SYBARITE5

 joins Frank Salomon Associates
Sybarite5 Promotional Video: Official
"Their rock star status...is well deserved. Their classically honed technique mixed with grit and all out passionate attack transfixes the audience..."  Sarasota Herald Tribune

 

We know you thought it would never happen -- Frank Salomon Associates bringing on a new artist -- but we found one we are thrilled to add to our roster: SYBARITE5This marks the first addition to our roster in seven years, honoring our mission of advancing artists with truly original voices.

 

Comprised of Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney, violins; Angela Pickett, viola; Laura Metcalf, cello; and Louis Levitt, bass, this groundbreaking quintet redefines audiences' perception of chamber music across the country with captivating performances of new commissions, Radiohead, Piazzolla and classical music. That's why major presenters like Washington Performing Arts have re-engaged them and The Washington Post raved,


"
What was all that impassioned playing, those hard-driving rhythms, the

blissed-out faces of the mostly young audience? And what about the cheering -

the actual cheering - that filled the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue when the

group returned onstage after intermission? Is this what modern music has

come to? Genuine, spontaneous...excitement?  We can only hope."

 

SYBARITE5 is the first string quintet ever selected as a winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in its 60-year history. They captivate audiences with their fresh approach to programming and with virtuosity and enthusiasm in their performance. 

 

We've always prided ourselves on helping to introduce and guide artists who have something original and compelling to say, and are delighted to have SYBARITE5 join our family. They are a rare group whose voice speaks to all audiences. They'll be on our roster as of June 1, 2014 (for 2015/16 engagements and beyond).

 

Let's talk soon about bookings: 212-581-5197.

 

Spring greetings,

 

Frank Salomon  frank@franksalomon.com

Barrie Steinberg  barrie@franksalomon.com

Julie Gaitens  julie@franksalomon.com

Susan Angermeier  susan@franksalomon.com

Chris Williams  chris@franksalomon.com

and David Himmelheber, Lisa Kudo and Sara Ricci

 

 To learn more, visit:

www.franksalomon.com/SYBARITE5

 

ABOUT SYBARITE5
Louis Levitt, Sarah Whitney, Laura Metcalf, Sami Merdinian and Angela Pickett
Photo by Brian David Braun

 

SYBARITE5's eclectic repertoire and dynamic performance style is turning heads throughout the music world. In describing a concert by SYBARITE5, Stephen Brookes of The Washington Post expressed it best, "In a program of serial high points, there were too many to mention." 

 

This past season, the group visited 16 states and the US Virgin Islands in addition to appearances in Newfoundland, Japan and Argentina. Other recent performance highlights include SYBARITE5's Carnegie Hall debut at Zankel Hall on the CAG series and performances at Washington Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Aspen Music Festival, UC San Diego, University of Arizona, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, University of Nevada/Reno, Chautauqua Institution, and Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival. Closer to home, the quintet has performed in New York at Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Tishman Auditorium, Bohemian National Hall and at such diverse locations as Galapagos Artspace, the Apple Store, the Museum of Sex, the Core Club, the cell and the Cutting Room. The group has also performed on the CBS Early Show and for his Holiness the Dalai Lama. SYBARITE5 is one of the first groups engaged at SubCulture, one of New York City's most up-and-coming venues.

 

Formed at the Aspen Music Festival, SYBARITE5 was 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. At the 2011 CAG Competition, SYBARITE5 was awarded the Sylvia Ann Hewlett Adventurous Artist Prize, which was used to commission new pieces for Radiohead Remixed and to produce Everything in its Right Place 


Recordings
The quintet's debut EP disc Disturb the Silence, featuring music by Radiohead and Piazzolla plus two original works written for SYBARITE5, was released in spring 2011 and quickly reached the top ten on the Billboard charts. The group's follow-up CD, Everything in its Right Place, is a continuation of the Radiohead Remixed Project and was released at Carnegie Hall in November 2012 on the CAG Records label.
 

Ongoing and New Projects

Ongoing projects include curating their own series at NYC's the cell, the Radiohead Remixed Project, 
The Shuffle Effect and New Music IDOL (featuring a series of short newly-commissioned works by student composers in collaboration with university composition departments). New projects include: a commissioned suite with six movements, each by a different composer; the launch of their very own musical festival, the Forward Festival, in Sarasota, FL; and, in the spring of 2015, the premiere the world's first ever concerto for string quintet and orchestra, entitled BEATBOX, by the acclaimed American composer Dan Visconti.

Music Education and Community Engagement

Devoted advocates of music education and community engagement, the quintet's innovative new program New Music IDOL brings the energy of American Idol to colleges and universities by partnering with composition departments to create and showcase new student works. This unprecedented model transforms classical music composition into something relevant and interactive for audiences, composers and performers.

 

 

"...expect an experience that will satisfy your inner rock star and your secret Mozart." 

- Arizona Daily Star

 

To learn more, visit:

www.SYBARITE5.org