Chamber music combines with graphic novel
Fermilab Arts & Lecture Series will present Fifth House Ensemble's "Black Violet, Act III" at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium, off Pine Street in Batavia.
Admission is $23 and $12 for ages 18 and younger. For reservations, go to www.fnal.gov/culture to order online, or call (630) 840-ARTS (2787) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fifth House Ensemble is shaking up the idea of chamber music as a stuffy, old-fashioned genre. They have infused new life into great music by taking traditional thematic programming outside the box, forming a graphic novel trilogy, created by Ezra Claytan Daniels, with a story centered around the last outbreak of the plague in London.
In the year 1665, London's black cat population is held culpable as the last major outbreak of plague devastates the city. When her owner leaves home to care for the sick, a black house cat named Violet is forced to venture into the streets amid one of the most terrifying passages of London's history.
The original artwork and text is on-screen, accompanied by 11 members of Chicago's acclaimed 5th House Ensemble. The traditional chamber music repertoire helps bring to life the tale of our feline heroine. "Black Violet, Act III" stands on its own merit, whether or not you've experienced the earlier installments.
Continuing to pioneer the art of narrative chamber music with "Black Violet," the 11-piece Fifth House Ensemble combines on-screen projections, staging, and live music performance to create a unique experience for audiences of all types.
This collaboration of 11 skilled chamber musicians with acclaimed writer and artist Ezra Claytan Daniels melds music of the highest caliber, vivid imagery, riveting narrative, and compelling characters as graphic novel slides illustrate the story.
The addition of these elements to the chamber music concert experience connects the characters and emotions on-screen with the live performance on stage, encouraging audiences to listen actively and to discover how music can create an image, action, or character - drawing listeners in and allowing them to experience the music on a deeper level.
Having pioneered the art of narrative chamber music with its signature series "Black Violet," "The Weaver's Tales," and "In Transit," Fifth House's innovative programs engage audiences through their connective programming and unexpected performance venues.
Fifth House Ensemble is defined by its limitless imagination and energy, and a desire to bring chamber music to audiences of all types. It harnesses the collaborative spirit of chamber music to create transformative cross-media performance experiences that bring together elements as diverse as storytelling, physical theater, graphic novels, and fashion design.
With humor and joy, they breathe life into repertoire both established and emerging, equally at home on the most prestigious stages and unexpected venues including aquariums, train stations, and bars.
On tour, 5HE presents performances of "Black Violet: The Great Exodus of the Tamed" at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the University of Northern Iowa, and the Civic Music Association. Other performances include the Manchester Symphony Society, Concordia University of Ann Arbor, Carthage College, and three world premieres at Illinois Wesleyan University as part of its Sesquicentennial celebration's Symposium of Contemporary Music. 5HE also returns to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, for its second year as Ensemble in Residence.
Ramsey Auditorium is in Wilson Hall, the central building of Fermilab. Wilson Hall, a high-rise, is visible from the lab entrance from the west on Kirk Road at Pine Street. Both the west entrance (Pine Street at Kirk Road) and east entrance (Batavia Road at Route 59) are open for Arts & Lecture Series events.