Melissa Fyr Quartet Performs "An Evening with Karen Carpenter"

Celebrate the unique artistry of Karen Carpenter with an outdoor concert featuring vocalist Melissa Fyr and musicians Tim Garcia, Dave Sweet, and Willem von Hombracht.

This will be an outdoor concert co-hosted with our Pacific Branch Friends of the Library.

Please bring your own seating and dress for the weather.

Musician Bios...

Melissa Fyr:

Melissa began her singing career while playing trumpet with the Starlighters Swinging Big Band of Washington, Missouri. "I took a chance and asked Bob if I could sing a song, and he said ok!" (Thank you!) She was then hired as a trumpet player to perform with the popular St. Louis Big Band, eventually became the lead singer, and spent 6 years traveling around the country performing in over 25 states across the U.S. for weddings, receptions, private and ticketed events, house parties, fundraisers, churches, restaurant establishments, and local wineries. She now hires and performs locally as a duet to full big band ensembles with pop and jazz musicians. Melissa is a true musician/vocal stylist. Some of the venues Melissa has performed at: Carnegie Hall, Microsoft National Convention, St. Louis Arch, St. Louis Planetarium, U.S. Air Force Balls, Fundraiser for George W. Bush, United Way of Tennessee Annual Fundraisers with Payton Manning and Kurt Warner, Chicago Navy Pier, and Fox 2 News, to name a few. Melissa studies voice with Jan Shapiro, a retired Professor of Voice and former Voice Department Chair for the Berkley College of Music, and Tim Garcia Professor of Music, who keeps her true to form the standards from the Great American Songbook. Melissa currently works at the Pacific Intermediate School. She gives private and group lessons for instrument and voice. She enjoys working with and volunteering her time with band students at Meramec Valley R-III School District, and being a mentor and performer with the Dellwood Dragons Drum and Bugle Corps in Florissant, Missouri. On weekends you can catch her at local wineries, libraries, nursing and retirement homes, churches, and community events.

Tim Garcia:

A native of St. Louis, Tim Garcia has been an Adjunct Professor Webster University faculty from 1996-2013, teaching music notation classes at Webster University. Tim completed his Bachelor Degree in Theory/Composition in 1977 and his Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies and Theory/Composition in 2005. In 1979, Tim took top honors in the Missouri Forum of Composers and has been composing ever since. Tim is a very active freelance performer, educator, clinician, and arranger. His works have been performed and recorded for radio, TV, and concert halls. He has performed professionally in the St. Louis area for over 25 years, performing as a soloist and with groups such the Genesis Jazz Project, an 18-piece big band conducted by Robert Waggoner. Currently, Tim leads the Tim Garcia Trio, a jazz group that performs frequently in the St. Louis area. Tim also operates a private studio in Kirkwood for piano lessons. Tim is also on the faculty at Wildwood Community College.

Dave Sweet:

Dave Sweet is a freelance drummer, educator, and veteran of the St. Louis music scene, playing with great artisits such as Charles Glenn, Jim Manley, Kelly Wild, Ralph Butler, Scott Jones, Bob Kuban Band, Fanfare, the Original Knights of Swing, St. Louis Big Band, and Abbey Road Warriors. In addition to touring extensively in the continental United States, Dave has also toured Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Haiti, and Alaska, and has opened for big name artists such as B.J. Thomas and Joss Stone.

Willem von Hombracht:

