About

Hailed for her “polish, focus, and excitement” (The New York Times), and "expressive luscious sound", Jessica Meyer is a versatile violist and composer whose passionate musicianship radiates accessibility, generosity, fun and clarity.

Her debut solo CD "Sounds of Being" is an "intrigingly vivid" (Lucid Culture) collection of solo pieces for viola and loop pedal. She evokes a vibrant and visceral energy, turning her viola into an entire orchestra of emotion to embody a different state of being for each piece: joy, anxiety, anger, bliss, torment, loneliness and passion.

Inspired by everything from Bach, Brahms and Blues to Flamenco, Indian Raga, and Appalachian fiddling, Sounds of Being expands the colors of the instrument while developing brand new ones through fragile timbres, wailing gestures, and percussive grooves.

To get the sounds she wants, Meyer goes beyond the conventional means of performing with her instrument: she drums on her viola, sings with it, turns the tuning pegs while performing, and draws the bow on many different places on the instrument (even on her microphone), all while using a loop pedal in a uniquely symphonic way.

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT www.jessicameyermusic.com

Music

PROGRAM

Assorted solo Bach Suites

Cover of Purcell's "Dido's Lament" for viola and loop pedal

Works for viola and loop pedal by Jessica Meyer

Getting Home (I must be…)
Hello
Into the Vortex
Afflicted Mantra
Source of Joy
Touch
Duende

1. Getting Home (I Must Be…)

I was on a plane ride home, eager to see my son. An anxious rhythm popped into my head, and I used the back of my itinerary to write 90% of the piece while humming furiously in the middle seat.

2. Hello

This is that warm and fuzzy feeling you have when you’re spending time with a person and they move from just being an acquaintance to something more meaningful. Nothing is particularly said, but the connection is clearly felt.

3. Into the Vortex

You know that moment when a person, place, thing, or bad habit just sucks you right in? You know it’s not good for you – but then you do it anyway. This “bluegrass-meets-death-metal” piece is about the anger you feel because you let it happen again…and you should have known better.

4. Afflicted Mantra

Like many other artists, writers, and creative people, I am prone to obsessive thinking. Sometimes this can work in your favor while you focus your energy on a project or future goals. But other times, it can be the very root of your undoing. The problem is not what’s actually happening to you, but more about the things you do or say to yourself. When I become overwhelmed, I often turn to yoga and the Hindu devotional music that inspired this piece.

5. Source of Joy

Here I play with the kinds of sounds that go against the typical “viola” stereotype: instead of its moody and dark persona, the instrument is transformed into a lighter version of itself to capture fleeting moments of pure happiness.

6. Touch

It is said that for babies who are born early, those who are picked up and touched are the ones who thrive and develop the fastest. As we get older, touch means different things to different people at different times. This piece strives to illuminate what happens inside your body on a cellular level when this basic human need is met.

7. Duende

“Duende” is a concept the poet Lorca wrote about – the moment when someone is inhabited by a mysterious and powerful force that everyone around them can feel, but no one can explain. This last piece is the quest for that moment; when the spirits rise up from the soles of your feet, and you don’t give a damn about anything anymore…and you just play.

Videos

Audio