Five Borough Songbook

Five Borough Songbook

Celebrating NYC Through Song

3 Volumes | 55 Composers | 55 New Songs

In honor of our 5th anniversary in 2011-12, 5BMF embarked on a bold new venture: creating the Five Borough Songbook, a collection of 20 brand-new songs all about New York City, composed by 20 unique composers and performed throughout the year in every borough of the city. The inaugural Songbook was also released as a special double CD in 2012, marking 5BMF's first studio album.

Five years later, we celebrated our 10th birthday by honoring the rich musical legacy of NYC once again, commissioning 20 altogether new songs comprising the second installment of this ambitious project, Five Borough Songbook, Volume II. And in 2022, the quinquennial tradition continued with Volume III, co-commissioned by On Site Opera and featuring 15 new works composed by yet another entirely new cohort of composers. Each volume again toured the city, premiering in every borough during each anniversary year.

The three volumes of the Songbook are each a masterful and eclectic collection of diverse musical voices, serving as a celebration of the entirety of New York City, of its literary history, and of its most promising musical talent.

Five Borough Songbook

World Premiere: Oct 6, 2011
Galapagos Art Space | BROOKLYN

Commissioned in 2011, the original Songbook comprises 20 works scored for various combinations of SATB solo voices, piano, and violin. The collection includes not only songs for voice and piano, but also ensembles of many different permutations, providing the listener with as varied a selection of instrumentation as the range of poems and texts chosen by the composers.

Inaugural Songbook Album

Listen on Spotify

Buy on Apple Music

Featured Artists

Javier Abreu, tenor
Mireille Asselin, soprano
Thomas Bagwell, pianist
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano
Scott Dispensa, baritone
Jocelyn Dueck, pianist
Blythe Gaissert, mezzo-soprano
Martha Guth, soprano
Keith Jameson, tenor
David McFerrin, baritone
David Adam Moore, baritone
Harumi Rhodes, violinist
Alex Richardson, tenor

Five Borough Songbook, Volume II

World Premiere: Feb 11, 2017
DiMenna Center for Classical Music | MANHATTAN

Commissioned in honor of 5BMF's 10th Anniversary in 2017, the Songbook Volume II features an entirely new group of 20 dynamic composers, with works scored for various combinations of SATB voices, piano, and cello.

Five Borough Songbook, Volume III

World Premiere: Apr 22, 2022
Brooklyn Public Library | BROOKLYN

In 2022, 5BMF and On Site Opera co-commissioned the Five Borough Songbook, Vol III in honor of their respective 15th and 10th anniversaries. Comprised of 15 vocal works scored for ensemble voices, piano, violin, and cello, Volume III was premiered by members of Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble alongside a trio of virtuosic instrumentalists, in performances all throughout New York City.

THE BRONX
Will Healy | New York Revisited
Brian Lawlor | Mantras from Jesup
Laura Jobin-Acosta | The Rocking Chair

MANHATTAN
Darian Donovan Thomas | Timessquare
Nkeiru Okoye | We Met At The Symphony
Juri Seo | By The Bone Dry Fountain Of An Early Winter

QUEENS
Arianne Abela | You Can Find Queens
Colin Britt | Others Will See
Majel Connery | The Sea Rolls Along

STATEN ISLAND
Jessica Meyer | Nonnas
Kinan Azmeh | جزيرة (The Island)
Aaron Siegel | Song Of Fresh Kills

BROOKLYN
Raquel Acevedo-Klein | Between Two Islands
Jonathan Woody | In Kings
Angélica Négron | Hello Beautiful