Duo Cantabile performs Rachmaninoff Wednesday at Gobin

Sunday, July 10, 2016
The Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. performance by Duo Cantabile, comprised of cellist Simona Barbu and pianist Nariaki Sugiura, a former faculty member at the DePauw School of Music. (Courtesy photo)

The Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. with a performance by Duo Cantabile, cellist Simona Barbu and pianist Nariaki Sugiura, a former faculty member at the DePauw School of Music.

The free concert in Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church features lush works by the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff as well as short pieces from Japan and Argentina.

The Festival's concerts are supported by an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation, and donations from individuals and businesses, including the Inn at DePauw.

"Nariaki and Simona are fantastic artists," says Eric Edberg, the DePauw music professor who founded the Festival in 2005. "Nariaki is well known to many in Greencastle from his days in Greencastle; he performed countless times at DePauw and several times in the Festival. Simona is one of my favorite cellists. It's great to welcome them here for another evening of friends making music for friends."

Formed in 2012, international renowned Duo Cantabile keeps an active concert schedule throughout the year. The duo frequently travels in Europe, Asia and the U.S. for performances, lectures and master classes.

An acclaimed cellist and educator, Simona Barbu, began her musical studies at age seven and gained public attention as a member of the leading string quartet of the Conservatory of Timisoara in her native Romania, where she made her solo debut in Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the conservatory' s symphonic orchestra.

She has traveled in Europe, Asia, and the United States as a soloist, a chamber musician, clinician, and most recently she held residencies at conservatories and universities in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China.

Barbu has also been an active orchestra musician, performing with Memphis Symphony Orchestra, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, Bismarck Symphony Orchestra and serving as principal with several orchestras including the Eroica Ensemble in Memphis and the Starkville Symphony Orchestra in Mississippi.

Music critics have raved about Nariaki Sugiura's performances in Europe with such accolades as "the most sensitive touch on the piano," and "possessing the rigueur, passion, and discipline of an old Samurai." International concert artist Nariaki Sugiura has performed solo recitals and concerto engagements in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia at some of the most prestigious concert halls including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Shenzhen Concert Hall (China), Ferenc Liszt Music Academy Recital Hall (Hungary), Daejeon Arts and Cultural Center Hall (South Korea), Manoel Theater (Malta), Kioi Hall (Japan), and Museo de Arte (Puerto Rico).

He has appeared as soloist with the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, UND Chamber Orchestra, and many others.

His arrangements for chamber ensembles and piano ensembles have been frequently performed, and he has also conducted his large ensemble arrangements.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: