vocal ensemble “Hot Jazz.” After completing their studies, these friends, along with Hot Jazz founder and manager Alton Accola, set about to follow their musical dream and Five By Design was born.

Radio Days, Five By Design’s flagship production, first debuted in the late 1980’s as a patriotic tribute to the golden age of radio and was well received as the country observed the 50th anniversaries of the events of World War II. Nearly two decades later, this “romp down memory lane” is still receiving great acclaim as noted by Five By Design’s appearance at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra in February of 2005.

Commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony, Five By Design added Club Swing to it’s roster in the spring of 2000. Club Swing follows the rise and fall of the big band era, 1937 - 1955, at the fictional Club Swing in the Hotel Crosby, “where the music’s hot, the drinks are cool and the dance floor is always open.” Five By Design recorded selections from Club Swing with a big band headed by Willis Delony, director of Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University, and released the recording in the fall of 2001.

Due to the popularity of Radio Days and Club Swing, Five By Design unveiled their third production, Stay Tuned, in the spring of 2006. This musical journey takes concert-goers back to the early days of television by tuning in to the programs that were the mainstay of American culture from 1950 - 1966.

Five By Design has the great fortune of working with several outstanding orchestrators: Lovell Ives, Professor Emeritus of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Willis Delony, who frequently serves as pianist/conductor; and Maury Laws the noted film orchestrator whom many will remember for the Rankin-Bass animated television specials which included “Frosty, the Snowman” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Five By Design writes their own vocal arrangements, and the orchestrators bring those arrangements to life with unparalleled expertise.

A full-time venture since 1997, Minneapolis-based Five By Design has toured extensively throughout the continental U.S. and Canada averaging over 200 days on the road and 60 performances per season. Their talents have even taken them on a whirlwind visit to Istanbul, Turkey for an appearance at the “Bosphorus International Music Festival.” The ensemble is gaining national exposure with their appearance on syndicated media broadcasts including National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition—Sunday” and “Swingin’ Down the Lane” and have been featured in Symphony magazine.

The Five By Design family currently includes founding members Lorie (soprano), Kurt (tenor), Michael (baritone), Terrence (bass), Alton (host/narrator); Sheridan Zuther (alto); Phil Henrickson, who has been the Sound Engineer since 1987; Daniel Ellis, Technical Director and Catherine Scott, Tour Coordinator. For further information on Five By Design’s itinerary and activities, visit the ensemble’s website by clicking here.