Clarke Alumni to Present Classical Guitar Concert

Dubuque native and Clarke University graduate Zane Merritt returns to Dubuque on Friday, Nov. 14, to perform a concert of new classical guitar music in Jansen Music Hall on the Clarke campus.  The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Merritt, who currently resides in Buffalo, N.Y., is a member of the new music ensemble Wooden Cities. As a composer, his new orchestral work “Dramatic Individuals” will be premiered by the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 15.  His concert at Clarke University will feature works by rarely performed Japanese composer Takeo Noro in addition to pieces by new music legends Charles Wuorinen and Luciano Berio. He will round the concert off with a transcription of the Fuga movement from Bach’s 3rd solo violin Sonata, the longest Fugal work of Bach’s career. Merritt’s recent exploits include solo performances in Symphony Space in New York City in March 2013, and concerts of his own music and Michael Schelle’s music in Nagoya and Takamatsu, Japan, in July 2013. Cellist T.J. Borden called Merritt a “free improv guitar freak, unique in his ability to simultaneously melt your brain and cause you to scratch the underside of your jaw in deep contemplation.”