Five For Fighting Sets String Quartet Tour with Broadway's Katie Kresek, Chris Cardona & More

Grammy® nominated, platinum-selling artist, Five For Fighting (aka John Ondrasik) will kick off a series of special string quartet shows beginning April 25 in Lawrence, KS (all dates below) tickets are on sale now HERE. Ondrasik will be bringing top musicians including Tony-Award winning concertmaster and co-orchestrator of Moulin Rouge! The Musical Katie Kresek (Violin), Melissa Tong (Violin), who toured with Post Malone in 2023, and Broadway’s Chris Cardona (Viola) and Peter Sachon (Cello).  

The unique nature of the shows allows Ondrasik to go behind the music and tell stories while the format allows for a deeper dive into the catalog, while there is always a surprise or two in store. Lace & Lee, who opened some dates on last year’s string quartet tour will be this years’ opening act.  The folk rock duo of Caroline Lace and Olivia Lee, features ethereal vocals heavily influenced by the mystical wisdom of ‘60s and ‘70s storytelling with a twist of humor and bard-like prose.

“If it's spring the Five for Fighting and the fantastic FFF String Quartet is hitting the road! I'm excited to debut new songs, recent arrangements, stories and surprises while sharing the stage with our opener, the fantastic Lace & Lee, my favorite new duo,” says Ondrasik.  “As always, this will be a family show that recognizes our troops and first responders, I can't wait to roll across America with these world class musicians who have become my second family. See you soon!”

Before the tour kicks off, Five For Fighting has been featured in Season VI of The Song hosted by Krista Marie alongside other artists including The Fray, Akon, Hinder, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Neon Trees, and more. The episode will be available to watch soon on The Song’s YouTube channel. Hard Rock International, BMG & Gray Media have joined forces to offer global distribution of the show playing it at over 300 of the company’s Hard Rock properties in over 80 countries including the U.S. Fans will see full performances in Hard Rock Cafés, in casino areas and in hotel rooms. 

Ondrasik, along with Let Music Fill My World, a privately funded nonprofit launched by Tullman Community Ventures, announced the return of the Music Matters Challenge, a nationwide competition aimed at rekindling the transformative power of music education in schools across the country. Running through the end of May, the Challenge offers a chance for participants to compete for prizes while making a lasting impact through the power of music. 

To date, Five For Fighting, has released six studio albums, including the platinum certified America Town and The Battle for Everything; and the top 10 charting Two Lights, along with an EP and live albums. Ondrasik has penned major hits, including the chart-topping “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “Chances,” “World,” and “Easy Tonight,” which have earned tens of millions of streams and place him as a top 10 Hot Adult Contemporary artist for the 2000s. The reflective “100 Years” has joined “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” as part of the American Songbook and continues to stand the test of time at weddings, birthdays, graduations, memorials, and many a home video. Five For Fighting’s music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercials, including the Oscar-winning The Blind Side, Hawaii Five-O, The Sopranos and the CBS drama, Code Black. 

Ondrasik’s passion for supporting humanitarian efforts and freedom has been a longstanding commitment for the artist as well.  Recently, he’s been writing songs about key events around the world from a humanistic perspective including "Can One Man Save The World?" which was inspired by the courage of President Vladimir Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.  He performed the song in Ukraine with the Ukrainian Orchestra amongst the ruins of the Antonov Airport in front of the Ukrainians’ beloved Mriya, the world’s largest cargo plane that Russia destroyed at the outset of the war. Ondrasik wrote “OK (We Are Not Ok)” in response to the October 7th Hamas attacks in Israel, while addressing the cultural aftermath both in America and around the world. On April 13 Ondrasik performed “OK (We Are Not Ok)”and "Superman (It’s Not Easy)” in Tel Aviv hours before Iran's missile attack on Israel - watch the performance HERE.  

Five For Fighting STRING Quartet TOUR DATES:

Fri 4/25 in Lawrence, KS at Liberty Hall

Sat 4/26 in Omaha, NE at The Admiral

Sun 4/27 in Wichita, KS at The Cotillion Ballroom

Tue 4/29 in St. Louis, MO at City Winery St. Louis

Wed 4/30 in McMinnville, TN at Park Theater

Fri 5/2 in Cincinnati, OH at The Ludlow Garage

Sat 5/3 in Pontiac, MI at The Flagstar Strand Theatre

Sun 5/4 in Akron, OH at Goodyear Theater

Wed 5/7 in Nashville, TN at City Winery Nashville

Fri 5/9 in Charlotte, NC at Neighborhood Theatre

Tue 5/13 in Atlanta, GA at City Winery Atlanta

Wed 5/14 in Newberry, SC at Newberry Opera House

Sat 5/17 in Pittsburgh, PA at City Winery Pittsburgh

Mon 5/19 in Annapolis, MD at Rams Head On Stage

Tue 5/20 in Alexandria, VA at The Birchmere

Photo Courtesy Of Five For Fighting

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