Sybarite5 string quintet to play contemporary ‘Outliers’ music Feb. 13 at Schwab
Sybarite5 is always on the lookout for new tunes and composers speaking with unique and relevant voices. “Outliers,” the title of the string quintet’s 2018 album and its 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, concert program at Schwab Auditorium, celebrates works written for the ensemble by the musicians’ favorite composers.
Purchase tickets, which are $44 for an adult, $15 for a University Park student, and $34 for a person 18 and younger. A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.
Formed at the Aspen Music Festival, the New York City-based quintet features violinists Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney, violist Angela Pickett, cellist Laura Metcalf and bassist Louis Levitt. The ensemble made its Penn State debut in 2016.
Watch the quintet perform a cover of A-ha’s “Take on Me.”
Read a Center for the Performing Arts interview with the women of Sybarite5.
A reviewer for Limelight, Australia’s classical music and arts magazine, describes “Outliers” as “an addictive album of surprisingly cool string quintets. … Not only are they one of the few dedicated quintet line-ups out there, over the past twelve years they have almost single-handedly rejuvenated the repertoire, commissioning new works at a rate of half a dozen per annum, from some of the most interesting voices on the U.S. contemporary music scene.”
Sybarite5, the first string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, performs the music of Andy Akiho, William Brittelle of Future Shock, Kenji Bunch, Shawn Conley, Michael Gilbertson, Jessica Meyer, Marc Mellits, Brandon Ridenour, Steven Snowden, Dan Visconti and Aleksandra Vrebalov.
The “Millennial Kronos,” as the ensemble has been nicknamed, pairs those selections with Armenian folk music plus songs by Astor Piazzolla and Radiohead.
The specific concert selections will be announced from the stage.
Tom and Mary Ellen Litzinger sponsor the concert. The William E. McTurk Endowment provides support.
The Feb. 12 Classical Coffeehouse featuring Sybarite5 has been cancelled due to the weather.