Nu Deco Ensemble Orchestra is Changing the Classical World

Today's guests are Sam Hyken and Jacomo Bairos of the Nu Deco Ensemble based in Miami, Florida. This episode is for all of you orchestra nerds out there. I'm guilty of that. I played in an orchestra for most of my life. For those of you who don't know, I'm a trumpet player. I love going to the LA Phil and love orchestra music.

The Nu Deco Ensemble does something quite different. They were formed in 2015 and are an eclectic orchestra with members from all over the country. They're known for doing collaborations with pretty big artists like Ben Folds, Jacob Collier, Wyclef Jean, and Emily King to name a few. Their upcoming season starts October 29th, 2020, and this year is going to be quite different due to COVID-19. They're going to be livestreaming all of their performances.

Nu Deco Ensemble's manager is Andrew Leib from Red Light Management. He was on a previous episode of the show: https://aristake.com/red-light-manager-andrew-leib/

Quick links:

4:10 - About Nu Deco Ensemble & how they uniquely collaborate with artists

8:30 - Every instrument is mic'd in the Nu Deco Ensemble

10:10 - The drummer's pocket is so deep; building a good repertoire with ensemble members

13:55 - Have all of the members been with the ensemble since the beginning?

17:20 - How far in advance does Nu Deco Ensemble prepare before they collaborate with a guest?

25:04 - What other things does Sam factor into his arrangement of a piece?

28:33 - What is the identity for Nu Deco Ensemble?

31:07 - Why Miami?

37:16 - How do you go about starting an orchestra in Miami?

45:05 - What is the future of Nu Deco Ensemble? Have they always featured artists?

51:10 - How much of Miami's cultural influence is integrated within the Nu Deco Ensemble arrangements?