YMUSIC

Hailed by NPR’s Fred Child as “one of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of classical music,” yMusic is a sextet of young performers equally comfortable in the overlapping classical and pop music worlds. The “six hip virtuosi” (Time Out NY) play a unique combination of instruments: string trio, flute, clarinet and trumpet. This exciting orchestration has inspired an expanding repertoire of works by some of today’s most important artists. Indie rock luminaries Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and Ryan Lott (Son Lux), have crafted instrumental works specifically for the ensemble. On yMusic’s debut album, “Beautiful Mechanical,” the group pairs these works with pieces by emerging composers Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Gabriel Kahane, a result that was recently named Time Out New York’s #1 Classical Record of 2011. In addition to performing its own repertoire, yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters. In the 2012-13 season, yMusic launches new projects with Dirty Projectors, Gabriel Kahane and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire. Past collaborations have included work with The National, St. Vincent, My Brightest Diamond, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Ra Ra Riot, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. These affiliations have brought yMusic to prominent stages around the world including Amsterdam’s Muziekgebuow, New York’s Beacon Theater, and the Krannert Center in Champagne-Urbana. yMusic can be heard on Dirty Projectors’ “Swing Lo Magellan,” Son Lux’s “We Are Rising,” My Brightest Diamond’s “All Things Will Unwind,” and a forthcoming record of compositions by Richard Reed Parry. yMusic was created in 2008 to bring a classical chamber music aesthetic to venues outside the traditional concert hall. Its members have individually toured and recorded with artists such as Bon Iver, Bjork, Peter Gabriel, Antony and the Johnsons, Ryuichi Sakamoto, The National, Rufus Wainwright, Grizzly Bear, Meredith Monk, Yo-Yo Ma, The New York Philharmonic, David Byrne and Sufjan Stevens.