ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY
ABOUT SYBARITE5
LONG BIO:
Equal parts passion, grit, and musical ecstasy, Sybarite5 is an intoxicating cocktail of genre-breaking artistry shaped by a flexible collective of virtuosic string players at the forefront of their field. It’s the first ensemble of its kind to win the prestigious Concert Artists Guild competition and the group is constantly evolving, defying categorization, and keeping audiences on their toes.
The group has performed in 44 states and counting, from the Library of Congress, (Washington DC) to Anchorage Concert Association, (Alaska) as well as concerts in Sybarite5’s home of New York City at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, Le Poisson Rouge, the Cell Theatre, at Death of Classical’s “The Crypt Sessions” series. Sybarite5 has also appeared at festivals including Ravinia, Grand Teton, Aspen, Caramoor, Wolf Trap, Interlochen, Chautauqua and many others. International appearances include Canada’s Tuckamore Music Festival and ChamberFest Ottawa, the New Docta International Music Festival in Cordoba, Argentina, the Osaka Festa in Osaka, Japan, and was ensemble in residence at the Lyrique en Mer Festival, in Belle Ile en Mer, France.
Dubbed “the millennial Kronos” (Theater Jones), Sybarite5 is chamber music’s most dynamic ensemble taking listeners on a musical journey of staggering breadth and depth with new works by living composers, such as Curtis Stewart, Paul Wiancko, Jessica Meyer, and Aleksandra Vrebalov, as well as the group’s favorite selections from Mahler, Radiohead, & Coltrane... but as Strings Magazine says “that doesn’t even begin to describe the range of their eclecticism or the depth of their repertoire. “
Sybarite5’s latest studio recording Collective Wisdom received global acclaim and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts. The ensemble's discography includes four other critically-acclaimed recordings: Live from New York It's Sybarite5 (2020); Outliers (2018); Everything in its Right Place (2012) and Disturb the Silence (2010).
SHORT BIO:
Equal parts passion, grit, and musical ecstasy, Sybarite5 is an intoxicating cocktail of genre-breaking artistry shaped by a flexible collective of virtuosic string players at the forefront of their field. Having performed in 44 states and 4 continents (and counting), Sybarite5 brings listeners on a musical journey of staggering breadth and depth with new works by living composers, such as Curtis Stewart, Paul Wiancko, Jessica Meyer, and Aleksandra Vrebalov, as well as the group’s favorite selections from Mahler, Radiohead, & Coltrane...but as Strings Magazine says: “that doesn’t even begin to describe the range of their eclecticism or the depth of their repertoire.
INDIVIDUAL BIOS:
SIMONE PORTER, violin
Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. She has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle and Pittsburgh Symphonies and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, Donald Runnicles, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Louis Langrée and David Danzmayr. Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In March 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Learn more here
ARIEL HOROWITZ, violin & composer
Hailed by The Washington Post as “Sweetly Lyrical,” violinist, composer/songwriter, and community organizer Ariel Horowitz cannot remember life before loving music.
In 2020, Ariel joined the Concert Artists Guild roster for North American management, and enjoys an active touring schedule as a soloist and as one-half of Vision Duo, an ensemble formed with fellow CAG artist Britton-René Collins in 2021. As a composer, songwriter, and avid improviser, Ariel's original music centers themes of healing, community, and liberation. They have performed their compositions and songs around the world, including at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Learn more here
JESSICA MEYER, viola & composer
With playing that is “fierce and lyrical” and works that are “other-worldly” (The Strad) and “evocative” (New York Times), Jessica Meyer is an award-winning composer and violist whose passionate musicianship radiates accessibility and emotional clarity. Meyer’s first composer/performer portrait album, Ring Out (Bright Shiny Things, 2019) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart. Her second album I long and seek after is a collection of her vocal works that was recently released in March of 2024 on New Focus Recordings and was hailed by Musical America as “gorgeously scored.” Learn more here
AMANDA GOOKIN, cello & activist
Praised for her “expert technical work” (The Strad), cellist Amanda Gookin champions the future of music through bold performances, the creation of new works, and a deep commitment to education, cultural equity, and community engagement. Her initiative Forward Music Project, “a premier example of feminist advocacy done right” (I Care If You Listen), commissions new multimedia works for solo cello that elevate stories of feminine empowerment through raw performances and educational initiatives. Since its inception in 2015, FMP has commissioned 18 new works by such composers as Pamela Z, Paola Prestini, Jessie Montgomery, Angélica Negrón, Jessica Meyer, Allison Loggins-Hull, Kamala Sankaram, and Nathalie Joachim. She has been presented by The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), The Wallis (Los Angeles), National Sawdust (New York City), OK Electric (Tulsa, OK), Forbes Center (Harrisonburg, VA) Park Avenue Armory (New York City), and deDoelen (Rotterdam, NL). Her first solo album, Forward Music Project 1.0 was listed in The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2020 by the New York Times. Her 2021 sophomore solo album, FMP 2.0: in this skin, was praised as “cello playing at its height; delivering art” by the WholeNote. Learn more here
JULES BIBER, cello & curator
Jules Biber is a cellist, educator and musical curator based in Brooklyn, NY. An accomplished chamber musician and soloist, Jules’ versatility in early, standard and modern repertoire, as well as non-classical styles, makes her sought-after for a variety of high-profile concerts and recording projects, and her deep commitment to inclusive community has made her one of the city’s progressive curators of classical music spaces. In 2019, Jules co-founded ChamberQUEER, an LGBTQ+ chamber music organization devoted to presenting and performing queer composers and musicians and highlighting historical queer figures in classical music. Based in Brooklyn, NY, it is in its third season of events serving the greater NYC community by creating an alternative, inclusive space within the classical music scene. Learn more here
LOUIS LEVITT, double bass & composer
Grammy® nominated musician, entrepreneur, and educator, Louis Levitt was the first double bassist to win the Concert Artist Guild Competition with Sybarite5. He is also the founder of the critically acclaimed, Grammy® Award-winning record label, production company, and creative agency, Bright Shiny Things. A founding member of the string quintet, Sybarite5, Levitt has recently launched Sybarite Sound Lab initiative, an incubator for bold artistic projects that extend beyond the core quintet, fostering ensembles of varying sizes, supporting boundary-pushing collaborations, and commissioning an ever-expanding range of new works.As an educator, he has taught at The Juilliard School, Mannes School, and at the Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University. Levitt also is a frequent guest soloist and lecturer, and has performed and spoken at the Curtis Institute, Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Mannes School, the Chamber Music America conference, and at the Association of Performers and Presenters national arts conference in New York City. Learn more here
SAM SUGGS, double bass & composer.
Through “brilliant and compelling programming” (The Strad), Sam Suggs gathers musical materials through composition, re-composition, and improvisation, melting barriers of genre and style with fresh interpretations and deft transitions between old and new worlds of sound, colored by the unique physicality and haunting resonance of the double bass and guiding audiences through unfamiliar territory with the soft palette of his voice. Sam is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, after winning 1st place at the 2015 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition he names ‘New Artist of the Month’ by Musical America, and received an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition. As a collaborative bassist, he has performed at the Mostly Mozart Festival, Yellow Barn, Chamber Music Northwest, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and with Sybarite5, the Argus Quartet, PUBLIQuartet, Founders, Frisson Ensemble (composer-in-residence), and his contemporary jazz trio Triplepoint. Learn more here