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Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
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News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
4/29/2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- James Meadors of Houston, Texas will be the featured soloist at the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra's final concert of the season Thursday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall.
Meadors, a graduate student, was among the winners of the annual NSU Concerto Competition. He will be featured on Eric Ewazen's "Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra." Ewazen is on the faculty of the Julliard School.
"He had written it for the tuba," said Meadors. "There is not a lot in the repertoire for the bass trombone, so some people talked to about it and he rearranged it."
Meadors was aware of the work before beginning to prepare for the concerts. He said it is neo-romantic or romantic in nature.
"I studied with the person who premiered the piece, so I knew about it," said Meadors. "Ewazen's music has taken off. It is the kind of music that will be performed at recitals and is required at an audition."
Meadors' path to Northwestern has been unusual. He studied under current NSU faculty member Mark Thompson at Stephen F. Austin State University. After graduating, he played in Chicago and was a member of the Acapulco Symphony.
"I really loved playing in Acapulco. It was a great experience," said Meadors. "That was the life I would like to lead. You rehearsed Wednesday through Saturday, played a concert Saturday night, a matinee on Sunday and that was it."
As a full time resident of Acapulco, Meadors had a different view of the city than those who just came in to soak up some sun on the beaches.
"It is a lot different in the 'real Acapulco.' Tourists usually stay in the resorts and live on the golf course," said Meadors. "One of the most fascinating things about the city was the people who would open up their homes each day for lunch. You would go in, pay and get real home cooking, just what the people who lived there ate."
Natchitoches Northwestern Symphony conductor Richard Rose is complimentary of Meadors' ability, calling him "one of the best young bass trombone players in the country."
Meadors has auditioned at Julliard, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University and Rice. He plans to enroll at the Cincinnati Conservatory and study with trombonist Peter Nation of the Cincinnati Pops. But Meadors is on the waiting list at Julliard.
"The audition process is pretty excruciating," said Meadors. "Once you reach a certain level it's like a crap shoot. And a better player may not be the best on a given day. It's the process as much as how you play.
"I have a number of CDs of Peter Nation playing with the Cincinnati Pops. He sounds fabulous and it is a great orchestra," said Meadors.
After completing the semester, Meadors is scheduled to be married to Zendra White, a graduating senior at NSU, on June 15. White was a two-time winner of the NSU Concerto Competition and soloed with the orchestra March 7.
The concert will also include conductor Richard Rose's "Requiem" and "Berceuse and Finale" from the "Firebird Suite" by Igor Stravinsky.
The NSU Concert Choir and Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Burt Allen will perform along with the orchestra on "Requiem." Soloists will include soprano Terrie Sanders and tenor Michael Rorex, members of Northwestern's voice faculty along with alto Sara Puryear, baritone Jordan Ricks and bass Aaron Savoie. Rose will conduct the combined orchestra and choir.
Tickets to the concert are $10 and free for NSU students and are available at the door.