The Ground Breaking, High-Energy Trio Time for Three December 1, 2011

Lakewood Cultural Center presents

The Ground Breaking, High-Energy Trio

Time for Three

Zach De Pue, Violin, Nick Kendall, Violin, Ranaan Meyer, Double Bass

Lakewood Cultural Center presents the charismatic, category-shattering Time for Three at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1 in the intimate 316-seat theater, 470 S. Allison Parkway at Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue. Adult tickets are $26 and are available by calling 303-987-7845, going online at www.Lakewood.org or visiting the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office. Senior, student and group discounts available. Free parking on-site.

Time for Three transcends traditional classification, with elements of classical, country western, gypsy and jazz idioms forming a blend all its own. The members – Zachary (Zach) De Pue, violin; Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass – have a passion for improvisation, composing and arranging, all prime elements of the ensemble’s playing. What started as a trio of musicians who played together for fun while students at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute for Music evolved into Time for Three, or Tf3 for short, an ensemble with a reputation for limitless enthusiasm and no musical boundaries. De Pue and Kendall first discovered their mutual love of fiddling in the country western and bluegrass styles. Then Meyer introduced them to his deep roots in jazz and improvisation. After considerable experimentation, the three officially formed Tf3.

The trio gained instant attention in July 2003, during a power failure at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. While technicians attempted to restore onstage lighting, Meyer and De Pue, who were both performing as members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, obliged with an impromptu jam session that included works as far afield from the originally scheduled symphony as“Jerusalem’s Ridge,” “Ragtime Annie,” and “The Orange Blossom Special.” The crowd went wild.

To date, the group has performed hundreds of engagements as diverse as its music: from featured guest soloists on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s subscription series to Club Yoshi’s in San Francisco; from residencies at the Kennedy Center to Christoph Eschenbach’s birthday concert at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, and from the Windpower Expo to the Boston Pops. Its jam-packed 2011-2012 season will feature its Carnegie Hall debut, a residency at Princeton University, appearances with the Boston Pops and its first tour of South America.

Tf3 sets itself apart not only with its varied repertoire performed with astonishing technical acuity, but also through its approach. Its high-energy performances are free of conventional practices, drawing instead from the members’ differing musical backgrounds. The trio also performs its own arrangements of traditional repertoire, and Meyer provides original compositions to complement the trio’s offerings.

In addition to its demanding performance schedule, the trio is committed to reaching younger audiences and participates in a number of educational residencies and outreach concerts. While in Lakewood, the trio will conduct a workshop with middle and high school instrumental music students.

The group’s first two self-produced CD’s, “Time for Three” and “We Just Burned This For You!” sold more than 20,000 copies. In January 2010, Tf3 released its first commercial CD, “Three Fervent Travelers,” debuting in the top 10 on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes, and remaining in the top 10 on the Billboard Crossover Charts for more than 10 months.

The 2011-2012 Lakewood Cultural Center Presents season is generously supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with appreciation to the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Colorado Creative Industries, to promote, support and expand the creative industries that drive Colorado’s economy, Sheraton Denver West and the Denver Post Community, improving and enriching the lives of those in our community.