performance programs
We engage curiosity through fostering boundary-breaking collaborations with musicians of all traditions, graphic novelists, video game designers, and organizations working for change outside of the arts. By reaching beyond the perceived limits of classical chamber music, our programs engage curiosity by asking deep questions of ourselves, our collaborators, and the communities we serve.
For ADA accessibility questions and concerns, please contact Hannah Pearson: hannah@fifth-house.com
Undertale LIVE - An interactive video game/musical experience
“...one of the most progressive and innovative RPGs to come in a long time” — Game of the Year --Gamespot
Journey LIVE - Live musicians respond to the actions of game players in real time
“Beautiful balance … emotionally-charged ...” -- CinemaBlend
The Direction of Attention - Fifth House Ensemble will premiere this program during its 22-23 season with a new commission and world premiere by Pamela Z, in addition to text scores by Pauline Oliveros and members of the ensemble. Functioning as a collective of sonic tour guides, members of the ensemble transport the audience through the Movement, Sounding, and Dreaming modalities of Deep Listening.
Rivers Empyrean - Fifth House Ensemble traces the life cycle of water from its metaphorical descent from the heavens as rain, to its long journey in streams and rivers informed by conservation experts and ecologists
Fresh Voices - A snapshot of the myriad approaches to music-making in today's world, featuring works based on improvisation, electronics, and more - and a chance to empower some of the freshest young voices amongst us
Luna de Cuernos - The story of a tight-knit group of friends and family under threat, and the risks they will take to defend the garden that is their community’s source of life.
“… vibrant, full of expression, humor, and mystery … a cohesive artistic product and transformative concert experience.”
— ChicagoMusic.org
Notorious RBG in Song - Soprano-composer Patrice Michaels, “a formidable interpretative talent” (The New Yorker), joins Fifth House Ensemble in presenting Notorious RBG in Song, a dramatic concert saluting the life and work of legal pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg in celebration of her 26 years on the United States Supreme Court. “THE LONG VIEW: A Portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Nine Songs” forms the core of the show, transforming the language of lofty legal abstraction into music blending jazz, cabaret, and classical art song.
We Are Good - We Are Good is an experimental music/theater residency and performance process developed with writer/director and civic practice pioneer Michael Rohd and theater artist/practitioner Quenna Lené Barrett that explores the ways we as a community deal with the past and imagine our futures. Designed to foster authentic inquiry among audiences of varied social and political backgrounds, We Are Good uses techniques developed with Deep Listening practitioners Leila Ramagopal Pertl and Brian Pertl to bring strangers together through communal music-making.
Residencies
A trusted partner to schools of music and venerable arts institutions, Fifth House Ensemble leverages its expertise in cross-media performance, civic practice, arts integration, and emerging artist training to create customized residency programs that support and catalyze change.
Recent projects with the Eastman School of Music (IML), the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM2), DePauw University (21CM), San Francisco Opera (Earn Your Wings), and The Cleveland Orchestra (The Prometheus Project) have ranged in scope from short-term training residencies to long-term creative partnerships, resulting in bold new directions in community engagement and curriculum design.
Fifth House Ensemble acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.