Welcome to Time for Three’s inaugural monthly e-mail newsletter. We welcome all of you who have been at our concerts, as well as friends throughout the world. Approximately six to eight times each season, we will bring you current news about Tf3 and concert listings so that you can check out their live performances.

We always love hearing from you, and e-mails are individually responded to by writing to three@tf3.com.

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Tf3 is increasingly gaining attention as one of America’s brightest, most unique ensembles. Founded in 2001 by three Curtis Institute of Music students intent on exploring repertoire that stretches far beyond the limits of convention, the ensemble burst onto the scene in July 2003, following a lightning-induced power failure at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Prompted by fellow orchestra members to entertain the audience while technicians attempted to restore onstage lighting, Ranaan Meyer and Zachary De Pue obliged with an enthusiastically received impromptu jam session that included works far afield from the originally scheduled symphony: “Jerusalem’s Ridge,” “Ragtime Annie” and “The Orange Blossom Special.”

Since this auspicious debut, the trio – comprised of double bassist Ranaan Meyer and violinists Zachary De Pue and Nicolas Kendall – has continued to dazzle audiences with its eclectic mix of bluegrass, Hungarian gypsy, jazz, country-western fiddling, classical, and improvisatory music.

To date, the group has performed over three hundred engagements in venues as diverse as its music, from appearing as featured guest soloists with orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra to opening for k.d. lang at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.

Tf3 sets itself apart not only with a widely varied repertoire performed with astonishing virtuosity, but also with its approach to music, blurring genres and ultimately creating different dialects. Its energetic, engaging performances draw from each member’s differing musical backgrounds and are refreshingly free of conventional performance practice. The trio’s own arrangements of traditional repertoire and engrossing original compositions further complement the trio’s musical offerings.

Recently, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony co-commissioned composer Jennifer Higdon to create a work for the trio to solo with orchestra, a premiere scheduled for the 2007-2008 season.

Ranaan Meyer, double bassist, hails from Turnersville, New Jersey. He began studying the instrument at age eleven, eventually entering the Curtis Institute of Music in 1999. Beyond regular appearances with orchestras such as the Minnesota Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Meyer is also increasingly in demand as a composer, creating unique new works for Tf3 as well as for solo bass and string orchestra. Mr. Meyer is also an accomplished jazz musician and was recently invited to tour with legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino. Other recent highlights include appearances at the Washington Township and Willingboro jazz festivals in New Jersey, both of which were broadcast on Philadelphia’s WRTI. A co-founding member of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Meyer has also been the double bass professor at Princeton University as well as at the University of Delaware. He spent several summers teaching at Mark O’Connor’s String Camp (San Diego, California) as well as at Strings International at Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania) and the Intermountain Suzuki Camp (Sandy, Utah).

Japanese-American violinist Nick Kendall, a 2000 Astral Artistic Services National Auditions recipient and first-prize winner of the 2002 Young Concerts Artists International Auditions, grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. He debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra as the winner of their Young Artists competitions. Much in demand as soloist, he has graced the premiere stages of Chicago, San Francisco, Cleveland, New York and Tokyo. Recent highlights include an acclaimed Philadelphia recital debut as part of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ “Rising Stars” series, a quartet performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and a guest artist appearance on tour with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Kendall is also a member of the Dryden String Quartet and a co-founder of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, violinist Zachary De Pue made his solo debut with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in 1994.  Born into a musical family that boasts four fiddling brothers, Mr. De Pue attended the Cleveland Institute of Music before entering the Curtis Institute of Music. Recent highlights include performances at the Isaac Stern Music Workshop, the Angel Fire, La Jolla, and Sarasota music festivals, and at the Chautauqua Institute and Interlochen Arts Academy. Mr. De Pue is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including third-prize winner of both the 1998 International Stulberg String Competition and of the 1998 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (senior division). In the same year, he was also recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.  Mr. De Pue is currently a tenured violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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