Fifth House Ensemble

“You have to admire the sheer imaginative chutzpah these young performers bring to their envelope-pushing enterprise.” -John Von Rhein, Chicago Tribune Praised by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse,” the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble has pioneered the art of narrative chamber music performance. Through unprecedented artistic collaborations, 5HE creates multi-media experiences that depict, inspire, and respond to stories from around the world, intertwining dramatic narrative with chamber music of all genres. Having established itself as a regular on the Chicago chamber music scene, Fifth House Ensemble 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, Live from the Morse/WFMT, WFMT Impromptu, Sunday Salon Series at the Chicago Cultural Center and Rush Hour Concerts at St. James. Recognized nationally as a leader in audience engagement in the field of chamber music, 5HE has led performances and training residencies at institutions including the Colburn School, New England Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, TEDxMichiganAve, the Midwest Clinic, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Yale. In addition to its work on the concert stage, 5HE began presenting curriculum-integrated residencies for students grades K-12 within its first season, exploring links between chamber music and language arts, social studies, and science. 5HE now collaborates with the International Music Foundation, Ravinia’s Reach*Teach*Play program, the Chicago Teachers’ Center, Rush Hour Concerts, Communities in Schools Chicago, and the Illinois Arts Council to present these programs in Chicago Public Schools.