About the Band

You'll usually find Simon's collective of musicians performing under the name of 'Fifth Quadrant', 'The Fifth Quadrant', or '5Q'. In a past life, we were known as 'Court Lane Music'. The group has evolved over several years to combine the best of traditional classical music-making with a voracious appetite for new, genre-bending collaborations.

At its core is a renowned string quartet with a traditional classical pedigree. But we've also been known to share the stage with piano, accordion, oboe, saxophone, percussion, banjo, vocals, voice, orchestra, ney, bazouq, actors, visual artists, and much more... (...though not all at once).

Please explore our music!
People
The Fifth Quadrant collaborates with an eclectic array of superb, highly fascinating, and deeply creative musicians.

Some of our recent guests:
David Worswick, Violin (London Symphony Orchestra)
Daniel Swain, Piano (Royal Academy of Music)
Thomas Hewitt Jones (Composer)
Antony Pitts, Composer (Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi)
Maria Thomas, Manager (Music Workshop Company)
Peter Sulski, Viola (Worcester Chamber Music)
Drew Balch, Viola (Fifth Quadrant)
Ian Byrne Brito, Viola (ViolinSchool, Stringers)
Matthew Forbes, Cello etc. (BBC Phil, Orchestra of the Swan)
Jonathan Bloxham, Cello (Busch Ensemble)
Ramzi Aburedwan, Bazouq (Al Kamandjati)
Kirsty Mangan, Violin (Raven)
Ciaran McCabe, Violin (Cavaleri Quartet)
Jeremy Watt, Double Bass (Philharmonia Orchestra)
Things We've Done
Improvised on Gregorian chants in a Yorkshire graveyard. Broadcast on Radio 3. Filmed a music video at the Roundhouse. Opened the Spitalfields Festival. Headlined at the Barbican Centre in London. Shared a stage with a tibetan bowl. Played at most of the UK's cathedrals. Collaborated with the Medici Quartet. Extemporised on Philip Glass (the music, not the man) for a trend forecasting agency. Toured Palestine. Played Covent Garden Market. Coached the Aldeburgh Young Musicians. Performed for Cheltenham Music Society. Worked with Sir John Tavener. Appeared at the Swaledale Festival. Performed Tango at Kensington Palace. Taught disadvantaged kids to play the violin. Keynoted the Agenda Setting Conference in Switzerland. Shared a stage with Malcolm Gladwell. Performed at Tel Aviv Airport. Busked under Blackfriars Bridge. Resided at Henley Festival as 'Musicians-in-Residence'. Played Jimi Hendrix at a Waitrose store in Canary Wharf. Performed Schubert's Death and the Maiden in an outdoor amphitheatre. Jammed at a military checkpoint.
Things We Can Do For You
Live performance. Studio recording. Festival residency. Radio broadcast. Education workshop. Corporate Presentation. Private Recital. Conference Keynote. Concert series. Or... unleash your imagination! Almost anything is possible with The Fifth Quadrant!

As well as stunning musicians, we also have access to amazing composers, brilliant arrangers, several fascinating artists in a variety of fields, plus world-class event management and administration teams.

Though we travel from London UK, we frequently take on international commissions and like to engage proactively with great concepts at the development stage. As well as artistic projects, we take on a limited amount of commercial work each season too.

Please send your wildest ideas to:

music@simonhewittjones.com