DPU piano students of May Phang slate musical party for Thursday at M2

Courtesy photo The piano students of DePauw University Professor May Phang will put on a free musical event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Music on the Square in downtown Greencastle.

The piano studio of DePauw University professor May Phang invites the public to a musical party at Music on the Square on Thursday, April 28.

The free 7:30 p.m. concert will feature new dance music for solo piano by living composers of different nationalities, each written in the composer's own unique musical style.

The Petrushka Project, a joint venture of the German publishing house Schott Music and the Strecker Foundation, aims to encourage the creation of contemporary music and to try new ways of digitally disseminating music. In 2012, a year that also marked the 70th birthday of Schott Music Publishing's president, Dr. Peter Hanser-Streckerit commissioned composers from all over the world to write a solo piano piece on the dance theme.

Seventy-six composers from 26 countries each contributed a new composition in their characteristic style. Some chose to play tribute to the birthday publisher by incorporating birthday themes. Others were additionally inspired by the namesake of this project, Stravinsky's ballet, Petrushka, incorporating motivic or rhythmic elements reminiscent of that work.

The result is a compendium of contemporary piano music that provides an introduction to many of the world's composers, both established and up-and-coming.