Fifth Corps Music
We are a civil war music band from Central Ohio. We have performed all over the Eastern part of the country, doing private, as well as group performances since 1996. Our instrumentation includes, Vocals, banjo. guitar and violin. We have two CDs to our credit. We are also included on two compilation CDs. Our lead singer has sung opera as well as pop music. Our violinist has performed with several well-known symphony orchestras. Our banjo/guitar player has over 40 years of experience and is fantastic!
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Fifth Corps Music was founded in 1995 by Jeannette Painter, a musician from Ohio. She was joined by J. Delbert Van Reeth in 1996, after her solo recording was finished. They recorded the first Fifth Corps Music CD in 1996/1997. They performed as a duo (Jeannette on vocals/guitar and Delbert on violin) from 1996-1998. In 1998, John Kennedy joined the band, playing guitar and banjo. In 2001, Fifth Corps Music did their first performance in Windham, NY at the "Gathering", an annual concert weekend. They were included in the 2001 and 2002 audio Gathering CD, as well as the 2002/2003 video concert. The band took a hiatus while Delbert finished his master's degree and Jeannette finished her nursing studies.
Jeannette holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Heidelberg College and a Master of Arts in Music Education from The Ohio State University. She studied piano at Ohio State with the late Professor Donald Gren.
Delbert holds a Bachelor of Music from Queens College and Master of Music from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
John holds a Bachelor of History from The Ohio State University.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
We occasionally play festivals in Ohio, however, we mainly travel to areas which house battlefield in the eastern states.
Your musical influences
Leontyne Price, Maria Callas, Carole King and Karen Carpenter.
What equipment do you use?
Jeannette plays an Armstrong flute and sings.
John plays the plectrum banjo. tenor banjo and gibson guitar.
Delbert played a hand-made violin on our recordings.
Anything else?
Our band mascot is Jeannette's black pug, Isabella. She is a civil war battlefield veteran!
