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,” (Fred Child, NPR’s Performance Today) their 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.

In the 2020 season, yMusic debuted a major new work, Difference, by Grawemayer and GRAMMY-winning composer Andrew Norman, set out on a US tour with singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby, and released Ecstatic Science, their fourth full-length album. The recording, one of Pitchfork’s “6 New Albums You Should Listen to Now,” features music by Missy Mazzoli, Gabriella Smith, Paul Wiancko, and Caroline Shaw. Pitchfork praised the group for its “excellent taste in collaborating with composers” and for creating an album of “fluidly engaging” work.

Other recent highlights include a sold out show at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, a collaborative album release with The Staves on Nonesuch Records, a recording of "God Only Knows" with John Legend for the Grammy Awards, and summer appearances at the Sarasota Music Festival and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. yMusic is also featured on "You've Got Time" by Regina Spektor, the main title theme for the final season of Netflix's Orange Is The New Black.

yMusic’s other recordings include 2017’s First, 2014’s Balance Problems, and 2011’s Beautiful Mechanical, Time Out New York’s “#1 Classical Record of the Year.” In addition to performing their own repertoire, yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters, and has lent its distinctive sound to dozens of albums, including In The Blue Light by Paul Simon, with whom the group appeared on Saturday Night Live, and toured arenas, amphitheaters, and outdoor festivals across the globe as featured guests on Paul Simon's Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour.