Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present three genre-bending musicians, banjo player Béla Fleck, percussionist Zakir Hussain, and bass player Edgar Meyer, on April 1 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall, located at 230 River Rd. in Athens.Fleck, Hussain, and Meyer have each earned a reputation for crossing musical boundaries, moving with ease among the realms of classical, bluegrass and world music.
Fleck has been called the “premier banjo player in the world,” by JamBase. Throughout his 30-year career, Fleck has won 13 Grammy Awards, earning more diverse Grammy nominations than any other musician in history. According to the official Grammy website: “Béla Fleck is quite the musical jack-of-all-trades having won awards in five fields including Country, Pop, Jazz, Classical, and Composing/Arranging.”Fleck was recently awarded another Grammy in February in the category of Best Contemporary World Music Album for Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2.
Hussain is a classical tabla master whose many honors include a 2008 Grammy in the Best Contemporary World Music category for Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Sikiru Adepoju. In 2002, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India in recognition of distinguished service to his country, and in 2007, Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines named him Best World Music Drummer and Best World Beat Drummer, respectively.
Meyer has been hailed by The New Yorker as “the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument.” Also an accomplished composer, he performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony in the premiere of one of his own works, the “Meyer Double Concerto for Bass and Cello.” Meyer’s collaboration with Mark O’Connor and Ma, entitled Appalachian Journey, won the 2000 Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album.
Tickets are $20-42 with discounts available for UGA students and groups of 15 or more. To order tickets or for more information, contact the box office at 706/542-4400, 888/289-8497 or see www.uga.edu/pac.
The Law Offices of John F. Lyndon are the performance underwriters and WUGA 91.7/97.9 FM is the media sponsor for this performance.