Community reaps rich reward with musical 'Harvest'

To the Editor:

On Sunday, May 11, members of the greater Putnam County community, seated at the Green Center for the Performing Arts on the DePauw University campus, had an amazing afternoon.

The Fifth House Ensemble from Chicago, along with the DePauw University Orchestra, the University Chorus, the Chamber Singers, and an extraordinary group of Putnam County musicians treated us to an hour and 50 minutes of musical magic.

The program titled "Harvest: A Celebration of the People, Places and Stories of Putnam County" was the culmination of a year's worth of experiences with the people and places we know so well.

This musical tribute was filled with rich, original works from Fifth House members, as well as treasures by Chris Wooster, Bobbie Lancaster, and Mike Van Rensselaer.

We watched pictures of Putnam County fill the large screen as music played and we listened to bits of history and perspectives shared by local residents, as new musicians took the stage.

The afternoon ended with Aaron Copland's "The Promise of Living" a fitting tribute to the emergence of another beautiful spring in Putnam County and the promise that it brings.

Thank you to all who nourished the idea and participated in "Harvest." I am so hopeful that Mark McCoy, dean of the School of Music, will be able to find a way to continue to share Sunday's treasure with us all.

Sue Murray

Mayor of Greencastle