yMusic
Performers
yMusic
Program
GABRIELLA SMITH Tessellations
JP MERZ nested forms (NY Premiere)
PAUL WIANCKO thous&ths
yMUSIC Cribbea
yMUSIC Peter Inn
GABRIELLA SMITH Maré
NICO MUHLY Clip
BERIO "Black Is the Color" from Folk Songs (arr. yMusic)
GABRIEL KAHANE "Fall 1961" from For the Union Dead
PAUL SIMON Train in the Distance (arr. Gabriel Kahane)
RYAN LOTT Suite from First
SUFJAN STEVENS Year of the Horse (arr. Rob Moose)
CAROLINE SHAW "Their Stenciled Breath" from Draft of a High-Rise (co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.Support for the 125 Commissions Project is provided by members of Carnegie Hall’s Composer Club.
Bios
yMusic
yMusic—“six contemporary classical polymaths who playfully overstep the boundaries of musical genres” (The New Yorker)—performs in concert halls, arenas, and clubs around the world. Founded in New York City in 2008, yMusic believes in presenting excellent, emotionally communicative music, regardless of style or idiom. “One of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of classical music” (NPR), yMusic’s virtuosic execution and unique configuration (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) has attracted the attention of high-profile collaborators—from Paul Simon to Bill T. Jones to Ben Folds—and inspired original works by some of today’s foremost composers, including Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, and Andrew Norman.
Recent highlights include a collaborative album release with The Staves on Nonesuch Records, a recording of “God Only Knows” with John Legend and Cynthia Erivo, and summer appearances at the Sarasota Music Festival and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Additionally, the group embarked on an interdisciplinary residency at the University of Southern California’s schools of music and dance, and served as ensemble-in-residence at Florida State University and the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. In 2018, yMusic was featured on Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour, performing in arenas, amphitheaters, and outdoor festivals around the globe.
To date, yMusic has released three full-length solo albums: 2017’s First, 2014’s Balance Problems, and 2011’s Beautiful Mechanical, which Time Out New York called the best classical record of the year. In addition to performing its own repertoire, yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters, and has lent its distinctive sound to dozens of albums, most recently In the Blue Light by Paul Simon, with whom the group recently appeared on Saturday Night Live.