Today’s video premiere features Nu Deco Ensemble performing Jessica Meyer’s Go BIG or Go HOME with audio recording by The Guild LIVE and video production by Ricardo Korda.
This arrangement of Go BIG or Go HOME was commissioned by Nu Deco Ensemble and recorded live on February 15th at the Light Box Theater in Miami, FL.
Here’s what Jessica had to say about Go BIG of Go HOME:
This piece is an adaptation of the last movement of my string quartet Get into the NOW for the Nu Deco Ensemble in Miami. When the opportunity came up for me to make this arrangement, I wanted to both showcase what the group can uniquely do while also writing in a way that captures the spirit of what Miami inherently is.
In Go BIG or Go HOME, you will find hints of funk, bluegrass, and latin while being driven by groove, virtuosity, and moments of improvisation allowing members of the group to put their own personal signature on the piece. Most importantly, it is written from a place of self-realization, empowerment, and celebration of how joyous life can be.
About Jessica Meyer
With playing that is “fierce and lyrical” and works that are “other-worldly” (The Strad) and “evocative” (New York Times), Jessica Meyer is a versatile composer and violist whose passionate musicianship radiates accessibility, generosity, and emotional clarity. Jessica has premiered pieces for solo viola internationally – expanding the repertoire for viola by championing new works while also composing her own. Meyer’s compositions explore the wide palette of emotionally expressive colors available to each instrument while using traditional and extended techniques inspired by her varied experiences as a contemporary and period instrumentalist. Since embarking on her composition career only 5 years ago, past premieres include works written for the Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, cellist Amanda Gookin for her Forward Music Project, Sybarite 5, NOVUS NY of Trinity Wall Street, and a work for A Far Cry commissioned by the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston.
Upcoming commissions include works for flutist Allison Loggins-Hull for her “Diametrically Composed” project at National Sawdust, the Lorelei Ensemble, Sandbox Percussion with vocal duo Two Cities, and for a project with the Historical Performance Program at The Juilliard School on April 16th at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The quartet version of “Go BIG or Go HOME” for the PUBLIQuartet is available for pre-sale and her debut CD of works as a composer will be released in the summer/early fall, both on the Bright and Shiny Things label.
About Nu Deco Ensemble
Made in Miami in 2013, Nu Deco Ensemble is a virtuosic and eclectic chamber orchestra designed for the 21st Century, co-founded by conductor Jacomo Bairos and composer Sam Hyken. Nu Deco Ensemble focuses on performing works by living composers, creating cutting-edge collaborations with special guests, and re-arranging works by innovative popular artists. The core 30-piece ensemble includes a string section; wind and brass; a full rhythm section consisting of both acoustic (percussion, piano) as well as electronic instruments (electric bass, electric guitar, drum machines and keyboards).
To learn more about the ensemble and to see other videos of them in action, visit their website at nu-deco.org and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.