Nu Deco Ensemble has emerged as one of Miami’s most innovative and exciting small orchestras. On March 9, 10, and 11, at the Light Box at Goldman Warehouse in Wynwood, Nu Deco Ensemble presents Jorge Martín’s song cycle A Cuban in Vermont. All performancs begin at 8 pm.
The performances come just one week before Florida Grand Opera’s (FGO) regional premiere of Martín’s powerful opera Before Night Falls, which opens March 18 and runs March 19, 21, 24, and 25 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County’s Ziff Ballet Opera House.
A Cuban in Vermont is a part of Miami’s Tenth Annual Global Cuba Fest, which shines a light on the most talented musicians from the Cuban diaspora. A Cuban in Vermont is a collaborative presentation between Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami Light Project and FUNDarté. The cycle will be performed by soprano Elena Galván, a member of Florida Grand Opera’s Young Artist Program.
After only two years, Nu Deco Ensemble has established a reputation as one of Miami’s most stylish and relevant purveyors of contemporary music. Founded in 2015 by Sam Hyken, a member of the faculty at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and Jacomo Bairos, conductor and musical director for the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra. Hyken, Nu Deco Ensemble’s artistic director, told Michelle F. Solomon of artburstmiami.com, “We wanted to change the world through music.” In an age when many large symphony orchestras are struggling for financial survival, Hyken and Bairos were drawn to the idea of “small, dynamic, flexible orchestral collectives that are much more sustainable.”
Nu Deco Ensemble aims to blur the lines between classical and contemporary music performance, with presentations that mix up a wide range of musical styles, visual art, and media collaborations in both traditional and alternative venues, striving to be South Florida’s “leader in genre-blending musical exploration.”