Five Boroughs Music Festival Announces Programming For 2019-2020 Season

Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF) announces programming for its 13th season in 2019-2020, continuing its mission of bringing affordable, world-class performances of traditional and contemporary chamber music to all five boroughs of New York City. The upcoming slate of concerts feature the Longleash Trio, Founders, Ars Longa de la Habana, Parthenia, LeStrange Viols, and Alkemie with Elliot Cole, as well as partnerships with Music on Madison, Gotham Early Music/Americas Society (GEMAS) and the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

The season kicks off on Monday, September 23, 2019 at 7:30 PM at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan with Songs for the End of Time, a program featuring Founders, a songwriting collective that combines classical and folk music with original compositions and pop arrangements. Comprised of Ben Russell (violin/vocals), Brandon Ridenour (trumpet/keys), Hamilton Berry (cello/vocals), Yoonah Kim (clarinet), and Greg Chudzik (bass), Founders make their 5BMF debut with a program reimagining Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," featuring daring original works and unique arrangements of Messiaen's monumental piece.

Medieval ensemble Alkemie teams up with composer-vocalist Elliot Cole for Beautee & Bountee: An Arthurian Refraction, presented on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 7:30 PM at the Noble Maritime Collection in Staten Island and on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 4:00 PM at the Areté Venue and Gallery in Brooklyn. This daring new project reimagines the tales of King Arthur, combining 13th & 14th century vocal works with the World Premiere of Cole's settings of Middle-English texts (co-commissioned by Alkemie and 5BMF.) Performers include Tracy Cowart (voice and harp), David McCormick (viele), Elena Mullins (voice and percussion), Sian Ricketts (voice, recorders, and douçaines), and Niccolo Seligmann (viele, viola, and percussion) with guest performers Elliot Cole (voice, harmonium, and electric bass) and Ben Matus (voice and dulcian.)

On Friday, January 10, 2020 at 7:30 PM at Flushing Town Hall in Queens and Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 3:00 PM at Madison Ave. Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, new-music piano trio Longleash marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth with Beethoven Reflections, a program featuring two of the composer's celebrated trios alongside world premieres of contemporary responses by John Zorn and Reiko Füting, co-commission by 5BMF and Longleash. Longleash, which takes its name from Operation Long Leash, a covert CIA operation designed to promote the work of American avant-garde artists in Europe during the Cold War, is comprised of violinist Pala Garcia, cellist John Popham, and pianist Renate Rohlfing.

5BMF partners with GEMAS (Gotham Early Music Scene/Americas Society) and the Baryshnikov Arts Center to co-present legendary Cuban early music ensemble Ars Longa de la Habana on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 7:30 PM at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan. Twelve musicians of Ars Longa - founded by Teresa Paz and Aland López in 1994 - perform a thrilling program of 18th century music from Cuba and the New World in the ensemble's long-awaited return to New York City.

The 5BMF 2019-2020 season closes with Astride Peace and War: John Jenkins, Master of the Musick Art, a multi-concert "mini-festival" exploring the works of English composer John Jenkins (1592-1678) on Friday, May 29, 2020 at 7:30 PM at Flushing Town Hall in Queens; Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 3:00 PM at Christ Church Riverdale in the Bronx; and Monday, June 1, 2020 at 8:00 PM at Church of St. Luke in the Fields in Manhattan. Two virtuosic viol consorts, Parthenia and Lestrange Viols, join forces to celebrate Jenkins' small- and large-scale works for viols and keyboard. Performers include viol and viola da gamba players Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley, Lisa Terry, John Mark Rozendaal, Loren Ludwig, Douglas Kelley, Zoe Weiss, and Kivie Cahn-Lipman, with guest performer Dongsok Shin, chamber organ.

5BMF Artistic Director Jesse Blumberg says, "We couldn't be more excited to share our 13th Season with our friends and fans. It's full of big, beautiful celebrations and collaborations, and explores music spanning several centuries. It's also a season of discovery and reflection, featuring unexpected pairings and modern takes on traditional chamber music fare. We hope you'll join us for these fascinating programs, all around NYC!"

Tickets for all Five Boroughs Music Festival concerts, ranging between $15 and $45, are available starting August 15, 2019 at www.5BMF.org.