Nu Deco Ensemble is set to return to the stage on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m., opening its new season under the stars at the Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens. The Miami-born hybrid orchestra has spent a decade blurring the line between classical tradition and popular music, and its home-season opener promises another genre-crossing mashup of strings, soul and electronic textures.
The ensemble has built a reputation as a Miami cultural force by refusing to stay in one musical lane, according to Miami's Community News. Conductor Jacomo Bairos leads the group, while co-founder Sam Hyken, who also serves as co-artistic director and CEO, shapes much of its genre-bending sound, per the same report. Hyken's résumé extends beyond Nu Deco, too, as he has written and arranged music for Bad Bunny and Angelique Kidjo.
The Oct. 17 program is expected to showcase Nu Deco's trademark approach of reshaping orchestral music by weaving in modern sounds and global inspirations. The night includes a medley honoring Curtis Mayfield, described as the architect of The Impressions and the artist behind Super Fly and We're a Winner. Also on the bill are Tree Speak, Vivaldi's Fall and Valerie Coleman's Umoja Unbound, with a guest artist still to be announced.
A Decade of Unlikely Collaborations
Nu Deco Ensemble was founded in Miami in 2015 by Bairos and Hyken, built as what its own site calls a flexible and innovative hybrid orchestra that celebrates living composers and reimagines all genres of music, according to nu-deco.org. The group released its first album of genre-bending collaborations in October 2019 and later announced a major-label debut with Sony Music Masterworks, releasing the EP Duende on July 21, 2024, the ensemble's site notes.
Over the years, Nu Deco has interpreted the music of Daft Punk, Aretha Franklin, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, and collaborated with artists including Wyclef Jean, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco and Robert Glasper, whose first orchestral work the ensemble commissioned, per ArtburstMiami. The group has also shared stages with PJ Morton, Allen Stone, Masego, Tank and the Bangas, Jon Batiste and Bilal, and showcased Ben Folds, Larkin Poe, Jacob Collier, Kimbra and Tune-Yards. Its connections extend further still, linking up with Time for Three, Black Violin, Monsieur Periné, Magos Herrera, Danay Suarez and Cimafunk.
Milestones, Money Pressures and a New Home Base
Nu Deco marked its 10th anniversary with a concert at the Adrienne Arsht Center in April 2025, and the celebration leaned on the same cross-genre formula that has defined the group, pairing orchestral interpretations of songs by The Police, Daft Punk, Bill Withers and Outkast, according to WLRN. The ensemble still counts six or seven musicians who have been with it since its very first season, giving the group a core of South Florida players even as its sound keeps shifting.
That anniversary coverage also surfaced a financial strain behind the music. The station reported that a $90,000 state grant disappeared amid political shifts, with Nu Deco leadership saying the loss had a serious impact on operations. In response, the ensemble has diversified its revenue through performances, corporate sponsorships, membership programs and educational outreach, and has launched open auditions for substitute players to expand access and surface new talent in the Miami area, the station's report states.
Education and Reach Beyond the Concert Hall
Nu Deco's footprint extends well past ticketed shows. The group has used its concert archives to build 45-minute educational videos covering topics such as rhythm, Latin music, collaboration and musical genres, according to ArtburstMiami. Separately, its interactive Imagination Series reaches more than 10,000 children annually, per nu-deco.org, while the ensemble's originals and collaborations have drawn more than 15 million global streams, as reported by Miami New Times. That same outlet reported that rapper Common is set to join Nu Deco for two Florida performances, including a Nov. 12 concert at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center Knight Concert Hall.
The Oct. 17 performance unfolds at Pinecrest Gardens, a Miami-Dade County park that was once the site of Parrot Jungle. Nu Deco has advised audience members to arrive early for the season-opening show at the Banyan Bowl, a venue that trades the formality of a concert hall for an open-air setting under the stars.
