By Jay Harvey
It started out as a lark, something music students at an exclusive conservatory do to relieve pressure and indulge other musical interests. Zachary De Pue and Nick Kendall were a couple of violin whiz kids; Ranaan Meyer was equally skilled on the double bass. These were jam sessions, tucked in among intense studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia 15 years ago.
For the informal trio of buddies, the fun went public, becoming a catchy niche genre. It was a new kind of crossover: three unplugged string instruments playing music drawn from a blend of pop, jazz, classical, and bluegrass.
Calling itself a “classically trained garage band,” Time for Three made its local debut on New Year’s Eve 2006 as guests of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
By the next fall, De Pue was in the concertmaster’s chair of the ISO — first of the first violins, where he’s been ever since. And being ISO concertmaster is what Zach De Pue, now 35, has decided he most wants to be. This season will be his last with Time for Three, as he makes a staged withdrawal yielding to another Curtis product, solo concert artist Nikki Chooi, who will be getting to know the community the trio primarily serves as ISO ensemble in residence and taking over most of Time for Three’s international touring schedule.
De Pue’s “farewell tour” with Time for Three will start spectacularly Sept. 26 at Hilbert Circle Theatre, when the group will be featured in the ISO’s annual Gala Concert. It will share the stage with superstar violinist Joshua Bell, with the ISO conducted by music director Krzysztof Urbanski. Besides its own material, Time for Three will join Bell for a performance of “Death by Triple Fiddle,” a piece from Bell’s “Short Trip Home” CD.
“It was a tough decision to make,” De Pue told me about his departure. “But I find I’m not really as attracted to the road as I used to be.”
The weariness hit him hard last November, when shortly after returning from a Time for Three gig in Melbourne, Australia, De Pue found himself seated exhausted at an ISO rehearsal.
“By January, I was packing to go on the road with the guys and finding myself not excited to do it, kind of dragging my feet,” De Pue said. “It was a life decision. I’m very passionate about classical music, and I feel I’ve walked both sides of getting younger audiences in and upholding standards.
“Giving up something I started is emotional; it was an extended college experience. And one of the great things about being part of a group, when you walk onto that stage you have support from each other. You’re part of a team.”
For Zach De Pue, that team has become primarily the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
