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Yo-Yo Ma gives inaugural Music on the Square performance
Timothy and Sharon Ubben have long been credited with "bringing the world to Greencastle" through their Ubben Lecture Series at DePauw University.
As the Ubbens' generosity continues to pay dividends for the university, they have been joined over the years by Judson and Joyce Green, whose benevolence is bringing the world of music to Greencastle and DePauw.
The Greens' vision again manifested itself on Monday afternoon when the world's greatest cellist was in downtown Greencastle to cut the ribbon on Music on the Square (stylized as M2), DePauw's newest effort to bring together the community and the university through music.
Repeat DePauw visitor Yo-Yo Ma manned both the scissors and his cello to help christen the new space at 21 N. Indiana St. that most recently served as the Goodwill store.
"This is a beautiful town. It's a gorgeous town," Ma said. "It's in the middle of America but at the same time, with the university, with the mayor and with this space, you have access to the rest of the world. That's what is so remarkable."
School of Music Dean Mark McCoy offered his thoughts on Music on the Square.
"This space is designed to be the launching of a musical 'communiversity'," McCoy said, calling it "an opportunity for the community and the university to come together in some really interesting ways."
McCoy said the new space will serve as a preparatory department where lessons for local residents, especially children, can be held. It is also designed to be a community space which can host Kindermusik and "Mommy and Me" music classes. And evening mini-courses will be taught on the square, the first of which may be "Opera and Wine."
The new program is part of the 21st Century Musician Initiative (21CM), which was launched in October 2013 with a $15 million gift from the Greens.
21CM is aimed at transforming the DePauw University School of Music -- Indiana's oldest and one of the nation's first -- to meet the needs of students who are entering a rapidly changing music industry. The first of its kind, 21CM is a complete re-imagining of the professional music school curriculum and student experience with the aim to create flexible, entrepreneurial professionals prepared for the challenges of today's music world.
"We're very excited about what this represents and what it can represent, because of the power of music, the power of music to influence our lives," Judson Green said Monday. He called Music on the Square "an opportunity to bring the city and the university together, to be one, and to grow together. "
Besides handling the oversized scissors, Ma was a gregarious guest, trading hugs and conversations as if fellow guests were long-lost friends. After greeting the dean, Ma turned his attention to McCoy's triplet daughters, telling each one that she looked beautiful in her respective blue, pink or orange outfit.
"Is this how your mother tells you apart?" he asked with a laugh.
Once inside, Ma's generosity continued when he shared his talent with those gathered.
"I just wanted to make sure this music space gets inaugurated with a little bit of music," Ma said before performing the very first piece of music he learned, the first movement of Bach's "Suite No. 1 in G Major."
The piece also opens of the first of Ma's 18 Grammy-winning performances, 1985's "The Unaccompanied Cello Suites."
The cellist is in town for his Silk Road Ensemble's inaugural musician workshop, which also began Monday.
The workshop is directed by cellist Mike Block and taught by an all-star faculty, including members of the Silk Road Ensemble and friends, who represent a unique range of musical backgrounds from around the world. The public is invited to three events as the week winds down.
The first is a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday faculty concert by the Silkroad Ensemble and friends in Kresge Auditorium, co-presented by the Greencastle Summer Music Festival and the DePauw School of Music. Featuring multiple Grammy-Award nominees from backgrounds as varied as Afro-Latin jazz, American folk, and traditional styles of Mali, Japan and India, this wide-ranging concert will showcase individual performers as well as never-before-heard duos, trios and quartets.
Participant and faculty performances will follow at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday in Thompson Recital Hall. Both concerts will feature a broad array of styles and instruments from around the world, played by a diverse group of workshop participants and faculty in an eclectic number of bands. These performances culminate the week of collaborative rehearsal and music development.
All three concerts are free of charge, with a suggested donation of $20, which will go directly to the Global Musician Workshop Scholarship Fund. More than 40 percent of participants received financial assistance from Silkroad to attend this year's workshop.