202 Clovercrest Dr

Rochester , NY 14618

fivebyfive

Described as “classical turned loose in the toy store,” “top-flight,” and “imaginative,” fivebyfive is an award-winning, artist-led ensemble known for its impeccable musicianship and adventurous spirit that permeates innovative, cross-genre programming and community engagement. Based in Rochester, NY and formed in 2015, the group has a mission to engage audiences in the collaborative spirit and creativity of today’s chamber music. To realize its mission, fivebyfive presents programs featuring today’s chamber music by commissioning, developing, and performing music by the most forward-thinking composers, advocating for creators who are underrepresented in the field and collaborating with a wide range of partners. fivebyfive’s 2023-2024 season, “Dichotomies” will begin with its program Old & New: Sephardic Reflections in collaboration with Pegasus Early Music and artist Lynne Feldman. Sephardic music has its roots in the musical traditions of the Jewish communities in medieval Spain and medieval Portugal. Programs will be presented at Temple Beth El in Rochester, with other performances in the Western NY/Finger Lakes region. Music includes a new arrangement of Brazilian composer Clarice Assad’s Sephardic Suite, and a new setting of three Sephardic songs by Eastman graduate Keane Southard. The two ensembles, fivebyfive and Pegasus Early Music, will treat audiences to “old” and “new” versions of the sephardic tunes featured in the concert, with artist Lynne Feldman’s original tapestries celebrating Jewish life shared as part of the performance. In the fall, the group releases its third album, breath & fire, with eight new pieces for the ensemble. Music by Evan Williams, Marc Mellits, Brittany J. Green, Kari Telstad Sundet, Miguel del Aguila, Marc Mellits, and Sarah Kirkland Snider explores pieces inspired by breath (ones that have a sense of expansion and contraction and a connection to and awareness of the current moment) and by fire (ones that have energetic movement, intensity, heat.) Release date is slated for mid-October, 2023. “Dichotomies” will continue with a celebration of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. With its Light & Dark: Eclipse Music program, fivebyfive continues its mission to create new creative and collaborative experiences for its audiences. This solar eclipse is expected to be the largest mass travel event ever in the U.S.—a celestial experience expected to be breathtaking, spiritual, and impactful. Landscapes become transformed, the sky becomes a dark deep twilight, and changes in temperature, winds and animal behavior occur during the time around totality. The experience is emotionally powerful and unforgettable, and it will be the last great opportunity for large segments of our country to experience a total solar eclipse until 2045. The path of totality will include 125 miles, along with fivebyfive’s hometown of Rochester, NY. fivebyfive will present its eclipse-inspired program Light & Dark: Eclipse Music in Rochester at the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Planetarium and other communities within the path of totality. fivebyfive is inspired to connect people in an engaging public event to build awareness and excitement for the upcoming eclipse. Most recently, fivebyfive was awarded funding from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) including a three-year organization award and an artist support award for a new work by composer Roberto Sierra to be premiered by fivebyfive in 2024. In 2021 the group was chosen as a New Music USA Organizational Development Fund Recipient which recognizes outstanding organizations that work regularly with—and support the development of—music creators and artists, offering a critical community resource. In early 2023, fivebyfive appeared at The DROM in NYC to present a showcase performance as part of the national conference of Chamber Music America. fivebyfive has appeared on WXXI Classical 91.5’s programs Backstage Pass and Live from Hochstein, was featured on Performance Rochester and Performance Upstate, and has also appeared nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today with host Fred Child. fivebyfive became a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in 2017, and has released three albums, breath & fire (2023), Of and Between (2021) and The Play Album (2023). fivebyfive Laura Lentz (Artistic Director, flute) Marcy Bacon (clarinet) Ken Luk (electric guitar) Eric J. Polenik (bass) Haeyeun Jeun (piano) Marc Webster (Executive Director, audio/video engineer)

We focus on: Arts and Culture, Education

Where we are: Monroe

We have a matching grant!

Friends of fivebyfive

Existing supporters of fivebyfive pledged $600 to match any donation made during ROC the Day through the end of the year.

$600


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