The Fourth Wall’s mission is to create programming that engages everyone from elementary school children to classical performance connoisseurs through a new hybrid of the performing arts in which musicians are also actors and dancers.
In a theater, breaking the fourth wall brings the world on stage directly into the audience; as an ensemble, The Fourth Wall, breaks the barrier between serious art and serious fun.
Few musical ensembles earn top marks for their "deft choreography," (The Wall Street Journal) but The Fourth Wall is no ordinary ensemble. Part chamber music group, part theatre company, part modern dance troupe, part circus act, The Fourth Wall blends music, theatre, dance, and acrobatics into a new hybrid art form. This trio of musicians creates new interdisciplinary works and reinterprets classic repertoire to make music that leaps off the stage.
Flutist Hilary Abigana, bass trombonist C. Neil Parsons, and percussionist Greg Jukes founded the ensemble in 2010 out of a shared interest in creating work that stretches the boundaries of instrumental performance. The Fourth Wall inspires and delights audiences across North America with their hybrid arts performances in venues ranging from performing arts centers to elementary school cafegymnatoriums, from an off-Broadway run at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City to ABC Television’s The Gong Show. The Fourth Wall is a favorite at Fringe theatre festivals in the US and Canada, having sold out shows in Edmonton, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Orlando (Patrons’ Pick, Critics’ Choice, and Veteran Producer awards), and Winnipeg, where they received 5 stars from both the CBC, Manitoba and the Winnipeg Free Press for their vaudeville-inspired show, “Fruit Flies Like a Banana” and their nostalgic journey into childhood, “Fallen from the Toy Box.” In 2022, the ensemble expanded their reach across the Atlantic to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, putting on 51 shows in 25 days at the world’s largest performing arts festival. Their newest show, “Without a Net”, takes their work to literal new heights utilizing a 17’ high circus rig to add aerial acrobatics to the show. “Without a Net” was named Best Family Show at Orlando Fringe in 2023.
Collaboration and connection across artistic communities have been key elements of The Fourth Wall’s work since the beginning. The Boston Composers’ Coalition chose the ensemble for their inaugural concert in 2010, bringing together six composers plus a student composer to create new works for the unconventional trio. Since then, The Fourth Wall has reached out to composers from around the world for new music; developed new choreography as members of Windfall Dancers in Bloomington, IN; and created a body of winter holiday repertoire working with the Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis. The Fourth Wall won the 2014 Savvy Musician in Action chamber music competition and was presented at the innovative music entrepreneurship retreat as performers and workshop leaders. The Fourth Wall has been featured on various Percussive Arts Society events and eight National Flute Association annual conventions with gala performances, recitals, and their audience interactive project, “Mixer.” Working with conductor Victoria Gau, The Fourth Wall created an orchestral hybrid arts performance that premiered with the Capital City Symphony in 2013. During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Fourth Wall created dozens of unique virtual performances and collaborative videos with music, dance, theatre, and visual artists across the US.
The Fourth Wall offers workshops, masterclasses, and performances that teach students how to incorporate interdisciplinary performance techniques into their creative work. The trio has been in residence at universities across the US from Alaska to Virginia and given masterclasses and presentations at illustrious conservatories including Juilliard, Eastman, and Oberlin. Each year, The Fourth Wall connects with thousands of elementary age students through in-school programs as a teaching ensemble for Arts for Learning programs in Massachusetts and Indiana.
Members of The Fourth Wall have attended The Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Ohio University, Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and the Boston Conservatory.
The Fourth Wall is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Hilary Abigana
Hilary Abigana is at home in the orchestra as well as in front of it. She has performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras with the "music-telling" ensemble, Tales & Scales; with the Evansville Philharmonic in a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 4; and was the winner of the 2003 Eastman Nielsen Flute Concerto Competition, performing with the Eastman Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra. Before moving to Massachusetts with The Fourth Wall, she held positions as the second flutist of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and solo piccolo player of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. Hilary was the first-prize winner of the 2008 Houston Flute Club's Byron Hester Young Artist Competition, was a silver medalist at the 2014 Midwest Fleadh Cheoil Céílí Band Competition, and a silver medalist at the 2008 Fischoff Competition (with Trio Destino). Passionate about teaching, Hilary has been on faculty at Floot Fire in Texas, the International Flute Symposium (with The Fourth Wall), co-founded the Irish Arts Academy of Indianapolis, and continues to inspire young flutists with her hybrid arts performances.
Hilary received her Bachelor of Music degree with Distinction from The Eastman School of Music, where she also was awarded the Performer’s Certificate in Flute. She received her Masters Degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and is a proud Verne Q Powell Flutes artist.
Visit www.hilaryabigana.com
C. Neil Parsons
C. Neil Parsons has been performing for as long as he can remember, appearing in his first professional theatre production at age three. Extensive touring as taken him to 40 states, with performance at major performing arts centers such as the Kennedy Center, residencies at numerous universities, and solo engagements with symphony orchestras, including the Boston Symphony. His creative output runs the gamut of music, theatre, and dance production: from solo to chamber to orchestral music (including symphony, pit, and disco orchestras); from Shakespeare to musical theatre to outdoor drama; and from modern to tap to site-specific dance pieces. Neil also has experience with aerial silks and clowning.
Neil graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and received his Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied bass trombone with Ray Premru. While at Oberlin, he combined his interests in music, dance and teaching by designing an individual major: Interdisciplinary Performance and Education. He then continued his studies with trombonist Tony Baker and at the Ohio University School of Dance.
Visit www.cneilparsons.com
Greg Jukes
Greg Jukes is a percussionist and narrator whose work focuses on blending music, acting, and dance in hybrid arts performances. He has created and performed concerts for young people with the Delaware Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, and Columbia Orchestras and is the narrator for the National Philharmonic's second grade concerts, which reach over 10,000 second grade students every year. Greg performed at the 2013 Percussive Arts Society International Convention on a concert featuring theatrical works in which the percussionists are required to both act and play. He has been a member of the percussion sections for several orchestras in Indiana and Kentucky; plays in pit orchestras and recording sessions; and teaches percussion privately, at schools, and with the Indianapolis Symphony's outreach programs.
Greg graduated from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Robert van Sice, Svet Stoyanov, Tom Freer, and So Percussion. He has collaborated with conductors David Amado, Ken Lam, Jason Love, and Piotr Gajewski; directors Gary Race, Diane Brewer, and Bryan Fonseca; and choreographers Mariel Greenlee, C. Neil Parsons and the Windfall Dancers.
Visit www.gregjukes.com