“Recognized for its “deep and consistent impact on their communities of artists and music lovers” ”
Photo credit: Robert Cooper
Described as “classical turned loose in the toy store,” “top-flight,” and “imaginative,” fivebyfive is an award-winning, artist-led ensemble known for its impeccable musicianship and adventurous spirit that permeates innovative, cross-genre programming and community engagement. The group consists of Laura Lentz, flute and artistic director; Marcy Bacon, clarinet; Ken Luk, electric guitar; Eric J. Polenik, bass; Haeyeun Jeun, piano; and Marc Webster, audio/video artist, and executive director.
fivebyfive’s mission is to engage and inspire audiences in the collaborative spirit and creativity of today’s chamber music. To realize its mission, fivebyfive performs music by the most exciting living composers with unforgettable musical experiences, advocating for creators who are underrepresented in the field and collaborating with partners across a wide array of disciplines.
In 2021 and 2024 the group was recognized by New Music USA for its Organizational Fund, recognizing outstanding organizations that work regularly with and support the development of music creators and artists, offering crucial resources to the community.
fivebyfive is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) including unrestricted organizational funding and artist support awards for new works by composers Jessica Meyer, Emily Pinkerton, Roberto Sierra, and Stephen Danyew. The group also receives arts and culture funding support from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
fivebyfive released their fourth album, Eclipse, on the Grammy-nominated Bright Shiny Things label, debuting at #2 on the Traditional Classical Billboard chart for the week of November 8, 2024.
Formed in 2015, fivebyfive became a 501 (c) 3 not-for-organization in 2017.
“fivebyfive is a “Rochester success story...for its musical excellence (and) also its imagination...””
Photo credit: Robert Cooper
What does fivebyfive mean?
The term “fivebyfive” comes from two-way radio communication. While broadcasting, a station may request a report on the quality and strength of their signal. The signal quality is reported on two scales, signal strength and signal clarity.
fivebyfive therefore means a signal which has excellent strength and perfect clarity – the most understandable signal possible. Put simply, it means to be heard “loud and clear.”
fivebyfive
Laura Lentz (flute, Artistic Director)
Marcy Bacon (clarinet)
Ken Luk (electric guitar)
Eric J. Polenik (bass)
Haeyeun Jeun (piano)
Marc Webster (audio and video artist, Executive Director)
Board
Marcy Bacon (Secretary)
Joëlla Becker
Laura Lentz
Eric J. Polenik (Treasurer)
Will Pyle (President)
Marc Webster
Advisory Board
Larry Francer (Co-Chair)
Laura Lentz (Co-Chair)
Armand Hall
Debora McDell-Hernandez
Evan Meccarrello
Melissa Moody
Jean Pedersen
Jon Russell
Mona Seghatoleslami
Flutist & Artistic Director LAURA LENTZ, a passionate interpreter of contemporary music praised for her “striking, meticulous flute playing” (Take Effect) and “enviable control and supple phrasing” (Sequenza21), Lentz has a deep commitment to sharing the work of today’s most forward-thinking composers.
Lentz’s debut recording, Jacob’s Triptych, was released in March, 2023. “Rewards repeat hearings” (CITY), the EP brings together flute and electronics music by internationally known Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis (AKA JacobTV). Her latest release, Prismatic/Plasmonic (September, 2024), “exciting, driving, distinctive, and demanding to be heard” (Flutist Quarterly) includes works by Sean William Calhoun, Claude Debussy, and Chloe Upshaw.
Her new book, Modal Flute Warmup, “a new path for all of us…enthusiastically recommended” (Flutist Quarterly) is geared towards flutists and teachers, encourages discovery in one’s flute playing through a warmup approach that uses modes. It is published with Conway Publications and sold internationally. Lentz has presented about the book at the 2024 National Flute Association Convention (San Antonio), Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, Wisconsin Flute Festival, and the New York Flute Club, among others.
A dedicated teacher, Lentz teaches a large studio of students who enjoy successes in regional festivals, competitions, and youth orchestras, and is frequently invited to present flute masterclasses and workshops across the country. She also presents as guest speaker on topics related to funding creative projects and explores ideas around creativity on her blog The Insightful Creative. Lentz has taught at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership and leads the course “Fund Your Creative Work” at Nazareth University. She serves on the National Flute Association New Music Advisory Committee as of November, 2024.
