Kenneth Meyer

Biography

Kenneth Meyer, the national first-prize winner at the Music Teacher’s National Association Collegiate Artist Competition, is regarded by The Washington Post as “a thinking man’s guitarist—he focuses on the inner structure of a piece…and plays with impressive gravity and power.” The Buffalo News has called him “impeccably articulate with superb technique.”

Since his professional concert debut at the Teatro de la Opera de Maracay, Meyer continues to appear in recital as a chamber musician and soloist with orchestra in venues throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Highlights include concerts in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall (New York City), Wolf Trap (Virginia), the Skirbal Cultural Center (Los Angeles), the historic Basilica di San Clemente (Italy), the Museo de Barquisimeto, the Sala José Felix Ribas, the Teatro de Teresa Carreño (Venezuela), Liviu Rebreanu, Gheorghe Dima Music Academy, the National College of Art Ion Vidu (Romania), the Fészek Muvészklub (Hungary), and the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (Canada). In addition to live concerts, his performances have been featured on television, film, radio and most recently on the Albany and Innova record labels.

Frequently in demand as a guest artist at colleges and universities across the country, Meyer has given concerts and lectures at, among others, the Eastman School of Music, the State University of New York College at Fredonia, Syracuse University, Cornell University, the University of Southern Mississippi, North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Hochstein School of Music, Delta College, Canisius College, Finger Lakes and Saint Joseph’s Community Colleges, and the University of Caracas in Venezuela. In addition, he is an active performer and teacher at music festivals and has been featured at the Rome, Alexandria, Eastman Guitar Summerfest and the Alirio Diaz Guitar Festivals.

Meyer’s commitment to the cultivation and performance of new music has led to awards from the Barlow Endowment, the Argosy Foundation and the Eastman School’s Hanson Institute for American Music; interpretive instruction from Milton Babbitt; and premiere performances of compositions by Leslie Basset, Edward Green, Andrew Waggoner, Gregory Mertl, Edie Hill, Kevin Ernste, Nicolas Scherzinger, Jesse Benjamin Jones, Donald J. Sparr, James Piorkowski and Robert Baker.

His diversity as a musician has led to performances on mandolin, banjo and electric guitar with the Syracuse Opera, the Syracuse Society for New Music and the Broadway touring production of the Who’s rock opera “Tommy.” In addition to performing new concerti for electric guitar and wind ensemble, Meyer was recently featured with Cornell University’s Ensemble X under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stucky in a new concerto for guitar and chamber ensemble composed by Andrew Waggoner.

Following a recent summer concert tour to Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, this season features concerto performances with Symphoria, the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Modern Orchestra, as well as a recording of Andrew Waggoner’s “Concerto for Guitar” with Bridge records. Meyer’s latest commercial recording, “Draw the Strings Tight,” was released by the Innova record label in 2017, and he has a new book titled “Diatonic Arpeggios for Classical Guitar” published through Mel Bay. Both are now available online.

Meyer holds degrees in music composition and classical guitar performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia, along with master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He has served on the faculties of East Carolina University and SUNY Fredonia and most recently held visiting professorships at the Eastman School of Music and SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. Currently, Meyer directs thriving guitar programs at Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music.

Education

• D.M.A., M.M., Eastman School of Music
• B.M., SUNY Fredonia

Areas of Expertise

Guitar, guitar history and literature, guitar pedagogy, music education