Memorial concert planned for Meyers
While many colleagues, students, friends and family are still in shock at the unexpected death of recording technician James Meyers, plans to pay tribute have already begun. A memorial concert is scheduled for Feb. 13, at Ludwig Recital Hall in the Music and Speech Center.
Meyers was discovered collapsed before a performance by the All Star Band Honors Wind Ensemble on Jan. 23, causing the show to be cancelled.
“It was devastating when I found out what happened,” said Ben Postlethwait, Rootstown High School sophomore and Wind Ensemble member. “A lot of students were quite shaken up.”
As a recording technician for the School of Music, Meyers, 62, was responsible for recording all faculty, student and guest concerts and recitals. He also duplicated CDs for each artist and the archives said Denise Seachrist, interim director of the School of Music, in an e-mail interview.
Meyers’ work wasn’t limited to Kent State. Some of his other jobs included working as a freelance cellist, a conductor and, recently, a correspondent for ClevelandClassical.com, a news site that covers the Northeast Ohio classical music scene.
“From my point of view, Jim was a complete musician,” said Ann Waters, former faculty member and coordinator of the Kent Classic Arts program in an e-mail sent to Seachrist. “He was an uncommonly generous, warm and complex human being.”
According to ClevelandClassical.com, the Web site is working on developing a tribute titled “Life of James Meyers” to be posted on its blog.