Nu Deco Unfiltered

Magda Giannikou is a musical and creative force! Gaining popularity with her band, Banda Magda, and touring with Snarky Puppy for years, her genius lies in her ability to create musical landscapes that paint pictures and bold universes her audiences always feel they can escape to. Oh and she sings in at least 5 languages! As a composer who dreamed of writing film scores, she listened to movie soundtracks at the age of 10 while other kids were listening to pop songs, and was always searching f...

It is only fitting that one of our final podcasts of the first season gets incredibly deep! Rebecca and Megan Lovell, two of the most talented and creative artists behind Larkin Poe, are supremely wonderful humans to engage, perform, and work with. From being an “accidental band” to online sensations, while also writing and singing about some of the toughest themes, such as mental illness and sharing openly their personal and family struggles with the world, Larkin Poe is connected to legions...

From Leading the Boston Pops since the late 80’s to raising funds to support artists who lost all their work during the pandemic, Dennis Alves is an elevated leader in our field whose integrity, empathy, and desire to give his audiences amazing experiences, transcends music and permeates everything he does at Symphony Hall in Boston. His compassion for artists, musicians, conductors and his community at home, inspires him to “just do the job” of bringing the highest levels of orchestral...

So excited to pull back the curtain on such an inspiring and super talented human! He is one of today's true musical jack of all trades: Hollywood composer, pianist, arranger, great friend and collaborator to Nu Deco, and now a science teacher, Joachim Horsley. There is so much life wisdom he shares with us today, such as learning that greeting fire always translated into amazing life changing events that brought new creative opportunities. He describes his lifelong search for the conne...

We are excited to present today’s inspiring conversation with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops CEO and President, Jonathan Martin! We also share some highlights with you today from a soon-to-be-released musical suite based of the music of the Beach Boys and co-written by Sam Hyken, Jason Matthews, Aaron Lebos, and Armando Lopez. Be sure to check out the snippets at the beginning, and stick around for exclusive preview at the end!This wide-ranging conversation covers arts leadershi...

From being the opening musical act for artist Moby as a DJ to creating his Grammy-winning opera about one of the pivotal figures of the century, Steve Jobs, Mason Bates is an outlier who uses 21st-century sounds, technology, and an endless creative well to tell visionary stories and usher in sonic landscapes, the likes of which have never been done before in classical music. A true innovator and pioneer in the world of technology-infused orchestral-based compositions, this Juilliard graduate-...

Welcome to our fourth podcast episode, with none other than Mr. Kishi Bashi! Kishi was one of the first collaborators at Nu Deco who saw us for WHO we really were. He helped us unlock our potential, guided us, and elevated the orchestra with his world-class musicianship. He is also a producer on our debut studio album and taught us how to embrace our most authentic musical selves.From performing for two people in Toledo to touring the world with the Regina Spektor, while finding his own uniqu...

Today we speak with genius composer and pianist Aaron Parks, whose music is rich, sophisticated, profound, and wide ranging. A incredible philosophical and thoughtful human who drops so much wisdom, musings on life, and guidance on how we can maneuver through this chaotic world, his rich and learned background draws musical inspiration from Greek Mythology all the way to Thelonious Monk. We dive deep (even getting a little musically nerdy!) into our past collaboration and our upcoming EP rele...

Today we sit down with Afro-Cuban funk artist Cimafunk and there is simply no way not to be delighted and inspired from his infectious energy, joy for life, and love of family. From listening and making music based off the sounds of Coke cans bouncing down the street in his rural hometown, to traveling to Havana and working as a gardener and mechanic just so he could listen to live music at night, Cimafunk has exploded onto the world's musical scene as a new voice in the continued tradition o...

Welcome to our very first Episode of Nu Deco Unfiltered, and we are so excited to bring you these in-depth conversations! Our first podcast is with the one and only Sam Hyken. Defined throughout his life by curiosity, creativity, and a little attitude, Sam Hyken has become a musical force, collaborating with the world's biggest artists on some of the world’s grandest stages. Not only is he CEO of Nu Deco Ensemble, he is also Artistic Director, Co-founder, and the main composer, arranger...