Congratulations to the Rochester chamber group fivebyfive on their new album, Eclipse, which debuted in November at #2 on the Billboard classical charts, right behind a new album by Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott.
Described as “classical turned loose in the toy store,” fivebyfive is an award-winning, artist-led ensemble known for its impeccable musicianship and an adventurous spirit that permeates innovative, cross-genre programming and community engagement. The ensemble has performed numerous times on the Live from Hochstein concert series, as well as nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today with host Fred Child.
Their new album celebrates the total solar eclipse that visited North America on April 8, 2024. To mark this breathtaking celestial event, fivebyfive created a one-of-a-kind concert experience with exciting and inspired music and immersive video presented on the full dome of a planetarium. This album captures music from the concert, which featured works by Jessica Meyer, Marc Mellits, Kamala Sankaram, and Glenn McClure.
There are a number of Hochstein connections to fivebyfive, which includes Laura Lentz (flute and artistic director), Marcy Bacon (clarinet), Ken Luk (electric guitar), Eric J. Polenik (bass), Haeyeun Jeun (piano) and Marc Webster (audio/visual artist and executive director). Polenik teaches bass at Hochstein and Luk recently performed a program of works for classical mandolin on Live from Hochstein.
Eric says, “We’re thrilled our album, Eclipse, debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical chart! We are so thankful for the support of so many that helped get us there. It’s great to see all that support, and our work and dedication come together in such a big way.”
Read more about them at www.fivebyfivemusic.com.