William Bolcom: Piano Rags Spencer Myer

• William Bolcom (1938):
• 1 3 Ghost Rags: No. 1. The Graceful Ghost 04:35
• 2 3 Classic Rags: No. 1. Glad Rag 03:46
• 3 Raggin' Rudi 03:31
• 4 Fields of Flowers 03:43
• 5 Epithalamium 03:58
• 6 3 Ghost Rags: No. 2. The Poltergeist 03:55
• 7 3 Classic Rags: No. 2. Epitaph for Louis Chauvin 05:13
• 8 The Garden of Eden: I. Old Adam 02:56
• 9 The Garden of Eden: II. The Eternal Feminine 05:16
• 10 The Garden of Eden: III. The Serpent's Kiss 06:03
• 11 The Garden of Eden: IV. Through Eden's Gates 04:43
• 12 Knockout: A Rag 04:03
• 13 3 Ghost Rags: No. 3. Dream Shadows 06:29
• 14 3 Classic Rags: No. 3. Incineratorag 03:33
• 15 Estela: Rag Latino 05:08
• 16 The Brooklyn Dodge 04:52
• Total Runtime 01:11:44

Info for William Bolcom: Piano Rags

Spencer Myer debuts on the Steinway Label with a terrific collection of Rags by the eminent American composer William Bolcom. This carefully selected collection of Rags includes three of Bolcom’s latest rags: Estela: Rag Latino, Knockout: A Rag, and The Brooklyn Dodge.

„This fantastic new release is pianist Spencer Myer’s debut album on the Steinway label. For this project, he has chosen a terrific collection of Rags by the eminent American composer William Bolcom. Featuring some of the newest Rags as well as classics, this album displays Bolcom’s ingenious approach to a favorite keyboard medium. This carefully selected collection of Rags includes three of Bolcom’s latest compositions: Estela: Rag Latino, Knockout: A Rag, and The Brooklyn Dodge. The Boston Globe lauded Spencer Meyer for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship.” His orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances have been heard across the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia.“ (ArkivMusic)

Spencer Myer, piano

Spencer Myer
Lauded for "superb playing" and "poised, alert musicianship" by the Boston Globe, and labeled "definitely a man to watch" by London's The Independent, American pianist SPENCER MYER is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today's concert stage.

Spencer Myer includes in his 2016-17 season debuts with the Evansville Philharmonic, Macon Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus and Symphony of the Redwoods, as well as return engagements with the Traverse, Springfield (MA and OH), Bozeman and Wyoming Symphonies and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, in addition to recital appearances in Connecticut, Houston, Washington and Idaho.

Spencer Myer's orchestral, recital and chamber music performances have been heard throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Boise, Dayton, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestras, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Baton Rouge, Indianapolis, Knoxville, New Haven, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Springfield and Tucson Symphony Orchestras, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, Mexico's Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco and Beijing's China National Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with, among others, conductors Nicholas Cleobury, Leslie B. Dunner, Robert Franz, Bernhard Gueller, Jacques Lacombe, Jahja Ling, Timothy Muffitt, Kevin Rhodes, Lucas Richman, Klauspeter Seibel, Steven Smith and Victor Yampolsky. His 2005 recital/orchestral tour of South Africa included a performance of the five piano concerti of Beethoven with the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, followed by return orchestra and recital tours in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015.

Spencer Myer's recital appearances have been presented in New York City's Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y and Steinway Hall, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center and London’s Wigmore Hall, while many of his performances have been broadcast on WQXR (New York City), WHYY (Philadelphia), WCLV (Cleveland) and WFMT (Chicago). An in-demand chamber musician, he has appeared the past four summers at the Lev Aronson Legacy Festival in Dallas with cellists Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Amit Peled and Brian Thornton, and has enjoyed a recurring partnership with the Miami String Quartet at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. Other artistic partners include clarinetist David Shifrin, sopranos Nicole Cabell, Martha Guth and Erin Wall, the Jupiter and Pacifica string quartets and the Dorian Wind Quintet.

Spencer Myer's career was launched with three important prizes: First Prize in the 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa, the 2006 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship from the American Pianists Association and the Gold Medal from the 2008 New Orleans International Piano Competition. He is also a laureate of the 2007 William Kapell, 2005 Cleveland and 2005 Busoni international piano competitions. He enjoys an esteemed reputation as a vocal collaborator since winning the 2000 Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition. Mr. Myer was a member of Astral Artists' performance roster from 2003-2010.

An enthusiastic supporter of the education of young musicians, Spencer Myer has served as a guest faculty at the Oberlin and Baldwin-Wallace Conservatories of Music, and in the fall of 2015, he was appointed Artist-Teacher of Piano and Collaborative Piano at Boston's Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Spencer Myer's debut CD for harmonia mundi usa - solo music of Busoni, Copland, Debussy and Kohs - was released in the fall of 2007 to critical acclaim by Fanfare and Gramophone magazines. He can also be heard on a composer-conducted Naxos CD in performances of three concerti from Huang Ruo's Chamber Concerto Cycle and in a performance of Ravel's Chansons madecasses, included on "Intimate Masterpieces," a 2013 CD featuring faculty and alumni of the Oberlin Conservatory and issued by Oberlin Music. Mr. Myer's most recent recording -- "Bolcom: Selected Rags" -- is scheduled for release in January of 2017 on the Steinway & Sons label.

Spencer Myer is a Steinway Artist.

Booklet for William Bolcom: Piano Rags