, made his debut with the Columbus Symphony and led the Pittsburgh Ballet in a special performance of Swan Lake. He also conducted new productions of Suor Angelica, Pagliacci, and Carousel with the Asheville Lyric Opera and conducted the finals of the 2014 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Other recent engagements include the Rochester Philharmonic, Wheeling, Alabama and Phoenix Symphonies, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, a return to the Pittsburgh Symphony, and concerts with the Westmoreland Symphony, where he serves as Artistic Director.

Meyer made his critically-acclaimed European debut in 2011 with the Staatstheater Stuttgart Orchestra and violinist Thomas Zehetmair. He has conducted the Utah, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Youngstown, Lexington, Portland, Santa Barbara, and Lansing Symphonies. Major summer festival appearances have included the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, the Aspen Music Festival, the Chautauqua, Brevard, and Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestras.

In 2003, Mariss Jansons invited Meyer to become Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony, where he served until 2009. He worked closely with Maestro Jansons, Manfred Honeck, Sir Andrew Davis, and Charles Dutoit, led the Pittsburgh Symphony on tour, and conducted performances with Pinchas Zukerman, Sarah Chang, and Marvin Hamlisch, among other notable soloists. He also led the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Symphony with a Splash, a series designed for professionals, as well as a Sunday matinee family series called Popular Classics.

A native of Cleveland, Meyer is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He composed and conducted works for ensembles at both schools, including a Stabat Mater for soprano, chorus and orchestra. At Boston University, Meyer received the Orchestral Conducting Honors Award. He also studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

He is married to the violist Mary Persin.

Please join us on September 2, 2015 at 6:00 pm, for our pre-dinner cocktail and chat time and remember to bring your friends and acquaintances. Reservations are required.

Please remember to make your reservation at secretary.erietorch@gmail.com.