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Music Festival to feature Cathie Malach Wednesday
Multi-genre composer, pianist and improviser Cathie Malach, a new Greencastle resident, will be joined by other local musicians Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church, as the Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues its 15th season of free indoor concerts “bringing the community together with friends making music for friends.”
Cathie Malach thrives in diverse musical genres, from new-age music to rock to folk. Her music has been called “emotionally dynamic and revelatory ... [with] evocative, soulful melodies; and sensitive keyboard work that is at turns lush, sparse, percussive and exuberant.”
Malach will be joined by vibe player/percussionist Ben Hogan, drummer Rick Provine, bassist Bill Hamm, guitarist Steve Michael, vocalists Chris White and Fiona White and cellist Eric Edberg, the festival’s founding artistic director.
Wednesday’s performance has been underwritten by Chris and Barbara South of Hillside Farms, a longtime supporter of the festival. This annual series of weekly free concerts is made possible by the generosity of additional businesses, including Bridges Craft Pizza and Wine Bar (providing intermission refreshments), the Inn at DePauw, Greenburg Accounting, income from an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation, a grant from the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau and numerous local individuals.
This summer, the festival’s annual fund goal is “15 for 15,” celebrating its 15th season by raising $15,000 from local individuals and businesses. In just its first month, contributions have exceeded $11,000.
“The thing I’m most excited about,” Malach says, “is playing with these amazing local musicians, sharing my music with the local community who have been so supportive. The energy exchange in every performance is a dance between the musicians and the audience, especially when there is improvisation involved.”
Edberg adds, “There is a very special sense of community among our audiences, which are the largest this summer they’ve ever been. There’s no question that performers feed off the energy of an audience, and vice versa. This is going to be a very special evening.”
In January of this year — a few months after moving from New York to Greencastle — Malach released her debut album “HeartLand.” She has also composed, arranged and recorded albums with lyricist and poet Kim Rosen (“Delphys: Ocean Born” and “Naked Waters,” on which Malach sang lead vocals).
With compositions born of improvisation and inner exploration, Cathie’s music has also been featured on albums for meditation and healing, and she has collaborated with Grammy-winning artists pianist Peter Kater, multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless and cellist David Darling, as well as bassist Tony Levin and vocalist Chris White.
The Greencastle Summer Music Festival will continue on Wednesday, June 19 with a performance by Duo Diez, violist Donna Clark and guitarist Espen Jensen.