Bright Shiny Things Releases Eclipse From Artist-Led Contemporary Music Sextet Fivebyfive

BRIGHT SHINY THINGS RELEASES ECLIPSE FROM ARTIST-LED CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SEXTET FIVEBYFIVE

Album features music of Marc Mellits, Kamala Sankaram, Jessica Meyer, and Glenn McClure

NEW YORK, NY–On November 8, 2024, Bright Shiny Things releases Eclipse [BSTC-0211], contemporary music quintet fivebyfive’s celebration of the total solar eclipse that was visible in North America on April 8, 2024. A two-time recipient of grants from the New Music USA Organization Fund, which recognizes outstanding community contributions by groups that work regularly with and support the development of music creators and artists, fivebyfive commissioned four very different contemporary composers – Marc Mellits, Kamala Sankaram, Jessica Meyer, and Glenn McClure – to write music for a live event celebrating the impending phenomenon with immersive video projected on the dome of the Strasenburgh Planetarium at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. The group subsequently went into the studio to make a standalone recording of the music. Eclipse is available for pre-order here. 

In the liner notes for Eclipse, fivebyfive Artistic Director Laura Lentz writes:

“There are few events more awe-striking than the series of celestial coincidences that allow us to experience a total solar eclipse. With the Moon in the right place to completely block out the Sun’s light for a few moments, we are able to witness an event that is breathtaking and inspiring. In powerful moments such as these, we are reminded of our profound connection to one another. With its album Eclipse, fivebyfive shares emotionally impactful music that celebrates the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse and the awe, beauty, and sense of wonder that connected us to each other as we experienced it together.” 

Marc Mellits’s composition Eclipse begins gradually, taking on the pace of the Sun slowly being covered by the Moon’s shadow. But he conceives the piece as an uncovering of what, in the sun’s bright light, was previously hidden. He says: “The music slowly points out contours and lines that were once hidden in plain sight, but now in the shadow of the total solar eclipse, have their one and only chance to ‘shine.’” It is in this “alternate role reversed musical universe” that the composition develops.

Kamala Sankaram’s Under the Shadow addresses visual details, illusory effects that are common to every total eclipse. Baily's Beads, named after British astronomer Francis Baily, look like beads of light poking out from around the Moon's shadow. Shadow Bands are thin, wavy lines of alternating light and dark that can be seen on plain-colored surfaces immediately before and after a total solar eclipse. The Diamond Ring effect looks like a single bright spot of sunlight, with a band formed by the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona. Sankaram’s musical interpretation moves through gestures inspired by each of these phases.

Jessica Meyer’s In the Path of Totality also engages with visual effects, but also the emotional content of the event: the anticipation, the first moment of perception, the “afterglow” when reflecting on the experience and the feeling of community of those who witnessed it together. The section of the work depicting totality is composed to be the length of that stage experienced in the state of Maine. 

Glenn McClure’s Totality begins and ends with musical images of the sun alone, focusing on what is about to be obscured as much as the eclipse itself. The emergence of a triplet figure heralds the event, and as he says, “drives the voyage of the eclipse, not only through places on a map but also places in our souls.”

TRACK LIST:

Marc Mellits 
1 ECLIPSE 15:18

Kamala Sankaram 
2 UNDER THE SHADOW 8:10

Jessica Meyer 
3 IN THE PATH OF TOTALITY 11:35

Glenn McClure 
4 TOTALITY 6:31

ABOUT THE ARTIST: 
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, Executive Director and audio/video artist. 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.

fivebyfive kicks off its 9th season (2024-2025) with the theme “Our Stories,” presenting "Fantastical Stories/Historias fantásticas" in October 2024 which is a tapestry of music and story from the Americas with a world premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Sonidos del Tlön. Then, in March 2025, their “Enduring Stories" concert features a journey through the Hudson Valley Catskills to the Appalachian Mountains, with a world premiere of Ephemera Ballads by Emily Pinkerton. Both world premieres are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. 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.