It’s Beethoven and Brahms for Wednesday night concert

The Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues its series of Wednesday evening concerts this week with the Abel Family Quartet and Friends performing music by Beethoven and Brahms.

There’s no admission charge for the approximately hour-long 7:30 p.m. concert in Gobin Church.

“We’ve had a great turnout the last two weeks,” said Eric Edberg, the DePauw emeritus music professor who founded the festival in 2005 and continues as its artistic and executive director. “Everyone has been great about wearing masks and observing social distancing, which the church has made easy to do by taping of sections of pews.

“This week we present two of the most beautiful and moving works in the classical chamber music tradition – one of Beethoven’s greatest string quartets, and with an additional viola added to the two violins, viola, and cello that make up a string quartet, an absolutely gorgeous quintet by Brahms. Three members of the Indianapolis-based multi-generational Abel Family Quartet are joined by guest performers who are sensational players — it’s going to be a spectacular concert.”

The festival’s performances by world-class professional musicians, which will continue next week on Wednesday, June 23 with virtuoso pianist May Phang of the DePauw School of Music faculty, are presented without admission charge through the generosity of individual donors (who have donated more than $11,000 toward this summer’s goal of $24,000), income from an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation, grants from the PCCF and the Putnam County Community Foundation, and in-kind donations from the Inn at DePauw.

About this week’s performers:

Violinist Benjamin Abel is a dynamic chamber musician eagerly championing works by living composers. South Florida Classical Review termed his performance of Melinda Wagner’s Four Settings ‘the clear high point of the evening.’ After Benjamin’s performance of a spectral work by George Lewis, the composer claimed “I have never heard a better performance of Merce and Baby.” Benjamin is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati where he studies violin with Timothy Lees.

Born into a musical family, cellist Clara Abel found a delight for music at a young age. She has performed at Kneisel Hall and Clasclás International Music Festival, and the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar and Honors Chamber Music program. Clara made her New York concerto debut in 2015. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Juilliard, and is currently studying Historical Performance.

Colette Abel is a founding member of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and principal violist of the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra. An active recitalist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout the Midwest and East Coast with Trio Amabile, the Abel Family Quartet and Cosmopolitan Chamber Players. She maintains an active teaching studio of violin and viola students and recently became a certified presenter for Rolland Pedagogy.

Violinist Tricia Bonner is a vivacious performer in the Indianapolis area, bringing passion and elegance to both classical and new art music. An avid chamber musician, Bonner frequently performs with colleagues in recital, and in 2014 she co-founded the violin/piano duo Ascending with Indianapolis-based pianist Caitlin Frasure. As a soloist, Tricia has performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Hendricks Symphony Orchestra, where she also served as concertmaster.

Composer, conductor, violinist and violist Richard Auldon Clark is artistic director and conductor of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Manhattan Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and the Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival. A proponent of American music, Clark has performed and recorded hundreds of world premieres. Clark is professor of music at Butler University where he conducts the Butler Symphony Orchestra and Butler Ballet.