Powers impresses Time for Three

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

Time for Three has performed in orchestral concert halls across the country — and it likes what it sees in Youngstown.

“We’ve seen a lot of smaller community orchestras, and the facility there [Powers Auditorium in Youngstown] is amazing,” said Nicolas Kendall of the trio. “We know the tough times that surround what they have to work with, and it’s amazing the quality of musician [the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra] is able to bring in. For a town that isn’t New York or Chicago, it’s really awesome and we take it seriously.”

The trio will be at Powers on Saturday for the world premiere of Chris Brubeck’s “Travel In Time for Three,” backed by the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

Time for Three played with the YSO in April 2007, and Kendall accompanied the orchestra solo in October 2008.

He had praise for the attention to detail demonstrated by Patricia Syak, director of the Youngstown Symphony Society, and the Powers staff.

Time for Three — violinists Zachary De Pue and Kendall, and double bassist Ranaan Meyer — has earned critical acclaim for its exciting yet uncategorizable sound. The trio blends classical, bluegrass, Irish, jazz and other genres and performs it at a virtuosic level.

Kendall said the smaller orchestras are becoming more important because of their scheduling flexibility.

He also said he is looking forward to introducing Brubeck’s concerto to Youngstown. “We’ve been working really hard on it,” he said, adding the trio will bring a drummer to fully realize the jazz quality of Brubeck’s composition.