Crossover quintet Sybarite5 to perform at DePauw

The award-winning New York City-based ensemble Sybarite5 will take the stage at the DePauw University Green Center on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. with a collaborative dinner to be held from 4:30-7 p.m. at Tap House 24 on South Indiana Street prior to the concert.

Courtesy photo

Tap House 24, Green Center partner for dinner and concert

The DePauw School of Music’s Green Guest Artist Series is joining up with Tap House 24 for a collaborative dinner downtown prior to the concert by the award-winning crossover quintet Sybarite5 on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts.

Inspired by the season and the ensemble’s chic New York City base, Chef Michael Terry has planned a four-course meal to compliment the occasion.

The special menu will be available from 4:30–7 p.m. Wednesday evening prior to the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

Cost of the collaborative dinner is $30 per person with an additional $8 charge for an optional choice of a wine or beer flight. Reservations are requested. To save a place at the table, persons may call 765-301-9800.

What’s for dinner?

FIRST COURSE: Zucchini Bhaji ~ Masala seasoned blend of shredded zucchini, bell peppers and spinach, hand pattied, pan-fried and topped with a curried apricot chutney.

SECOND COURSE: Autumn Arugula Salad ~ Arugula and harvest greens with caramelized butternut squash and spiced pecans lightly dressed with a cranberry-ginger vinaigrette.

MAIN COURSE: Grilled Pork Chop ~ 5 oz. bone-in chop, beer brined, grilled and finished with a cider-bourbon gastrique served with brussel sprouts and duchess potato.

DESSERT: Pumpkin Sweet Potato and Praline Pecan Tart ~ Spiced pumpkin and sweet potato filling in a flaky crust topped with praline pecans and a pumpkin crème anglaise.

Who’s on stage?

Sybarite5 got its start at the Aspen Music Festival — the first string quintet admitted to the Aspen Advanced String Quartet Studies program and the first string quintet ever to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition.

Comprised of Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney, violins; Angela Pickett, viola; Laura Metcalf, cello; and Louis Levitt, bass, Sybarite5 has been taking audiences across the U.S by storm.

“Their rock star status … is well deserved,” Gayle Williams opined for the Sarasota Herald Times. “Their classically honed technique mixed with grit and all out passionate attack transfixes the audience …”

The quintet’s debut album “Disturb the Silence,” released in 2011, quickly reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts, followed in 2012 by “Everything in its Right Place,” released at Carnegie Hall to critical acclaim. The ensemble’s latest album, “Outliers,” featuring new works from American composers, inspires the playlist for Wednesday’s concert, which will also include Armenian folk music, Piazzolla, Barber and Radiohead.

Always on the lookout for new tunes and composers that speak with a unique and relevant voice, “Outliers” is a celebration of works written for Sybarite5 by favorite composers and friends met while traveling the world performing music they love.

Regular concertgoers may remember one such friend: Composer Dan Visconti, a Green Center guest on repeat occasions. Visconti, a member of the Fifth House Ensemble, DePauw School of Music’s ensemble-in-residence during its 2013-15 seasons, was also as a presenter for the School’s 21CMposium in 2016.

From Elgar to Radiohead and Visconti, Sybarite5’s eclectic repertoire and commanding performance style is turning major heads in the music world: “…in a program of serial high points, there were too many to mention,” wrote chief music critic Anne Midgette for The Washington Post.

General admission to the Green Guest Artist series is $20. Tickets for seniors, youth and all students are free thanks to season sponsors Judson and Joyce Green. Tickets can be obtained online at www.music.depauw.edu, or in person at the GCPA box office Mon/Wed/Fri from noon–4 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to the performance.