“The debut concert of the Nu Deco Ensemble drew a youthful, arty crowd to The Light Box at Goldman Warehouse in Miami’s bustling Wynwood arts district Saturday night,” writes Lawrence Budmen in Tuesday’s (4/7) Miami Herald (Florida). “A chamber orchestra devoted to contemporary music, the group is the brainchild of conductor Jacomo Bairos [music director of the Amarillo Symphony in Texas] and Sam Hyken—UM Frost School of Music faculty member, principal trumpet of the Miami Symphony and a gifted arranger and composer.” The 26-member ensemble of freelance musicians performed Adam Schoenberg’s American Symphony, William Dooley’s Masks and Machines, Andy Akiho’s Ki Iro (Yellow), and Chris Rogerson’s The Way Through. Hyken’s Daft Punk Suite, performed with Miami-based duo Afrobeta, “bridged the classical-pop divide … successfully and closed the evening on a high note. Based on the tunes of the popular French electronic music duo, the work [adds] witty allusions to neo-Baroque string writing, acerbic brass fanfares and a touch of minimalism.… The intimate space, with seating on three sides … proved acoustically flattering.… The sound was clear and never harsh even when amplification was utilized. Miami has long needed a permanent contemporary music ensemble. Bairos and Hyken’s … debut concert was highly promising.”
Posted April 8, 2015
