Freshly Minted

yMusic is thrilled to present two world premieres, by composers Gabriella Smith and David Biedenbender, alongside freshly-minted works from the past season. See the very best 2016 and 2017 have to offer, including Caroline Shaw’s Draft of a High Rise.

On this Sunday afternoon, yMusic joyfully explores the form of song. Premiering a handful of homegrown arrangements interspersed with their commissioned rep and two new commissions generously paid for by National Sawdust, yMusic traces the form’s development from its folk routes through interpretations by composer Luciano Berio to their collaborations with internationally acclaimed songwriters, and through two new works by David Biedenbender and Gabriella Smith that take the “song” as their main source of thematic inspiration. The ensemble, made up of multi-instrumentalists, uses its catholic taste and stylistic flexibility to lend vitality to decades of music.

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 group of six New York City instrumentalists flourishing in the overlap between the pop and classical worlds. Their virtuosic execution and unique configuration (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) has attracted the attention of high profile collaborators—from Ben Folds to Dirty Projectors to Jose Gonzalez—and inspired an expanding repertoire of original works by some of today’s foremost composers, including Nico Muhly and Andrew Norman.

Their 2016-17 season will be their most high-profile to date, featuring yMusic’s Carnegie Hall debut, a groundbreaking new collaborative album with composer Son Lux and producer Thomas (Doveman) Bartlett, and premieres of a half-dozen newly-commissioned works, including a major new piece by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, and MacArthur grantee Chris Thile’s first instrumental work written without his own performative element.

In addition to performing their own repertoire, yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters, and have lent their distinctive sound to dozens of albums, most recently, Ben Folds’ 2015 release “So there.” Other recent collaborations include recording and tours with José González, The Tallest Man on Earth, Dirty Projectors, The Staves, Bon Iver, and Blake Mills.