UIndy professor plays classical music in recital
Musician Greg Martin played piano solos from renowned composers in Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center. Photo by Jessica Stucky
Pianist Gregory Martin performed in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall on Nov. 2.
Martin has earned music performance degrees from Indiana University, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Oxford’s Worcester College. He has played and lectured all across Europe and the United States. This fall, he joined the University of Indianapolis as an adjunct piano instructor. He composes his own music and sometimes performs with his wife.
His performance at UIndy began with the music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, which is based on Norwegian folklore.
“I love the fact that his music is emotional, very compelling,” said freshman graphic design major Erin Case. “Every pause is slow and very purposeful, the same way someone would pause to take a breath when telling a story.”
Martin’s second selection was from German composer Robert Schumann and told the story of Schumann’s ancestral forest.
“It really is quite good,” said freshman psychology major Brittnee Fox. “I came here [to the recital] since I am a student in his piano class. I love how his music tells a story.”
After a brief intermission, Martin played Arnold Bax’s “The Princess’s Rose Garden” and the finale of Bulgarian pianist Emile Naoumoff’s “Rhapsodie.” Present in the audience was Naoumoff, a piano professor at Indiana University who had Martin as a doctoral student.
“I came here to see Greg play and to hear my piece,” Naoumoff said. “He was one of my best students, a rare combination of dedication, smarts and being extremely kind-hearted.”
Naoumoff also praised Martin’s academic success.
“The doctoral program from music takes five years to complete. Most students will give up, but Greg Martin went above and beyond,” she said. “He developed his own musical path, which takes a real intelligence.”
