[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”1403″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_wp_text]James Meredith will accompany Frederica von Stade and the stars of Island City Opera for our Fall House Party.
One of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most well rounded musicians, James Meredith conducts the country’s acclaimed Sonos Handbell Ensemble. His composition, Misterium, for a virtual handbell ensemble of 440 players from 7 countries, premiered in September on YouTube to an audience of over 4,000 viewers.
A native of North Carolina, Mr. Meredith received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University. He is a musical partner with mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and dramatic soprano Olivia Stapp. His work has brought him into contact with such artists as Elly Ameling, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Eleanor Steber, Evelyn Lear and Gerald Moore for whom he has played masterclasses.
For four years James was assistant to pianist Dalton Baldwin in summer art song masterclasses at the French Conservatory in Nice. Concerts with Ms. Von Stade included an appearance on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” reaching a National Public Radio audience of over two million listeners and two concerts with Sonos in a premiere of Libby Larsen’s Hell’s Belles. He has been conductor of the Oakland Symphony Chorus, was on the faculty of Merritt College, taught masterclasses at Holy Names College and San Jose State University and was Festival Opera chorus master for two seasons.
Mr. Meredith has been teaching, accompanying and coaching students for the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley for 14 years and continues with the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra. His voice students are winners of many competitions, including the Pacific Musical Society, The Contra Costa Performing Arts Society and the Beach Blanket Babylon Scholarship Competition. All of them have gone on to advanced degrees at top-ranked universities and conservatories, on partial or full scholarships. He is on the board of directors for the Pacific Musical Society and has been on the boards of the San Francisco Girls Chorus and the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra.
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