Three Russian Artists in 2009 Grand Opening Concert

The Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival (greencastlesummermusic.blogspot.com) begins its fifth season of thirteen weekly Wednesday evening concerts (continuing though August 19) at 7:30 PM May 27 in the sanctuary of Greencastle’s Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church. The “grand opening” concert features music by Poulenc, Debussy, Minkov, Mozart, and Brahms performed by three Russian-born musicians: oboist Leonid Sirotkin and the husband/wife “Duo Amabile” of pianist Katya Kramer and violinist Matvey Lapin.

All concerts are free and open to the public with free-will donations accepted. Festival artistic director, Eric Edberg (DePauw University Professor of Music) says he is delighted with the wide array of artists performing this summer. “Our concerts are performed in a relaxed, come-as-you-are environment. The performers speak to the audience during the concert and mingle and chat afterwards. If you’ve never been to a classical-music concert before, its a great introduction. Many people have told me that these concerts are the highlights of their summer in Greencastle. And look at the quality of our performers! How marvelous it is that in a small town like Greencastle you can hear a concert with musicians who have performed in major international concert halls.”

Leonid Sirotkin is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia where he received his BM and MM from St. Petersburg State Conservatory. For almost a decade, Leonid has been a principal English hornist with the Kirov Opera and Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev and has toured internationally with the Orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Covent Garden, La Scala, and Concertgebouw among other venues. He has performed as a soloist with Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Bogota Opera Orchestra of Theatro Colon, and Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. His chamber music festival appearances include Kuhmo International Chamber Music Festival, Finland, Kostamuksha Music Festival, Russia, Lucca Music Festival, Lucca, Italy. He was featured as a lecturer on the IDRS International conference in 2006. Leonid is a regular substitute player with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and has toured with CSO to Japan and Europe. He has recorded more than 35 CDs with Kirov Orchestra and 5 Cds with Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra.In 2000, Leonid published the book, "Orchestral Excerpts for oboe and English horn from operas and ballets by Tchaikovsky".He is currently a DMA candidate at Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Mr. Sirotkin’s major teachers include Dr. Valery Sobolev and Dr. Mark Ostoich.

Since its 2003 debut, Duo Amabile has presented violin and piano recitals to enthusiastic audiences throughout the United States. Married since 2004, Matvey and Katya Lapin bring to their collaborations virtuosity, enthusiasm, and striking passion. Their repertoire ranges from eighteenth to twenty-first century music, and includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Bartok, among many others. Equally at ease with the standard repertoire, the Duo’s offerings range from Rachmaninov to Pärt, and include contemporary works especially written for them. Popular with young audiences, they present Lecture-Performances and Workshops in conjunction with their concerts. Currently, Duo Amabile performs extensively throughout the country.
An active soloist and chamber collaborator, Matvey Lapin has performed across the United States, Europe, Russia, Japan and Korea at such venues as Concertgebouw Hall, Gewandhaus, Milan Conservatory and the Royal Palace in Stockholm. Matvey hails from St. Petersburg, Russia. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree at the IU Jacobs School of Music and is a student with Ik-Hwan Bae. Mr. Lapin graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory (Russia), where he completed his Undergraduate, Graduate, and Post-Graduate Courses in violin performance. He has been a recipient or several awards, including the 3rd prize at the Locatelli Concours international competition (Amsterdam, 1995), the special grant from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (2000), and the Gartow Scholarship in Germany, 1997. Matvey had also been awarded a grant to participate at the Holland Music Sessions master class series (Netherlands, 1995). During 2002-03 he was a member of the Grammy Award winner, world renowned St. Petersburg String Quartet (formerly Quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College-Conservatory).
Internationally recognized solo pianist and chamber musician, Katya Kramer-Lapin is currently working on her Artist Diploma program at IU Jacobs School of Music, studying under Professor Shigeo Neriki. Katya received her Master’s degree and Performer’s Diploma at IU School of Music as well. She received her Bachelor’s degrees at Oberlin College Conservatory and Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne (Germany). Katya’s concerts include appearances at the 25th Anniversary of the UNESCO, held at its Headquarters, (Paris, France), sponsored by the Pope Paul John Second, chamber recital, representing young opera artists of Bolshoy Theater, dedicated to the visit of Renata Scotta (Moscow, Russia), solo concerts at the World Bank (Washington, DC), concert tours to Taiwan and Europe, as well as frequent collaboration with the soloists of the New York Philharmonic and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras. Katya is a former scholar of the “Russian Arts Help” Charity Foundation, sponsored by Maestro Rostropovitch. Katya received several awards from international competitions which include Rudolf Serkin Piano competition, Matinee Piano Competition in Indianapolis, IN, and the “Forum of Young Pianists” (Athens, Greece).
The full series schedule is:

