[1] Harold was inspired by a wide variety of stimuli, from architectural spaces to postmodern fairy tales and messages inscribed in fortune cookies.
In Fanfare Magazine, Robert Carl commented that he "seems to write pieces of scrupulous craft and exceptional freshness, which makes each seem like an important contribution."
Meltzer was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Long Island, where he studied piano and had instruction in music theory from Morton Estrin.
Meltzer graduated from Amherst College, BA (1988), summa cum laude, where he studied composition with Lewis Spratlan, piano with Robert Miller, and bassoon with Frank Morelli.
[15] In Fanfare, the composer and critic Robert Carl wrote that Meltzer "seems to write pieces of scrupulous craft and exceptional freshness, which makes each seem like an important contribution.
"[15] In a 2011 interview, The New York Times chief music Anthony Tommasini describes himself as a "weighty supporter" of three artists in particular: composer Stephen Hartke, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, and Meltzer.