About yMusic
CJ Camerieri - trumpet
Alex Sopp - flute
Hideaki Aomori - clarinet
Rob Moose - violin
Nadia Sirota - viola
Gabriel Cabezas - cello
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.
Last 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. Due to global restrictions on nonessential travel and gatherings, yMusic took the 2020-21 season to work on their own, collaborative compositions, recorded remotely. The ensemble plans to release an album of original work in late 2021.
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.
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Hideaki Aomori
Multi-instrumentalist Hideaki Aomori has established a unique career as a freelance performer and educator. Equally comfortable in orchestral, new music, pop and jazz settings, Hideaki enjoys a diverse range of performances in New York City and around the world. He has collaborated with a variety of artists including Tito Puente, Sir Roland Hanna, Duncan Sheik, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Ron Carter, St. Vincent, Gabriel Kahane, Orchestre de Chambre Miniature, Sean Lennon, Spoon, Harper Simon and Holly Brook. His multifaceted performing career has taken him to many places around the globe including Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Gabriel Cabezas
“An intense player who connects to music naturally, without artifice, and brings a singing line to the cello” (The Oregonian), Gabriel Cabezas is one of America’s most sought after young musicians. Combining a superb technique, intellectual curiosity and a pioneering musical spirit, Cabezas is at home in front of an orchestra, performing with a singer-songwriter or sharing the stage with a dance troupe.
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Photo by Shervin Lainez
CJ CAMERIERI
As a trumpet player, french hornist, arranger, and keyboard player, C.J. Camerieri has enjoyed an active, diverse, and exciting career since completing his classical trumpet training at Juilliard in 2004. He has become an indispensable collaborator for numerous indie rock groups as a performer, arranger, improviser, and soloist and is a co-founder of the contemporary classical ensemble yMusic. Camerieri won two Grammys as a member of Bon Iver for the band’s sophomore record, which later reached gold status.
Rob Moose
In the last decade, Rob Moose has emerged as one of the most sought after instrumentalists and arrangers of his generation. As violinist and guitarist, Moose has toured with Antony & the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, Glen Hansard, Blake Mills, and Beth Orton. In 2011, he joined Bon Iver, writing arrangements and recording strings for the group’s sophomore album. Highlights of that experience include four sold-out concerts at Radio City Music Hall, an appearance on Saturday Night Live, a Gold record, and two Grammy wins for “Best New Artist” and “Best Alternative Album.”
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Photo by Shervin Lainez
nadia sirota
Violist Nadia Sirota’s varied career spans solo performances, chamber music, curation, and broadcasting. In all branches of her artistic life she aims to open classical music up to a broader audience. Nadia’s singular sound and expressive execution have served as muse to dozens of composers, including Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, Missy Mazzoli, Daníel Bjarnason, Judd Greenstein, Marcos Balter, and David Lang. Nadia won a 2015 Peabody Award, broadcasting’s highest honor, for her podcast Meet the Composer, “the world’s best contemporary classical music podcast” (Pitchfork), which deftly profiles some of the most interesting musical thinkers living today.
ALEX SOPP
Alex Sopp is a musician and artist living in Brooklyn. As the flutist of yMusic, The Knights, and NOW Ensemble, the New York Times has praised her playing as “exquisite” and “beautifully nuanced.” Comfortable in many genres, Alex has commissioned, premiered, and recorded with some of the most exciting composers and songwriters of our time
Photo by Shervin Lainez