May 27: Oboist Leonid Sirotkin and the husband/wife “Duo Amabile” (pianist Katya Kramer and violinist Matvey Lapin) perform works by Poulenc, Debussy, Minkov, Mozart, and Brahms

June 3: The DePauw Woodwind Quintet Anne Reynolds (flute), Leonid Sirotikin (oboe), Randy Salman (clarinet), Kara Stolle (bassoon), and Rob Danforth (French horn)

June 10: Internationally-renowned violinist Federico Agostini is joined by cellist Eric Edberg and pianist Nariaki Sugiura in chamber works by Haydn, Ravel, and Mendelssohn

June 17: DePauw University Voice Faculty A diverse program performed by Pamela Coburn, Barbara Paré, Keith Tonne, Caroline Smith, and Jay White with assisting artists including pianist John Clodfelter

June 24: Korean cellist Yeon Ji Yun and Japanese pianist Nariaki Sugiura

July 1: Cellist Kirsten Landowne and pianist/composer Carlos Carrillo in a special “farewell to the Carrillos” concert featuring a work composed for the occasion by Dr. Carrillo, performed by various DePauw and area musicians.

July 8: Pianist Judith Edberg (retired University of Tampa piano professor) performs “An Evening with Johannes Brahms”

July 15: “Music of the Fears” Improvisations featuring Ball State saxophone and peace studies professor George Wolfe (named one of the “100 Most Dangerous Professors in America) and cellist Eric Edberg

July 22: Ensemble Voltaire, Indianapolis’s premiere early-music group, featuring IU professor flutist Barbara Kallaur, violinist Allison Guest Edberg, and harpsichordist Tom Gerber

July 29: Clarinetist Gareth Guest and pianist Martha Krasnican

August 5: Cellist Margot Marlatt

August 12: Soprano Barbara Paré, violist Nicole Brockmann, and pianist John Clodfelter

August 19: “Grand Finale” concert featuring pianist May Phang

2008 Festival Concludes Wednesday Evening

The 2008 Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival concludes at 7:30 PM this Wednesday evening at Gobin United Memorial Church with a concert by Duo Amabile, the outstanding husband/wife violin and piano duo, joined by DePauw oboe professor Leonid Sirotkin. The program includes works by Beethoven, Stavinsky, Jacob, and Paganini.

Admission is free, with donations accepted. Yourk Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Greencastle, Inc. is the festival’s main corporate underwriter, with additional support from Arts at DePauw, the DePauw School of Music, and Fine Print Books, as well as many individual donors.

Since its 2003 debut, Duo Amabile has presented violin and piano recitals to enthusiastic audiences throughout the United States. Married since 2004, Matvey and Katya Lapin bring to their collaborations virtuosity, enthusiasm, and striking passion. Their repertoire ranges from eighteenth to twenty-first century music, and includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Bartok, among many others. Equally at ease with the standard repertoire, the Duo’s offerings range from Rachmaninov to Part, and include contemporary works especially written for them. Popular with young audiences, they present Lecture-Performances and Workshops in conjunction with their concerts. Currently, Duo Amabile performs extensively throughout the country.

An active soloist and chamber collaborator, Matvey Lapin has performed across the United States, Europe, Russia, Japan and Korea at such venues as Concertgebouw Hall, Gewandhaus, Milan Conservatory and the Royal Palace in Stockholm. Matvey hails from St. Petersburg, Russia. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree at the IU Jacobs School of Music and is a student with Ik-Hwan Bae. Mr. Lapin graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory (Russia), where he completed his Undergraduate, Graduate, and Post-Graduate Courses in violin performance. He has been a recipient or several awards, including the 3rd prize at the Locatelli Concours international competition (Amsterdam, 1995), the special grant from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (2000), and the Gartow Scholarship in Germany, 1997. Matvey had also been awarded a grant to participate at the Holland Music Sessions master class series (Netherlands, 1995). During 2002-03 he was a member of the Grammy Award winner, world renowned St. Petersburg String Quartet (formerly Quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College-Conservatory).

Internationally recognized solo pianist and chamber musician, Katya Kramer-Lapin is currently working on her Artist Diploma program at IU Jacobs School of Music, studying under Professor Shigeo Neriki. Katya received her Master’s degree and Performer’s Diploma at IU School of Music as well. She received her Bachelor’s degrees at Oberlin College Conservatory and Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne (Germany). Katya’s concerts include appearances at the 25th Anniversary of the UNESCO, held at its Headquarters, (Paris, France), sponsored by the Pope Paul John Second, chamber recital, representing young opera artists of Bolshoy Theater, dedicated to the visit of Renata Scotta (Moscow, Russia), solo concerts at the World Bank (Washington, DC), concert tours to Taiwan and Europe, as well as frequent collaboration with the soloists of the New York Philharmonic and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras. Katya is a former scholar of the “Russian Arts Help” Charity Foundation, sponsored by Maestro Rostropovitch. Katya received a several awards from international competitions which include Rudolf Serkin Piano competition, Matinee Piano Competition in Indianapolis, IN, and the “Forum of Young Pianists” (Athens, Greece).

Leonid Sirotkin is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia where he received his BM and MM from St. Petersburg State Conservatory. For almost a decade, Leonid has been a principal English hornist with the Kirov Opera and Symphony Orchestra under Valery Gergiev and has toured internationally with the Orchestra performing at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Covent Garden, La Scala, and Concertgebouw among other venues. He has performed as a soloist with Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Bogota Opera Orchestra of Theatro Colon, and Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. His chamber music festival appearances include Kuhmo International Chamber Music Festival, Finland, Kostamuksha Music Festival, Russia, Lucca Music Festival, Lucca, Italy. He was featured as a lecturer on the IDRS International conference in 2006. Leonid is a regular substitute player with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and has toured with CSO to Japan and Europe. He has recorded more than 35 CDs with Kirov Orchestra and 5 Cds with Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra.In 2000, Leonid published the book, "Orchestral Excerpts for oboe and English horn from operas and ballets by Tchaikovsky".He is currently a DMA candidate at Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Mr.Sirotkin’s major teachers include Dr. Valery Sobolev and Dr. Mark Ostoich

Matthew Gianforte Wednesday August 13 at Gobin

Concert pianist Matthew Gianforte, part-time Assistant Professor of Piano at DePauw, performs Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata along with works by Brahms and Liszt in the thirteenth concert of the 2008 Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival. The program begins at 7:30 PM Wednesday evening in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.

Admission is free, with donations accepted. York Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Inc., of Greencastle is the main underwriting sponsor of the series, with additional support from Arts at DePauw, the DePauw School of Music, Fine Print Books, and many individual donors.

“I know many of our audience members are going to be excited to hear the ‘Moonlight’ sonata live and in person,” says DePauw music professor Eric Edberg, the series’ Artistic Director. “Matt’s program also includes the Brahms F minor sonata and a Tarantella by Liszt. It’s going to be dazzling concert.”

Edberg says Wednesday’s concert is one of the Festival events he’s especially proud of. “One of the unique aspects of our series is that because of our proximity to Bloomington and the IU Jacobs School of Music, we are able to present outstanding young artists, like Matt Gianforte, who are at the stat of their careers. In Bloomington completing doctorates, they are willing to come to Greencastle for additional performing experience. We are very fortunate!”

A native of Chicago, pianist Matthew Gianforte received the Bachelor of Music degree at The Catholic University of America, where he studied with Marilyn Neeley. He continued his studies with Karen Shaw at Indiana University, where he earned the Master of Music degree, and where he currently is completing the Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance. Mr. Gianforte has served as both an Associate Instructor in Piano and as the Coordinator of Piano Accompanying at Indiana University, and currently serves on the faculty of the IU Young Pianists Program, IU Piano Academy, and the DePauw University School of Music. A top prize winner in the 2004 Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition, he has appeared across the United States as both a soloist and collaborator.

The 2008 Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival concludes next week, with a Wednesday August 20 recital by Duo Amabile, the Russian husbad/wife team of Matvey Lapkin and Katya Kramer.

Indianapolis Symphony Musicians Perform Wednesday

Indianapolis Symphony musicians violinist Jayna Park and cellist Ingrid Fischer-Bellman will be joined by pianist Eugenio Urrutia-Borlando in two Romantic-era favorites, the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Richard Strauss and Anton Arensky's Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello, as the Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival continues Wednesday evening.

The concert is at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church. Admission is free, with donations accepted. York Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Greencastle, Inc., is the festival's main underwriting sponsor, with additional support from the DePauw School of Music, Arts at DePauw, Fine Print Books, and many individual donors.

"Jayna and Ingrid are both spectacular players," says Eric Edberg, Professor of Music at DePauw and Artistic Director of the Festival, "and Eugenio is well-known to Festival audiences from his prior appearances this and in past summers. The audience is in for a real treat!"

Violinist Jayna Park was born in Daegu, Korea, and earned a Bachelor of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Her major teachers have included Sylvia Rosenberg, Victor Danchenko and Berl Senofky. She joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2001. Since then, Ms. Park has been an adjunct faculty member of Taylor University in Indiana, and has served as a coach at the Masterworks Music Festival in Winona Lake, IN and as a coach for the Side by Side program of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Winner of the American String Teachers Association competition, she has been heard throughout South Korea as an orchestral soloist and in recitals in many parts of the United States. In 2002, she was a participant in the Sixth Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Ms. Park has a one year old daughter with husband Brian Smith who is a bassist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Ingrid Fischer-Bellman is a member of the Indianapolis Symphony cello section. She studied cello with Janos Starker at Indiana University where she earned a Masters Degree in Music. Born in Bucharest, Rumania, Ingrid immigrated with her family to Israel. She was a scholarship recipient of the American Israeli Foundation for Young Artists and has concertized in Israel and the United States. She has performed as soloist with the Carmel Symphony and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis. Ms. Fischer-Bellman is a co-founder and Artistic Director of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble which will celebrate its 25th Anniversary Season during 2008-'09. Ingrid is also devoted to bringing music to young people, and has an active private studio as well as a busy schedule with the ISO education department's public school initiative, where she presents thematic programs that coordinate with teachers' curriculums.

Edberg, Sugiura, and a restored cello Wednesday evening

Critically-acclaimed cellist Eric Edberg celebrates the return of his 1790 Italian cello, which just finished 3 years of restoration, in Wednesday’s 7:30 PM Greencastle Classical Music Festival concert at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.

Admission is free, with donations accepted. York Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Greencastle, Inc. is the festival’s main underwriting sponsor, with additional support from Fine Print Books, the DePauw School of Music, Arts at DePauw, and many individual donors.

Edberg will be joined by concert pianist Nariaki Sugiura in a program of music by Arvo Pärt, Franz Schubert, and Frédéric Chopin. “I’m very excited about this concert,” says Edberg, Professor of Music at DePauw and Artistic Director of the Festival. “First, it is a thrill to perform with Nariaki, who is an extraordinary young pianist who knows the cello-piano literature as well as any pianist I’ve known. He’s an absolute joy to make music with. And the restoration of my 1790 Pietro Pallotta cello was just completed, and this is my first concert reunited with my cello.”

Edberg’s cello developed a large crack nearly the entire length of the top in the spring of 2005 has been painstakingly restored by Russell Wagner of Chicago Celloworks. “Russell is widely regarded as the top cello restorer in the country,” explains Edberg. “In addition to the new crack which developed in 2005, the cello had a number of old cracks that had been somewhat crudely repaired in the past. Russell took the cello completely apart, removed the old glue from all the cracks, and redid the repairs in a way which makes it nearly impossible to tell there ever were any cracks. What he’s done is absolutely amazing. And the cello sounds better than ever!” (Click on the photos to see expanded versions.) More before and after photos are available on Edberg's blog, and photos of the restoration process can be seen here.

Eric Edberg attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Juilliard School, SUNY Stony Brook, and Florida State University, and studied with Gary Hoffman, Denis Brott, Stephen Kates, Leonard Rose and Bernard Greenhouse. Winner of the NCSA Piatigorsky Memorial Award and Concerto Competition, and an honorary scholarship to Juilliard, he was a two-time regional winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists Competition. Formerly principal cellist of the Annapolis (Maryland) and Terre Haute (Indiana) Symphonies, he has performed widely as a concerto soloist with the Indianapolis Philharmonic, the Bismark-Mandan Orchestra, the Tampa Bay Chamber Orchestra, the Fox Valley Symphony, and the Annapolis Symphony.

Edberg is a frequent recitalist and is a member of the DePauw Chamber Players. He performed extensively with the Contemporary Music Forum of Washington, D.C., whose concerts were broadcast worldwide over the Voice of America network. He has been praised by the Washington Post for an “excellent solo performance,” and the Appleton PostCrescent wrote, “. . . the star event of the evening [was] Eric Edberg's performance of Saint-Saens' First Cello Concerto. A big man with a big tone and a command of the broad sweep of the music, his performance was nonetheless outstanding for its small touches, the turns of phrases, the accuracy of intonation, and the balance with the orchestra. It seemed to be playing both faultless and effortless, a pleasure to observe and enjoy.” Edberg is also an improvisational musician who advocates creativity in performance and presentation, leads drum circles, and has given improvisation workshops at Appalachian State University, Bethany College, the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, Ohio State, and the University of Iowa.

International concert pianist Nariaki Sugiura frequently tours as a recitalist and chamber musician, and gives lessons and master classes throughout the U.S. as well as tours in Europe and Asia. He has recently appeared on the concert stages at the Roundtop Music Festival in Texas, the Fox River Chamber Music Festival in Wisconsin, and in South Korea and Japan. Since 2002, he has been collaborating with a cellist Emilio Colón, and they have toured in the U.S., South Korea, Japan and Puerto Rico. He is an active performer and promoter of contemporary music, and has premiered many newly written pieces including Robin Macheel’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2005).

He is a featured solo and chamber music artist on several CD recordings including a solo album, which features Mr. Sugiura's performance of Barber's Piano Sonata, released by T.K. Music Productions. In 2007, T.K. Music Productions released a new CD of his collaboration with cellist Joseph Kaizer. In 2006, Klavier Music Productions Esencia was produced, a recording featuring Sugiura and Colón in an album of music for cello and piano from South America and the Caribbean. He also has been an editor of musical scores published by Master's Music Publications since 2002.

Born in Hakodate, Japan in 1975, Mr. Sugiura began piano study with his mother at age five, later studying at the Tokyo College of Music High School. In 1996, he entered the Indiana University. Under the tutelage of Michel Block and Shigeo Neriki, he received a Bachelor and Master of Music in Piano Performance. He will be completing his doctoral study at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2008. He is a winner of numerous competitions including the both 1999 and 2000 Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competitions and the Annual Competition of Music from Spain and Latin America in 1999. Other awards include the third place the 47th Japan National Student Music Competition in 1993.

Mr. Sugiura has held the position of Adjunct Lecturer and Associate Instructor of Piano at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and is currently a staff accompanist for DePauw University School of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (the distinguished cellist and pedagogue Janos Starker’s studio) and Indiana University String Academy.

Justih Edberg Performs Wednesday July 23

Pianist Judith Edberg, emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Tampa, will perform music by Bach, Scriabin, Koehler, and Liszt in the tenth concert of the Greencastle Summer Classical Music Festival this Wednesday, July 23, at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle.

Admission is free, with donations accepted. York Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Greencastle, Inc., is the main corporate underwriter for the festival, with additional support from the DePauw School of Music, Arts at DePauw, and Fine Print Books.

Judith Edberg began piano study as a small girl in the Detroit area, where her mother was an active piano teacher. She earned her Bachelor and Masters degrees from Wayne State University, studying with Edward Bredshall, Mischa Kottler, and Julius Chajes, and studied in Paris for a summe with Lazzare Levy. An active recitalist, concerto performer, and chamber music partner in the Detroit area, she moved to Tampa in 1971 where she was soon appointed to the music faculty of the University of Tampa, becoming Director of Keyboard Studies and chair of the music department. In the spring of 1980 she studied music for left hand alone, a particular interest and speciality of hers, with the eminent pianist Leon Fleisher.

