‘Night Into Dawn’ with Malach and Friends set for Wednesday

Monday, August 9, 2021
Cathie Malach is set to perform Wednesday as part of the Greencastle Summer Music Festival.
Courtesy photo

The Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues its series of free 7:30 p.m. Wednesday concerts in Gobin Church this week with “Night Into Dawn.” Pianist and composer Cathie Malach will lead her Greencastle audience on a journey from reflection to gratitude -- from isolation to community to joy.

In an evening of original music, composed specifically for this concert, Malach will be joined by poet (and lyricist) Joe Heithaus, cellist Eric Edberg, guitarist Josh Brown, drummer/percussionist Ben Hogan and keyboardist Steve Snyder, with vocals by Malach, Fiona White, Chris White and Gobin’s own Bryan Langdoc.

GSMF founding artistic director Eric Edberg says he sees this week’s event as particularly meaningful.

“Much of my life as a musician and teacher for over 20 years has been about exploring the question ‘what does it mean when this performance takes place at this time, with these people present?’ We have long said we are committed to community through shared arts experiences and friends making music for friends.

“This week’s program is music and poetry that has been created specifically for this time, this place, these performers, and this audience. Cathie, who is such a wonderful creative artist, has spent months composing the music, working with the other musicians and with poet Joe Heithaus. I’m amazed by how the program has developed. It’s going to be an experience of what it has been like to be us over the past year, a celebration of our connection with each other, and the creation of a possibility for who we can be for and with each other as we face the next set of pandemic challenges.”

Speaking of pandemic challenges, audience members are encouraged to follow the latest CDC guidance and wear masks even if vaccinated, although masks are not required.

Pianist Malach is known for her evocative and revelatory improvisations and compositions, with keyboard work that is as contemplative and heartfelt as it is exuberant and dynamic. She’s composed and recorded several albums, as pianist, keyboardist and sometimes vocalist, both solo and in collaboration with lyricists, poets, rock, folk and world musicians. Her music has been used for short films, as well as albums for meditation and healing.

The GSMF concerts are made available through the generosity of individual donors, an endowment at and grant from the Putnam County Community Foundation, a grant from the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau, in-kind donations from the Inn at DePauw, and the “radical hospitality” of Gobin Church and its pastor, Bryan Langdoc.

The GSMF will conclude next week on Aug. 18 with Tad Robinson and his band.

This summer’s performances are being shown at 3 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays on cable access Channel 3 in Greencastle and are available online at greencastlemusic.org.

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