Clarinetist MARCY D. BACON teaches clarinet at Nazareth University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Eastman Community Music School, as well as maintaining a home private studio. An active performer, Bacon is the clarinetist for the Wilmot Wind Quintet, Fem Vindar [a woodwind quintet], and contemporary music quintet fivebyfive. She has played with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Oratorio Society Orchestra, Rochester Lyric Opera, ensemble.twenty.21 and the Western New York Chamber Orchestra. Bacon has presented sessions on wind quintet literature with her Wilmot Wind Quintet colleagues at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Winter Conference and the NAfME All-Eastern Conference. She has also presented sessions on the topic of audiation as it pertains to both early childhood and instrumental applications at the NYSSMA Winter and Summer conferences.
Bacon holds a DMA in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, an MM from Michigan State University, and a BM from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining the faculty at Nazareth, Dr. Bacon taught applied clarinet and clarinet methods at SUNY Fredonia for seven years. She has taught general music in the Jamestown City School District and for the Diocese of Rochester. Bacon can be heard on the Oregon Catholic Press label playing sacred music and compositions by Jacob Avshalomov.
Bassist ERIC J. POLENIK has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since 2005 and performed on the orchestra’s Grammy winning album, American Rapture. Polenik fell in love with classical music after hearing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for the first time in a high school general music class. Drawn to the low sounds of the double bass, Polenik began learning to play the instrument at age 16 and, four years later, performed the symphony with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra as its Principal Bassist.
Polenik came to Rochester earning a Master in Music degree from Eastman School of Music after earning his Bachelor of Music from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Polenik regularly performs with many ensembles in upstate New York including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Slee Sinfonietta at University of Buffalo, Rochester Oratorio Society, and Finger Lakes Opera, and was a member of the eclectic string chamber group Gibbs and Main.
Polenik is Professor of Bass at Roberts Wesleyan University and a member of the string faculty at Hochstein School of Music. He regularly serves as a coach for collegiate and youth orchestra programs.
Guitarist KEN LUK, born and raised in Hong Kong, frequently appears as a soloist and with the Janus Guitar Duo and Trio Ghidorah. He performs with Rosa Boemia, Mosaic Foundation, the Eastman Gamelan Ensemble, and the Rochester Mandolin Orchestra. Performance highlights include Experiencing Villa-Lobos Festival, Live from Hochstein, Rochester Fringe Festival, The Great Blue Heron Festival, and Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, among others. Co-founder of Rochester Classical Guitar and the Rochester Mandolin Orchestra, Ken is also an avid arranger, and was a finalist in the 2017 Roland Dyens Arranging International Competition. He also serves on the board of the Classical Mandolin Society of America.
Ken received his Doctor of Musical Arts in classical guitar with Professor Nicholas Goluses at the Eastman School of Music where he also earned a master’s degree in music theory pedagogy. Ken is on faculty at the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Community Music School, SUNY Geneseo, and Alfred University.
Pianist HAEYEUN JEUN, a native of South Korea, is an active pianist and chamber musician based in upstate New York. Dr. Jeun is a prize-winning musician with a long list of achievements including top prizes at the Seattle International Piano Competition, Osaka International Competition, and many more. She has taught at the Finger Lakes Community College and currently serves as a collaborative pianist at the SUNY Fredonia School of Music. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University and graduate degrees (MM/DMA) from the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Dr. Douglas Humphreys. She lives in Buffalo with her guitarist husband and two children.
Executive Director, recording engineer, video artist, keyboardist, and composer MARC WEBSTER is a classically-trained pianist with a performance and recording background in a variety of genres which enables him to create innovative productions of classical music in a fresh context of a modern recording studio. As a performer he has been featured as piano soloist with the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra, pianist for the 52nd Street Jazz Sextet, organist for blues artists Chris Beard and Johnny Rawls, and choir director for the Aenon Baptist Church. His video work has been featured by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lake George Music Festival. His compositions have been featured on Performance Today, his sound tracks have won awards at the Moondance Film Festival, and his commissions have included music for fivebyfive, Gibbs & Main String Quintet, and the Eastman Youth String Orchestra. Webster also owns and operates Blue on Blue Recording Studio which has a special focus working with classical musicians and composers to create albums, music videos, concert recordings, and all other kinds of audio and video artistry.
Photo credit:
Robert Cooper