A classical and pop hybrid formed around the talents of instrumentalists Rob Moose (violin), Nadia Sirota (viola), Clarice Jensen (cello), Alex Sopp (flute), Hideaki Aomori (clarinet), and CJ Camerieri (trumpet), New York City's yMusic utilize their unique instrumentation in both the chamber music and indie pop worlds. They've collaborated with artists like Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, the National, Bon Iver, and Ben Folds, and have performed their own original instrumental works in nontraditional classical settings. The sextet released its debut album, Beautiful Mechanical, in 2011 via New Amsterdam Records, and it went on to win Time Out New York's #1 Classical Record of the Year. They followed it in 2014 with Richard Reed Parry: Music for Heart and Breath (a collaboration with the Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist) and the Son Lux-produced Balance Problems. The latter included compositions by Timo Andres, Marcos Balter, Mark Dancigers, Nico Muhly, Andrew Norman, Sufjan Stevens, and Jeremy Turner. Gabriel Cabezas then replaced Jensen on cello. The tweaked lineup served as Ben Folds' backing band on the song portion of 2015's So There, and made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2016 with works by, among others, Caroline Shaw, Chris Thile, and Sufjan Stevens. In 2017, Nonesuch issued The Way Is Read, a collaboration with indie folk trio the Staves that consisted of both Staves originals and reworked yMusic compositions. ~ James Christopher Monger