Since its inception in 2015, Nu Deco Ensemble has exploded onto Miami’s eclectic musical scene captivating audiences, holistically engaging with its community and fusing innovative, genre-bending orchestral performances and collaborations with the highest levels of musical artistry. Nu Deco is reimagining a fresh vision of what an orchestra can achieve in the 21st century.  Created by two of classical music’s most in demand artists, Jacomo Bairos and Sam Hyken, Nu Deco Ensemble is a flexible and innovative hybrid orchestra that celebrates living composers, reimagines all genres of music, and collaborates with a wide range of diverse musical guests, composers, choreographers, dancers, and mixed media artists.

Recent highlights include exclusive collaborations with Macy Gray, Ben Folds, Jacob Collier, Kimbra, Kishi Bashi, Time for Three, Danay Suarez, Cory Henry, Stephen Marley, Emily King, Bilal, Luke James and many more award winning composers and cross-over artists. The New York Times has hailed Nu Deco Ensemble as a “Chamber orchestra for the 21st century”, Billboard has announced them as “Sonically Spellbinding” and Saratoga Living exclaimed them as “fiery, captivating and refreshingly original”. In October of 2019, Nu Deco Ensemble releases its first Album to include genre-bending collaborations, reimaginings of artists such as Outkast and Daft Punk, and new music by some of today’s most exciting living composers.

Nu Deco Ensemble engages the Miami community in dynamic ways to serve and enrich all walks of our diverse culture and people. The orchestra inspires and engages over 10,000 children annually through their interactive Imagination Series and annually brings hundreds of community members from underserved communities to attend performances. In Spring of 2020, Nu Deco Ensemble launches its Youth Orchestra which in addition to instruction in classical and popular musical styles, arranging, composition, and improvisation offers coaching in wellness, health, leadership, collaborative communication, interpersonal skills, and community stewardship.

Artistic Directors

Co-Founders Jacomo Bairos and Sam Hyken have been musical partners and close friends since 2004. Starting their musical journeys as classical trained graduates of the Juilliard School, both have performed, recorded and toured all over the world with some of the worlds most prestigious orchestras and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and the New World Symphony under esteemed Maestros such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Kurt Masur, Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim.

Meeting as principal musicians in the Singapore Symphony, they quickly developed strong personal and musical bonds. Through their love of the orchestra and its ability to be the ultimate vehicle for musical expression, they dreamed of pushing classical music forward in compelling and exciting new ways. After several seasons in Singapore, they returned to the U.S. to launch new creative career paths with Hyken embarking on a diverse writing and production career, and Bairos switching full-time to orchestral conducting. After several years of creating the ideal template of Nu Deco, incorporating in 2013, both have achieved thriving and dynamic careers. Hyken, who is also CEO, has written for such artists as Pitbull, Brandy, Talib Kweli, Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, and Ben Folds, as well, has been commissioned by the National, New World and Kansas City Symphonies. Hyken’s music is regularly performed by orchestras to include the Boston Pops, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, and Singapore Symphonies. Bairos’ conducting career annually brings him around the globe collaborating with major institutions such as the Boston Pops, The Cincinnati Pops, the National, San Francisco, Singapore, Atlanta and Houston Symphonies as well as collaborations with today’s top classical and genre-bending artists. Additionally, Bairos is the 17th Music Director and Conductor for the Amarillo Symphony where his innovative approach to programming, leadership and community engagement has transformed the institution into one of the most dynamic and relevant regional orchestras in the country.