(San Francisco, 1960), contrabass and bass guitar. Willem has been playing bass since 1977, contrabass since 1983. Education: Studied at the Arnhem Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands 1984-1988. Studied privately from 1990-1992 with Buell Neidlinger and Charlie Haden. He also attended master classes given by Dave Holland, Glen Moore, John Cage, Bertram Turetzky, Barre Phillips, Francois Rabbath, Miroslav Vitous, Mark Dresser, Ray Brown, Rufus Reid, David Friesen, John Patatucci, Max Roach, Victor Lewis, Barry Harris, Lou Donaldson, Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Franco Petracchi, John Clayton, Kurt Elling, Joan LaBarbera, Billy Colbham, Rashied Ali, among others. Playing experience: Through the years, he has worked in quite a wide variety of musical situations, easily moving from one style to another. He has played in orchestral and chamber groups, both classical and modern; folk music from around the world, including, for example, Hungarian and Romanian gypsy music, Russian folk music, traditional Persian music, West African music, traditional Cuban and salsa, Caribbean calypso, Brazilian samba, Mexican Mariachi and Argentine tango; various rock and blues bands; and has for many years been in high demand as a jazz bassist, in styles ranging from traditional to bebop to free form improvisation. He also collaborates on projects with poets, dancers, and actors. Willem lived in the Netherlands for many years, and has traveled and performed in Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and West Africa. Some of his most memorable tours were to Senegal and Burkina Faso. Playing Credits: Billy Higgins, Andrew Hill, John Hicks, Howard Johnson, Byron Stripling, Ritchie Cole, Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Julian Lage, Gary Wittner, Herb Jeffries, Petula Clark, Hammiett Bluiett, Gary Foster, Bobby Shew, Don Preston, Ray Pizzi, Jay Migliori, Chuck McPherson, Vinnie Golia, Steve Davis, Mark Elf, Matt Wilson, Carmen Bradford, Will Matthews, Luqman Hamza, Cary Hoffman, Brad Terry, Dick de Graaf (NL), Rob van Kreeveld (NL), Janusz Muniak (PL), and Zbigniew Namyslowski (PL), and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, among many others. In 1995 Willem moved to St. Louis where he was soon established as an important member of the local music scene. He can regularly be heard accompanying many great St. Louis performers, including Ptah Williams, Jeanne Trevor, Randy Holmes, Dave Black, Debbie Lennon, Margaret Bianchetta, Freddie Washington, Dwight and Dwayne Bosman, Curt Landes, Paul DeMarinis, Tom Byrne, Montez Coleman, Kenny Rice, Gary Sykes, Dave Stone, Joe Manusco and many others. Willem is the leader of the New Jazz X-tet, a group of variable size (usually between 4 and 7 members), which performs mostly original music. He is a frequent accompanist to Ms. Jeanne Trevor and was a member of the Willie Atkins Quartet from 1995 through 2004, as well as a member of the Ptah Williams Trio from 2001-2006. He is often called upon to accompany musical theater productions. He also maintains contacts on both the East and West Coasts, as well as in Europe, and is frequently invited to perform as a guest artist. Teaching: Since 2003 Willem is Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at Webster University (Webster Groves); in past years he has been on faculty at Lindenwood University, St. Charles County Community College, and Jefferson County Community College. He has also taught several bass master classes and jazz/improvisation workshops in the USA as well as in Europe. In addition, from 2001-2014, he was a faculty member of the International Summer Jazz Academy (ISJA) in Krakow, Poland, for which he served as artistic director from 2008-2014. Here in St. Louis he has been a teacher at the annual Webster University summer jazz camp since 1998. In 2012 he was included on the faculty of the Summer Jazz Colony at the prestigious Brubeck Institute of Stockton, California. He returned to the Brubeck Institute as a guest clinician in 2016. In 2019, Willem was included as a guest clinician at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the new "Roots, Jazz, & American Music" Program. Recording Credits: 1991-Winslow, Follow the Way of Your Heart (Limitless/independent); 1993-Kaoru, Welcome to Our Breakfast (with Vinnie Golia) (9Winds); 1996-Uncle Albert, Workin' (Dogshew/independent); 1998-Willie Atkins Quartet, Alima (Catalyst); 1999-Jeanne Trevor, Love You Madly (Catalyst); 2000-The Amato Quartet, Pacific Time (Fadort); 2000-Luqman Hamza, When a Smile Overtakes a Frown (Catalyst); 2001-May Wheeler, Live at the Sheldon (PAAR); 2001-Jan Garden Castro, The Last Frontier poetry and bass (independent); 2002-The Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, Delilah (Cagoots); 2002-Sandy Weltman, The Klezmer Nuthouse (Wildstone Audio); 2003-Webster University Jazz Faculty, Jazz Spoken Here 2 (Webster University); 2003-Gary Wittner, Now We're Here (with Howard Johnson) (Ha-1-Ah Music); 2003-Steve Driskell, Hoot Owl with Ptah Williams, John Norment (independent); 2005-Debbie Lennon, I'm All Smiles (Victoria Records); 2005-Ptah Williams Trio, The Sheldon Presents St. Louis Jazz; 2007-His first recording as a leader entitled "Krakovians," together with Polish pianist Joachim Mencel and Viennese drummer Harry Tanschek, for which he wrote most of the music; 2008-John Norment, Just For John (cwah); 2009-off-topic, Live at the New Music Circle, with Dave Stone, Jim Hegarty, & Henry Claude (NoiseReductionSociety); 2010-Erika May, Miao Miao: the Cat in a Hat (independent); 2012-Willie Akins Quartet, I Can See Clearly Now (independent); 2014-Joe Manusco, Cut to the Chase (Manusco Records/Autumn Hill Jazz); 2015-Janusz Muniak, Contemplation (with Joachim Mencel & Harry Tanschek); 2016-Alyssa Catlin, Allegria (independent); 2017-Ron Reichard, A Carousel of Melodies (independent). There are other recording projects in the works, including a CD of the New Jazz X-tet, a voice and bass duet album with Joe Manusco, and a collaboration with cabaret/theater performers Rosemary Watts & Joe Dreyer.