The Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble is a versatile and dynamic group which has been praised by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse.” Fifth House’s innovative programs engage audiences through their connective programming and unexpected performance venues.Performances are aimed at highlighting relationships between classical music and art forms as diverse as film, dance, gourmet food, theater, winemaking and visual art, as well as creating new sounds through collaborations with artists of other music genres.
Continuing to pioneer the art of narrative chamber music, Fifth House collaborates with graphic novelist Ezra Clayton Daniels to present its third annual subscription series, titled Black Violet, for the 2009-2010 season. This unprecedented partnership melds music of the highest caliber, vivid imagery, riveting narrative, and compelling characters as graphic novel slides illustrate the story. Performances combine on-screen projections, staging, and live music performance to create a unique experience for audiences of all types.
Other performances this season include a premiere of a large instrumentation chamber work by composer Alex Shapiro of the Norton Building Concerts, as well as performances and workshops at Yale College.
Having established itself as a regular on the Chicago chamber music scene, Fifth House has performed on some of the city’s most well-regarded series and venues including the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Mostly Music Series, Waukegan Chamber Music Society, Pritzker Pavilion, Byron Colby Barn, PianoForte Chicago, WFMT Impromptu, Sunday Salon Series at the Chicago Cultural Center and Rush Hour Concerts at St. James. Through a generous program grant, Fifth House was the first chamber ensemble to train and present a program on the Recital Theater Series of New Triad for Collaborative Arts in New York in June of 2007, and returned to NYC for a performance on the Miller Theater’s Composer Portraits Series in November, 2009. In addition to public performances, Fifth House Ensemble reaches out to those unable to make it to the concert stage through its MusiCare series, presenting concerts at the Self Help Center and Children’s Memorial Hospital.
Recently named to the Illinois Arts Council’s Arts-in –Education Roster, Fifth House’s innovative educational endeavors have resulted in performances and residencies at Chicago public schools as well as at Kenosha Tremper High School. Named Ensemble in Residence at Carthage College beginning in the Fall of 2009, Fifth House also frequently performs for college audiences, including workshops, residencies, and performances at Millikin University, Manchester College, Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Northern Iowa.
Members of fifth House Ensemble are also active as orchestral musicians, having performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Also active as educators, members of Fifth House serve on the faculties of Carthage College, the Merit School of Music and Trinity University.