Yamaha Artist Services New York Adds Depth to Roster with Two New Artist Signings

Jazz great Cyrus Chestnut and new music luminaries International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) join Yamaha family

Cyrus Chestnut has been described by the New York Times as "a highly intelligent improviser with one of the surest senses of swing in jazz" and by the New York Daily News as "the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Errol Garner."  A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Mr. Chestnut has performed with jazz greats such as Betty Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, James Carter, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Donald Harrison, Freddie Hubbard and Yamaha Artists Chick Corea and Tim Warfield, among others.  His versatility and consummate musicianship have also allowed him to explore collaborations in classical music, including performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and next season at major performing arts venues with the Turtle Island String Quartet and with the opera great Kathleen Battle, with whom he has frequently performed.

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), described by the New York Times as "one of the most accomplished and adventurous groups in new music," is dedicated to reshaping the way music is created and experienced. With a modular makeup of 35 leading instrumentalists, performing in forces ranging from solos to large ensembles, ICE functions as performer, presenter, and educator, advancing the music of our time by developing innovative new works and new strategies for audience engagement. ICE redefines concert music as it brings together new work and new listeners in the 21st century. Since its founding in 2001, ICE has premiered over 500 compositions––the majority of these new works by emerging composers––in venues spanning from alternative spaces to concert halls around the world. The ensemble has received the American Music Center's Trailblazer Award for its contributions to the field, the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, and was most recently named Musical America Worldwide's Ensemble of the Year in 2013.