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Kamfonas to play Gobin Wednesday and Thursday
Twenty-five-year-old improvising and classical pianist John Kamfonas, fresh from a study and concert tour in India, returns to the Greencastle Summer Music Festival this week in two free events open to the public, a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday concert and a 7 p.m. Thursday evening workshop, both in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.
Kamfonas, based in New York City, was such a hit with audiences last summer that one concertgoer offered to fund his trip to Greencastle this year. Wednesday's concert will include music composed on the spot, in addition to music by Bach, Liszt, and American composer John Corigliano.
On Thursday, Kamfonas will play for and speak to the Kiwanis Club at lunch and offer a free improvisation "playshop" at Gobin on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Both Wednesday's concert and Thursday's workshop are free and open to the public.
The festival, dedicated to bringing the community together with "friends making music for friends," offers free events, funded by donations from community, every Wednesday evening through August 15. Thursday evening's workshop will be an informal, fun event in which Kamfonas will play and talk, local musicians of any level of experience can join in, and everyone is welcome to sit in and listen.
"John is a unique artist, part of a new era of young classical musicians who are influenced by indie rock and world music, and who make their own music, in their own voices, in addition to playing great music of the past," says the festival's founder and director, DePauw music professor Eric Edberg. "John's personal creativity, combined with a world-class virtuoso piano technique and outstanding musicianship, give his performances of classical pieces a special energy. By improvising in concert, he connects not only to great improvising pianists like Keith Jarret but also to great improvisers of the past, including Bach and Beethoven." In Thursday's Kiwanis talk and evening workshop, Kamfonas will inspire and empower others in confidently following their intuition both in life and music.
Embracing his penchant for improvisation alongside his passion for the classical repertoire, pianist John Kamfonas has given wide-ranging performances including a fully improvised solo piano concert at Columbia University, solo and collaborative harpsichord performances with Manhattan School of Music's Baroque Aria Ensemble, and solo concerts featuring both composed works and free improvisations in cities around the US.
John's recent solo engagements include performances in U.S. cities such as Syracuse, Philadelphia, New York City, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Other summer festival performances include appearances at the International Academy of Music in Tuscany, Italy, Aspen Music Festival, PianoSummer at New Paltz, and Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, where he had the honor of performing in the final young artist gala concert held at the Central Conservatory of Beijing.
John recently participated in and helped organize the Bootstrap Arts Festival, a multi-disciplinary arts festival sponsored by the New York Foundation that staged numerous events featuring dance, poetry, music and visual artwork in venues around New York.
Gobin is located at 307 Simpson St. in Greencastle. Gobin is located at For more information contact 658-6010 or email gobin@go-binumc.org.
The Greencastle Summer Music Festival brings the community together with friends making music for friends. Free concerts, supported by donations, every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.