Collective Wisdom Sybarite5

• Paul Kowert (b. 1986), Noam Pikelny (b. 1981), Gabe Witcher (b. 1978), Christopher Thile (b. 1981), Christopher Eldridge (b. 1982): Movement and Location (Arr. for String Quintet by Paul Sanho Kim):
• 1 Kowert, Pikelny, Witcher, Thile, Eldridge: Movement and Location (Arr. for String Quintet by Paul Sanho Kim) 04:09
• Elektra Stewart, Curtis Stewart (b. 1986): Mangas:
• 2 Stewart, Stewart: Mangas 04:59
• Jessica Meyer (b. 1974): Slow Burn:
• 3 Meyer: Slow Burn 04:01
• Komitas (1869 - 1935): The Red Shawl:
• 4 Komitas: The Red Shawl 02:30
• Spring:
• 5 Komitas: Spring 03:23
• Oh Nazan:
• 6 Komitas: Oh Nazan 02:19
• Pedro Giraudo (b. 1977): Con un Nudo en la Garganta:
• 7 Giraudo: Con un Nudo en la Garganta 05:20
• Michael Gilbertson (b. 1987): Collective Wisdom:
• 8 Gilbertson: Collective Wisdom 06:28
• Jackson Greenberg: Apartments:
• 9 Greenberg: Apartments 10:55
• Total Runtime 44:04

Info for Collective Wisdom

Sybarite5's first studio album in five years, Collective Wisdom, showcases their unique and award-winning blend of classical, folk, and contemporary genres.

The album marks new chapter for the “smart as a fox,” (Limelight magazine) “hyper-accurate yet fiercely vivacious” (I Care if You Listen) quintet, introducing three new members— Suliman Tekalli, violin; Caeli Smith, viola; Laura Andrade, cello, who join original members Louis Levitt on double bass; & Sami Merdinian on violin. The album features improvisations, electronics, and world premiere commissions by Pulitzer Prize finalist, Michael Gilbertson; composers Jackson Greenberg, Jessica Meyer, and Curtis Stewart. Also included are arrangements of music by Latin Grammy® Award-winning composer Pedro Giraudo, the Grammy® Award-winning band, The Punch Brothers, and Armenian folk songs by Komitas.

Reborn out of the pandemic,“the music on Collective Wisdom has given us the opportunity to explore new things, and dig deep into works which require virtuosity, creativity, and vulnerability” writes Louis Levitt, bassist, and founding member of Sybarite5.

“Some chamber groups attempt to let their hair down and fall flat -what’s striking about this disc is how fearlessly, how naturally Sybarite5 own and inhabit what they play … A terrific collection, superbly played” (Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk UK)

"I love the energy of these performances by the New York string quintet, which presents its first new studio album in years. It was worth the wait, with the likes of Curtis Stewart ’s lustrous Mangas just perfect for their dynamism and sense of drama." BBC Music)

Sybarite5

Sybarite5
Equal parts passion, grit, and musical ecstasy, Sybarite5 is an intoxicating cocktail of genre-breaking artistry expressed through the virtuosity of violinists Sami Merdinian & Suliman Tekalli; violist Caeli Smith; cellist Laura Andrade; and double bassist Louis Levitt. It’s the first ensemble of its kind to win the prestigious Concert Artists Guild competition and the group is constantly evolving, defying categorization, and keeping audiences on their toes.

The group has performed in 44 states and counting, from the Library of Congress, (Washington DC) to Anchorage Concert Association, (Alaska) as well as concerts in Sybarite5’s home of New York City at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, Le Poisson Rouge, the Cell Theatre, and in late 2023, as part of Death of Classical’s “The Crypt Sessions”series. Sybarite5 has also appeared at festivals including Ravinia, Grand Teton, Aspen, Caramoor, Wolf Trap, Interlochen, Chautauqua and many others. International appearances include Canada’s Tuckamore Music Festival and ChamberFest Ottawa, the New Docta International Music Festival in Cordoba, Argentina, and the Osaka Festa in Osaka, Japan.

Dubbed “the millennial Kronos” (Theater Jones), Sybarite5 is chamber music’s most dynamic ensemble taking listeners on a musical journey of staggering breadth and depth with new works by living composers, as well as the group’s favorite selections from Radiohead, Coltrane, Komitas, Piazzolla, and Pete Seeger... but as Strings Magazine says “that doesn’t even begin to describe the range of their eclecticism or the depth of their repertoire.“

The ensemble's discography includes four other critically-acclaimed recordings: Live from New York It's Sybarite5 (2020); Outliers (2018); Everything in its Right Place (2012) and Disturb the Silence (2010).

This album contains no booklet.