Season 15 slate unveiled for Greencastle Summer Music Festival

Monday, May 20, 2019
Bridge & Wolack perform at the Greencastle Summer Music Festival on Wednesday, July 10 at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.
Courtesy photo

The Greencastle Summer Music Festival announces its 15th season of “bringing the community together with friends making music for friends.” Every Wednesday from May 22 through Aug. 14, the festival will present concerts at 7:30 p.m. in Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Artistic and administrative expenses are covered by donations from local individuals and businesses, including the Inn at DePauw and Bridges Craft Pizza and Wine Bar, an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation, and, this year, a grant from the Putnam County Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Over the course of the summer, the festival presents a wide variety of classical, blues, jazz, gospel and contemporary music. New “friends” this year include pianist/composer Cathie Malach, the Canadian clarinet and accordion duo Bridge & Wolak, gospel artist Jason Powell, and the Indiana Wind Symphony.

Returning favorites include pianist Claude Cymerman, jazz artists Steve Snyder and Sandy Williams, Duo Diez (guitar and viola), Percussion Group DePauw, and blues great Tad Robinson and his band.

Eric Edberg, now retired from the DePauw music faculty, started the festival in 2005 as a biweekly classical chamber series.

“I had a summer with not much to do,” Edberg said, “and there was almost nothing happening in Greencastle except for the ParkFest concerts and the Putnam County Playhouse. Gobin had just received a wonderful concert grand piano, and with its excellent acoustics and easy parking seemed liked the perfect place for relaxing and informal mid-week concerts by professional musicians. Over time, our sense of mission and our budget have grown, as has the Greencastle music scene. We continue to be Putnam Country’s only indoor summer concert presenter that’s not a bar or restaurant. I’ve loved seeing our programming expand beyond classical music.

“So many people have done so much to make this work,” Edberg continued. “Joanne Kissinger and her family started our endowment, with great support from Ellie Ypma. Stu Fabe was our first board president and led the charge to raise over $60,000.00 for the endowment. We have great volunteers, including David Knott, Carol Krag and Tim Wait, and our terrific executive director is Chris Flegal, who is also at the helm of the United Way.”

The 2019 Greencastle Summer Music Festival season:

May 22: Friends Making Music for Friends — 15th Anniversary Opening Concert

The GSMF kicks off season 15 with a concert that celebrates our mission “to bring the community together with friends making music for friends” and previews the coming season. Founding artistic director Edberg is joined by two of his former students, Peter Kim and Peter Lockman, for cello trios; pianist/composer Cathie Malach performs an improvisation; pianist Claude Cymerman plays his new arrangement of Gershwin’s “Concerto in F”; Steve Snyder performs jazz; and blues great Tad Robinson brings the concert to a close, joined by pianist Kevin Anker.

May 29: Musical Mosaic: Claude Cymerman and Eric Edberg

Pianist Claude Cymerman and cellist Eric Edberg perform a wide variety of original song transcriptions and short pieces from the classical and popular traditions.

June 5: An Evening of Jazz w/ Steve Snyder and Sandy Williams

Snyder is a pianist/organist who maintains an active playing schedule locally, nationally and internationally. The Austin Chronicle has called his work “superb.” Seemagazine.com says, “Incredible solos ... particularly from the not-so-surprisingly sensational Steven Snyder.”

June 12: Cathie Malach and Friends

Pianist and composer Cathie Malach is known for her emotionally dynamic and revelatory compositions; evocative, memorable melodies and sensational keyboard work that is lush, sparse, percussive and exuberant, echoing influences of Liz Story, Keith Jarrett, Bruce Hornsby and Ludivicio Einuadi. She is joined by vocalists Chris White and Fiona White, percussionist Ben Hogan, drummer Rick Provine and bassist Bill Hamm.

June 19: Duo Diez

Norwegian guitarist Espen Jensen and violist Donna Lively Clark offer a rich and varied repertoire they have developed for this delightful combination. Both musicians are known for their interpretation of twentieth-century music and their performances of Latin American music.

June 26: The Vivaldi Project

The Vivaldi Project continues its celebration of the classical string trio, bringing to life a significant, untold part of chamber music history. Founded in 2009, ensemble members Elizabeth Fields (violin), Stephanie Vial (cello) and Allison Edberg Nyquist (violin and viola), will present a program drawing from works their CD “Discovering the Classical String Trio,” as well as other new gems.

July 3: Young Cello Virtuosos: Ethan Murphy and Braden McConnell

GSMF welcomes a first-time guest artist to the festival, cellist Ethan Murphy, along with fellow cellist Braden McConnell. Murphy is a student at the Indiana University String Academy, where McConnell is now an assistant teacher. Witness the future of classical string music during this exciting concert by two rising stars.

July 10: Clarinet and Accordion with the entertaining Bridge and Wolak Duo

Classically trained international soloists Kornel Wolak (clarinet) and Michael Bridge (accordion) use virtuosity, comedy and musical sensitivity to bring their custom repertoire to life. Playing classical, jazz, and folk, Bridge and Wolak have taken their show across the world. (This event cosponsored by the 21cm Institute at DePauw.)

July 17: Percussion Group DePauw

Percussion Group DePauw formed when Ming-Hui Kuo and Ben Hogan joined the GSMF concert series during the summer of 2017... and they’ve played every year since. Percussion Group DePauw performs various styles of music from classical and electronic music to modern jazz-influenced compositions; from solo pieces to ensemble works.

July 24: Gospel artist Jason Powell

Experience an uplifting evening of high-energy music with contemporary gospel artist Jason Powell. Powell is a minister, musician, singer, songwriter, recording artist, spiritual teacher and author. Powell’s latest single, “I Know God Cares,” can be streamed on iTunes Music and Spotify.

July 31: Brahms & Friends: Claude Cymerman, Tarn Travers, Nicole Brockmann and Eric Edberg

Violinist Tarn Travers and violist Nicole Brockmann, DePauw music faculty members, are joined by their emeritus colleagues pianist Claude Cymerman and cellist Eric Edberg for an evening featuring the Brahms Quartet in “A Major for Piano.”

Aug. 7: Indiana Wind Symphony

Founded and directed by Charles P. Conrad, the Indiana Wind Symphony was established in 1997 and has become the region’s premier wind symphony. In addition, the Indiana Wind Symphony holds the distinction as the resident ensemble at The Palladium. The group will be first-time guests to the GSMF series.

Aug. 14: Tad Robinson and his band

Tad Robinson closes out the 15th Anniversary Season with a blues experience like no other. Since 2005, Robinson has been nominated eight times for the Blues Music Awards, most recently for Soul Blues Album of the Year. Downbeat Magazine describes Robinson as placing “near the top of the list of finest living singers of soul blues.”

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