Gamba music to be featured at Wednesday Summer Festival

Monday, June 4, 2018

Viola da gambist Brady Lanier and Brazilian pianist Daniel Inamorato are the featured performers in Wednesday's free 7:30 p.m. Greencastle Summer Music Festival concert in Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.

This is the "Kissinger Family Concert," celebrating the leadership of Joanne Kissinger, who with her family began an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation to support the festival's work of "bringing the community together with friends making music for friends."

At last week's opening concert, PCCF President Ken Eitel presented a check for $3,100, this year's endowment proceeds. The festival, whose main corporate sponsor is the Inn at DePauw, is also supported by annual individual and business donations.

Wednesday's concert features an unusual juxtaposition of gamba music from the Baroque period with piano music from the romantic and contemporary eras.

"The pieces that I have selected to play, all for unaccompanied bass viol, were written within 50 years of each other, from c. 1680-1730, but are from three different countries (Germany, The Netherlands and France)," Lanier said. "They all showcase the instrument beautifully -- long, lyrical lines; resonant chords; and flashy passagework -- and are fun to play. I love that they feature the inherent vocal qualities and intense emotionalism that the viol is capable of."

Pianist Daniel Inamorato will be performing music by the virtuoso pianists Rachmaninoff, Moskowski and others.

"I selected preludes, miniatures and etudes that I like to perform when I am on my own, pieces that are very personal and that remind me of family and friends I haven't seen for years," he said. "I am also particularly excited because I am including in this recital the U.S. premiere of Eduardo Dutra's Six Miniatures."

"I'm delighted to welcome Brady and Daniel as new performers in our summer concert 'family,'" said Eric Edberg, the retiring DePauw University music professor who founded the series in 2005. "Daniel has been working in the School of Music the last two years, where I've been so impressed with his musical virtuosity and personal warmth. I've heard about Brady's playing from my early music friends. And these two are not only friends, they are spouses -- so they more than fulfill our motto of 'friends making music for friends.'"

Lanier is an associateinstructor at Indiana University where he is pursuing a DM in viola da gamba performance studying with Joanna Blendulff and Wendy Gillespie. A founding member of Quaver Viol Consort (www.quaver.org), he has performed on viola da gamba, baroque and modern cello around the country with numerous ensembles such as the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Houston Bach Society, the Princeton Fesitval, Ars Lyrica and Musikanten Montana.

Lanier has led performances for the Bloomington Early Music Festival for the past three seasons. He serves on the faculty of the Viola da Gamba Society of America's summer Conclave and the Texas Toot. Lanier is also much in demand as an arranger and composer, having had works performed by the Houston Symphony and the United States Air Force Orchestra, and has had three original works performed at Carnegie Hall.

Lanier holds a BA from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a MM from Indiana University.

Brazilian pianist Inamorato is a classically-trained pianist who also specializes in traditional Argentine tango. His remarkable career started at age nine with a performance with the Orchestra Philharmonic of Sao Caetano do Sul. He is known in Brazil for having won more than 40 first prizes in piano competitions all over the country.

Inamorato has performed chamber music, new music and tango music with major figures of the international music scene such as violist Ori Kam; horn players Eric Ruske and Jeff Nelsen; Chicago Symphony's oboist Alex Klein; tango bassist Pablo Aslan and tango pianist Julian Peralta; violinists Daniel Guedes and Jorge Risi; violoncellists Antonio del Claro and Brandon Vamos; clarinetist Howard Klug and flutist Kathryn Lukas.

His recordings include a solo CD for label IU Music: Danza del Parque de las Acacias, 2012; a tango CD with group Cuarteto Tanguero: La Marca de Fuego, 2015; and a CD with the premiere of three violin and piano Sonatas from Latin American composers of the 20th century, Argentinean label Acqua Records - expected 2018.

Inamorato keeps himself active within the composition community; he premiered music by composers Aaron Travers, Francisco Cortes Alvarez, Will Rowe, Alex Blank, Sergio Leal and Brady Lanier. He also performs his own music written for Prepared Piano, Toy Pianos, Chord Organs, Drag Queens and Butoh performers. He performs as pianist of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and as harpsichord player at the Bloomington Early Music Festival.

Inamorato holds a performer diploma and a master degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and works as a staff accompanist DePauw and as a pre-college instructor at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.

The festival will continue on Wednesday, June 13 with a performance by Percussion Ensemble DePauw.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: