Following brilliant performances by groups such as Danú, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Sweet Honey in the Rock, DePauw’s 2015-16 artist-in-residence, Decoda, will conclude this year’s Green Concert line-up in their performance this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Decoda is comprised of a group of musicians who were connected in 2011 through the Ensemble ACJW fellowship program formed by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The members of Decoda have continued their work as passionate performers and art advocates by bringing their talents to the DePauw community since last fall.
Decoda has been active at DePauw since October 2015, where they began their residency with community engagement. From October 5-7, the group held a seminar and workshop on interactive performances and performed at a local elementary school.
Their residency continued this March with their second visit to DePauw’s School of Music, this time putting an emphasis on collaborative and creative skills. Along with a performance at Music on the Square, the new community music space located in downtown Greencastle and hosted by DePauw’s School of Music, Decoda also held workshops on improvisation, arrangement and folk music.
According to the School of Music's website, “Decoda artists teach young musicians the 'Decoda way' of fully engaging audiences through scripted interactive performances focused on the specific community."
The Green Concert Series is open to all audiences, but is most appreciated by DePauw School of Music students who attend these concerts frequently.
“The concerts I've gone to have been really enjoyable, and involved the audience more than I thought they would," said sophomore Laura Egyed, a member of the School of Music. "The final concert seems like it will be a good time with the mix of instrumentation and unpredictability.”
The Green Concerts are a way for the DePauw community to come together through music. The concerts have received fairly positive responses so far.
“This year, I was most excited about Danú, the traditional Irish band that performed as part of the Green Center Series,” said Thomas Ring, a sophomore in the School of Music. “They definitely didn’t disappoint, and after working with Decoda for the past several months, I believe they won’t as well.”
Ines Hayouna, another School of Music Student, agrees.
“The Green Concert Series offer a wide variety of incredible musical performances," she said. "Each concert is unique and offers a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to different types of music all over the world. I highly recommend attending a concert in the series, whether it be this weekend or next year."
Next year’s Green Concert Series line-up will be announced at the beginning of Decoda’s performance on Saturday.
