April 4th, 2016 *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* 51XO partners with Ensemble Theatre to present “Art Music in the Dark” April 8-9 Cleveland Heights, Ohio FiveOne Experimental Orchestra (51XO) and Ensemble Theatre, both Cleveland-based arts organizations and recent recipients of SEED Grants from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, have launched a new Strategic Partnership during the 2015-16 season which will be celebrated by two performances of modern classical music and live improvised video art hosted by Ensemble Theatre on April 8-9. Executive Directors Celeste Cosentino (Ensemble Theatre) and Jeremy Allen (51XO) met through the Rauschenberg Foundation in 2014 and immediately set to work on ways to join forces. Art Music in the Dark, the two-evening concert event which will benefit both 51XO and Ensemble Theatre, is the first publicly presented result of this partnership, and exemplifies a trend of local arts organizations teaming up to meet artistic and community building goals more effectively through collaboration. The multimedia concerts will feature recent classical musical works (all composed since 2010) accompanied by projected video art, largely manipulated in real time using iPad apps developed by Joshue Ott. The concerts feature acoustic and electroacoustic works by Sarah Kirkland Snider, Alexandra Gardner, Michael Bratt, Jeremy Allen and Nico Muhly, among others. Founded in 2008, FiveOne Experimental Orchestra is a Cleveland-based music collective of ten composers and performers with a no-boundaries approach to music. Hailed by the Plain Dealer as “burst[ing] with inventive, energetic spirit,” 51XO creates and performs a diverse stream of fresh, new-perspective musical works and brings an intriguing meld of genres, styles, and artistic disciplines to unusual spaces. The heart of 51XO's mission is to invite both traditional and non-traditional concertgoers to participate with open mind, ears, and hearts in a truly unique musical experience that bridges the gap between pop culture and modern art music. Art Music in the Dark Friday and Saturday, April 8-9 7:30pm, MainStage Theatre @ Ensemble Theatre 2843 Washington Blvd Cleveland Hts, OH 44118 Tickets $12-24. (General Admission). Phone: 216-202-0938 Email: tickets@ensemble-theatre.org Online: https://squareup.com/store/ensemble-theatre-of-cleveland/ -- *Information* info@ensemble-theatre.org 2843 Washington Blvd. Cleveland Hts., OH 441118 216-321-2930/216-202-0938 *www.ensembletheatrecle.org <http://www.ensembletheatrecle.org>*