"Rivers Empyrean" Concert Recording by Fifth House Ensemble
Stream for Free from April 22nd - April 24th

Celebrate Earth Day with Brushwood Center by watching this recorded performance of "Rivers Empyrean" by Fifth House Ensemble!  This performance was recorded outdoors at Brushwood Center last fall, and celebrated water as a precious resource by transforming it into a musical instrument alongside music inspired by First Peoples.  The sounds of Ryerson Woods blended together with the performer's instruments, reminding us that the origin of music is the symphony of our natural world. 

About this Performance:

At a time when the environment is more threatened than ever with pollution and our life-giving waterways at risk, Fifth House Ensemble traces the life cycle of water from its metaphorical descent from the heavens as rain, to its long journey in streams and rivers informed by conservation experts and ecologists. Featuring a new commission by Fresh Inc Festival alumnus Patrick O’Malley driven by ecological data from Friends of the Chicago River, a new commission by Shawn Okpebholo that celebrates water as a precious resource by transforming it into a musical instrument alongside music inspired by First Peoples, this program asks what it would mean to return to a sacred conception in which humans are a part of nature rather than beings standing outside of its impact. 

Rivers Empyrean and its related residency and partnership programs were made possible with support from: Chamber Music America, through its Residency Endowment Fund; New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, The Fidelity Foundation, The Rogers & Hammerstein Foundation & Anonymous; and a grant from the Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research at the Eastman School of Music.