Results tagged “fifthhouseensemble”

     

Don't be fooled by the kneading paws or the eighteen hours of sleep per day; cats haven't had it easy. In 1232 Pope Gregory IX declared them tools of the devil. They were burned alive as part of Queen Elizabeth I's coronation. Even today, conscientious animal shelters have strict requirements for adopting black cats in October because they're frequently used as Halloween party decorations and, even worse, for sacrifice in occult ceremonies.

Taking nothing away from established powerhouses such as the CSO and the Lyric Opera, some of the city's best classical music performances take place off the beaten path. This Saturday, one of those places will be Wicker Park's Heaven Gallery, as Fifth House Ensemble performs a concert of American music, including works by a trio of young Chicagoans.

Tonight at the Merit School of Music, the 11 young musicians of Fifth House Ensemble will double as actors in the third act of their Commedia dell'Arte concert series. Fifth House presents unconventional concerts, connecting music with seemingly unrelated things (recently they worked with a biology class relating classical compositions to ecosystems). Tonight they combine an old Italian theater form with works by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and...Jacob TV?