Take a look at Time for Three’s publicity photos, or scan its hip play- list, with versions of tunes by rapper Kanye West and British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap, and one might mistake it for a pop group.
But the three string musicians, who met as students at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, are actually anchored in the classical world, and blurring musical distinctions is what they are all about.
This 11-year-old, category-busting ensemble, which is just as at home in the country, Gypsy and jazz realms as it is with Franz Schubert or Felix Mendelssohn, returns Monday to Boulder’s Colorado Music Festival for a busy five-day residency. Its activities, which range from an improvisation workshop to a free afternoon conversation with fans to two concerts with the festival’s orchestra, show not only its versatility but also its accessibility.
“Because Time for Three is sort of an outside-the-box group, we’re able to reach an audience that isn’t standard,” bassist Ranaan Meyer said by phone after finishing a sound check for the first of two concerts with folk singer Arlo Guthrie and the Indianapolis Symphony.
A growing number of people in the classical world believe that at least part of the answer to aging audiences and dwindling relevance lies with an up-and-coming generation of tech-savvy musicians who are as comfortable in a rock club as in a concert hall.
For these musicians, daily intersections of styles and influences seem completely natural, and they have little to do with the sometimes awkward and not especially successful crossover projects that some classical artists have attempted in the past.
“Artists are being forced to think more creatively than in decades past,” Meyer said. “For us, a lot of the things we’re doing are arrangements of material that are current and mainstream, but we’re doing it in a way in which we really think about our message from beginning to end and not just cash in in a typical crossover way.”
Time for Three’s jump to prominence came in 2003, when two of its members — violinist Zachary “Zach” De Pue and Meyer — were performing in the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Quick thinking
When the the power went out during a thunderstorm and technicians were scrambling to restore lighting, the two came to the rescue with an impromptu jam session. They performed such tunes as “Jerusalem’s Ridge” and “Ragtime Annie,” winning over the audience.
Time for Three has since returned as guest artists with the Philadelphia Orchestra and performed with other symphonies across North America and Europe. In 2009, it began a three-year residency with the Indianapolis Symphony, which includes a series of “happy hour” concerts for younger audiences.
The group’s niche is performing its distinctive arrangements of tunes such as Heap’s “Hide and Seek” or Ervin Rouse’s roots fiddle classic “Orange Blossom Special” or its own pieces infused with its varied influences.
“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s different, and it’s not the normal thing that audiences are expecting,” Meyer said.
In appearances Thursday and Aug. 5 with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the program will also include the premiere of “Simply Blue,” a work by Meyer and Time for Three’s producer, Steven Hackman, which draws on such jazz greats as Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
Details of Time for Three’s residency at the Colorado Music Festival
11 a.m. Monday, Improvisation workshop for ages 15 and older, Chautauqua Community House. Participants are encouraged to bring their instruments. $10.
4 p.m. Monday, Chautauqua Community House. A conversation with the three musicians. Free.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Chautauqua Auditorium. The trio joins drummer Matt Scarano pianist John Fobare for an informal concert. $12-$42.
2 p.m. Wednesday, Classically Kids Workshop, Chautauqua Community House. Children ages 7-11 are invited to meet the threesome and learn about Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.” $12.
7:30 p.m. Thursday and Aug. 5, Chatauqua Auditorium. The trio joins conductor Michael Christie and the festival orchestra for a series of arrangements and original works. Also on program is the “Symphonie Fantastique.” $12-$49.
Chautauqua Auditorium and Meeting House are in Boulder’s Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road. Tickets: 303-440-7666 or
