Ranaan Meyer Returns to the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra To Play With Students at a Gala

Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) alumnus, double bass player Ranaan Meyer, returns as special guest artist for the PYO Music Institute Gala on Friday, March 24 at The Union League of Philadelphia. In February, Meyer was thrilled to win a 2023 Grammy Award with the group he co-founded, Time for Three (TF3), in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo for the album Letters for the Future. He won the award along with bandmates Nick Kendall and Charles Yang.

Letters for the Future, released in June 2022, comprises the world premiere recordings of two concertos by Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Kevin Puts (Contact) and Jennifer Higdon (Concerto 4-3). Both works were specially commissioned for Time for Three (TF3), who recorded them for their debut Deutsche Grammophon album, in company with The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Xian Zhang. Kevin Puts also won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Contact.

Meyer, a world-renowned solo performing artist, composer and educator, is also Founder and Artistic Director of Honeywell Arts Academy. He grew up in South Jersey and currently lives in Cherry Hill.

In 2021, Meyer collaborated with Time for Three and Ben Sollee to compose and record the score for Focus Features' film LAND, starring and directed by Robin Wright. He also co-produced and recorded Summer Walker's second album Love Renaissance.

The 2023 PYO Music Institute Gala is titled "Symphony of a Thousand", with the vision to serve 1,000 students by 2027 through a diverse array of programs and opportunities. Hosted by 6abc TV anchor Rick Williams, the evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a Cocktail Reception, as well as an Art Show and Sale by Studio Incamminati. Dinner and the performance follow at 7:30 p.m., featuring Meyer alongside the outstanding PYO conducted by Maestro and President Louis Scaglione. Dessert and dancing with the Eddie Bruce Orchestra concludes the evening.

Meyer is delighted to return to PYO and perform Rachmaninoff's beautiful and heart-stopping Vocalise with the students on a double bass he commissioned from France. He said, "I'm very excited about this performance. I played in PYO in my senior year of high school and toured with them to Europe and Petra Jordan. I developed as an individual so much during my time with PYO so playing with the next generation of musicians is very important to me." As far as winning his first Grammy, he said, "I've met a lot of Grammy winners in my life, and some will play it cool and seem to downplay the award like it's not a big deal. I don't feel that way at all. I feel incredibly grateful and proud of a vision that I started a little over 20 years ago with my bandmates and grateful to share this recognition with Nick Kendall and Charles Yang. Honestly, I'm feeling like this is a new beginning." Time for Three has played with almost every orchestra in America and they perform worldwide. He added, "Education is a key mission of Time for Three and mine. The Grammy will give Time for Three and me more opportunities to inspire young people to find and follow their passion."

Maestro Louis Scaglione is very proud of Ranaan Meyer, a student he remembers well. "It has made us all very proud to watch Ranaan grow over the years. He was an outstanding musician in PYO but the heights he has gone in his career are remarkable. I look forward to bringing him back to play with our students. He is an inspiration."

For tickets, please visit https://pyomusic.org/support/annual-gala/ or call 215-545-0502.