Pianist Phang performs Bach Wednesday

May Phang

Pianist May Phang will perform music composed and inspired by J.S. Bach as the Greencastle Summer Music Festival continues Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned comfort of Gobin Church (Seminary and Locust streets in Greencastle).

There’s no admission charge for the approximately 90-minute event, which includes an intermission. This week’s concert has been underwritten by Bill and Lucy Wieland in celebration of GSMF founder Eric Edberg’s 65th birthday and the festival’s 19th season.

The GSMF also receives support from the Inn at DePauw, the Doc’s Inn and an endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation and has received almost $17,000 in donations this season to make its series of mid-week concerts available as a free gift to the community.

The festival will also be presenting a “bonus concert” with internationally-acclaimed Japanese pianist Taka Kigawa on Sunday, Aug. 6 at 4 p.m., with music by Chopin, Ligeti and Stravinsky.

Why an evening focusing on music of Bach, revered as possibly the greatest composer of what is now called “classical music?”

“I was having a rough day back in the spring when we were finishing up this summer’s lineup,” Edberg explained. “I turned on the television in my hotel room and there was a wonderful pianist playing Bach. It just melted my stress away. The combination of the extraordinary music, the beauty of the piano, the artistry of the performer – I immediately thought how great it would be to have May Phang share an evening of Bach with us. I emailed her and she immediately agreed.”

Phang will perform Bach’s “French Suite in E Major” and “Partita in E Minor” — each work comprised of six shorter movements. She has also chosen to share three short pieces inspired by Bach: “Hommage à Bach” by Henri Dutilleux, “Valse-Improvisation sur le nom de Bach” by Francis Pulenc and “Opposed Directions” by Hyekyung Lee.

“It’s going to be a wonderful evening, and I somewhat selfishly see this as a birthday present to myself, as both a Bach lover and a May Phang fan,” Edberg, whose birthday is Wednesday, shared.

Praised by critics and audiences for her imaginative programming and compelling performances, pianist May Phang (professor of piano at DePauw) enjoys discovering and performing a wide range of repertoire from Bach and Liszt to Libby Larsen and Alexina Louie.

Described as “vibrant”, “colorful”, and “evocative,” Phang strives to deeply understand and bring fresh insights into the masterpieces of composers such as Beethoven and Chopin while equally committed to discovering and championing the works of today’s living composers. She premiered the works of Armando Bayolo, Jaroslaw Golembiowski and Geoffrey Gordon, and also worked with composers such as Aaron Jay Kernis and Joan Tower.

Her 2013 debut CD “Travels through Time” featured works centered around Mark Twain’s satirical “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” Her recent recording of Beethoven’s masterpiece, the “Diabelli Variations” (Centaur Records, 2021) is available for purchase and streaming online.

The GSMF continues next week on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m. with Percussion Group DePauw; Sunday, Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. with pianist Taka Kigawa; Wednesday, Aug. 9 with Joe Peters and Michael Kelsey; and closes on Wednesday, Aug. 16 with the Tad Robinson Band.