Springfield, Ohio – Wittenberg University will welcome Sybarite5 for a concert as part of the 2016-17 Wittenberg Series at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, in historic Weaver Chapel.
Playing everything from Mozart to Radiohead, the string quintet has performed on the CBS Early Show and for the Dalai Lama. Originally formed at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, Sybarite5, the first string quintet to be selected as winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, combines a variety of musical disciplines ranging from classical works to contemporary rock.
Featuring Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney on violin, Angela Pickett on viola, Laura Metcalf on cello, and Louis Levitt on bass, Sybarite5 is known for its dynamic performance style and eclectic spin on chamber music.
The first string quintet admitted to the Aspen Advanced String Quartet Studies program, where the group worked with Earl Carlyss of the Juilliard Quartet, bassist Edgar Meyer, and the Cavani, American and Ying quartets, Sybarite5 continues its tenure at the Aspen Music Festival in a new capacity as its Alumni Ensemble.
In 2011, the quintet was awarded the top prize at the Concert Artist Guild International Competition in New York. Most recently, the American Composers Forum commissioned the quintet, one of three selected composers, to write new works that will tour in 2016-2017. Sybarite5's latest album, Outliers, will be released later this year.
The ensemble is now based in New York City and maintains a residency at the Cell Theatre.
Now in its 34th year, the Wittenberg Series brings distinguished lecturers and performing artists of national and international prominence to the Wittenberg campus and Springfield community. To make special arrangements, request a Series poster, or become a friend of the Wittenberg Series, contact Lisa Watson at WatsonL4@wittenberg.edu. All Wittenberg Series events are free and open to the public.
Additional 2016-17 Wittenberg Series Events:
- Friday, Dec. 9: Lessons and Carols, 7:30 p.m. (Pre-service at 7 p.m.), Weaver Chapel.
- Monday, Jan. 16, 2017: Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, 11:15 a.m., Weaver Chapel featuring Dorothy Tillman, Civil Rights Activist and former Chicago Alderman.
- Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017: Concert with Goldstein, Peled, Fiterstein Trio, 7:30 p.m., Weaver Chapel.
- Wednesday, March 15, 2017: - IBM Endowed Lecture in the Sciences, 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium featuring Valentina Salapura, IBM.
- Friday, March 31, 2017: William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture, 7:30 p.m., Bayley Auditorium featuring Michael Blakey.