She has appeared as concerto soloist with the Royal Oak Symphony, the Wayne State University Orchestra, the Detroit Jewish Community Center Orchestra, the University of Tampa Orchestra and Concert Band, the Tampa Bay Chamber Orchestra, and the Aurora Orchestra in Colorado. The Detroit Free Press wrote she “played with freshness and enthusiasm.” The Tampa Tribune has praised her “pointed dramatic playing” and the St. Petersburg Times wrote that she played “in a forceful, no-nonsense way that cut through the orchestral texture with striking effect.”

Judith Edberg and her husband moved to Greencastle in the fall of 2007. She’s enthusiastic about the charms of Putnam County. “I can’t imagine a more beautiful area,” she says, “and we just love living here.”

“It’s a thrill to have my mother performing in the festival,” says DePauw music professor Eric Edberg, the Festival’s artistic director. “She has such a beautiful tone and sense of melodic line, and has selected a fascinating program. And it’s wonderful that in the festival we are hearing not only a number of young artists in the early stages of their careers, but also some excellent musicians, such as my mother and clarinetist/saxophonist Gareth Guest, who performed earlier this summer, who have retired from their full-time positions and continue to practice avidly and perform beautifully.”

The festival presents concerts every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM through August 20. Upcoming concerts include cellist Eric Edberg and pianist Nariaki Sugiura on July 30, and Indianapolis Symphony violinist Jayna Park and pianist Eugenio Urrutia-Borlando on August 6.

Violinists Andrew McCann and Grammy Winner Matt Albert Wednesday July 16

Grammy-winner Matt Albert will be joined by fellow violinist Andrew McCann in an unusual concert of works for two violins as the Greencastle Summer Classical Music Series continues this Wednesday at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary of Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church.

Admission with free, with donations accepted. The major corporate underwriter of the series is York Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Greencastle, Inc. More information is available at www.greencastlesummermusic.org.

Albert is the violinist and violist with the contemporary-music ensemble eighth blackbird, which won the 2007 Best Chamber Music Recording Grammy for its album "strange imaginary animals." He and McCann will perform a sonata by the French Baroque composer Jean-Marie Leclair, a set of pieces by the contemporary composer Luciano Berio, Stephen Hartke's "Oh Them Rats Is Mean In My Kitchen," and two Etude-Caprices by the Romantic violin virtuoso Henryk Wieniawaski.

"I'm really excited about the concert," says the Festival's artistic director, Eric Edberg, a professor of music at DePauw. "These are two of the top young violinists performing today. We are very fortunate both that they are available and willing to perform in Greencastle, and that the many generous donors to the Festival have made it possible for us to bring artists of this caliber in from out of state. And what a fantastic array of music they are going to play for us! It will be one of the highlights of the summer."

Matt Albert was born and raised in Winchester, Virginia. He is a founding member of eighth blackbird, with whom he has received numerous awards, including first prizes at the Naumburg, Concert Artists Guild, Coleman, and Fischoff Competitions. With the other members of eighth blackbird he holds concurrent teaching positions at the University of Richmond and the University of Chicago. He has recorded with the ensemble for Cedille Records, with their most recent disc strange imaginary animals receiving the 2007 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance. His principal teachers include Kenneth Sarch, Gregory Fulkerson, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Almita Vamos. He has performed throughout the Chicago area with the Chicago Sinfonietta, CUBE, Light Opera Works, and Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues. Matt holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory (B.Mus. violin and B.A. English), the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (A.D. chamber music), and Northwestern University School of Music (M.M. violin).

A native of Philadelpha, PA, Andrew McCann holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory (B.Mus. violin and B.A. history) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (M.M. violin). His principal teachers include Gregory Fulkerson, Jorja Fleezanis and Sherban Lupu. During the last year, he has appeared as a guest artist with Present Music Milwaukee, the International Contemporary Ensemble and Contempo. He performs regularly with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the New Millennium Orchestra, Chicago, and the Woodstock Mozart Festival Orchestra. Andrew is an AmSat certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, and maintains teaching studios in Andersonville and Hyde Park. He has given workshops on the Alexander Technique at the University of Chicago, Lake Forest College, the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Roosevelt University, and Florida State University.

Upcoming concerts in the Festival, which presents programs every Wednesday evening through August 20, include pianist Judith Edberg on July 23, cellist Eric Edberg and pianist Nariaki Sugiura on July 30, and Indianapolis Symphony violinist Jayna Park on August 6.