Quarteto Nuevo

Quarteto Nuevo merges western classical, eastern European folk, Latin and jazz with an organic feel that packs a wallop! Their diverse programs can be tailored to fit anywhere, from an intimate chamber music venue to a large outdoor festival. The ensemble’s razor-sharp precision is enhanced by jazzy interludes, lightly rumbling percussion motifs and mesmerizing rhythms. They effectively meld the music of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove that enchants audiences of all ages!

Winners of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, and twice recipients of South Arts’ Jazz Roads Touring Grants, Quarteto Nuevo’s master musicians create emotionally charged soundscapes with instruments and sensibilities that represent very different world cultures. Their unique instrumentation – soprano saxophone/alto flute (Damon Zick), cello (Jacob Szekely), guitar (Kenton Youngstrom) and hand percussion (Felipe Fraga) – richly colors their wide-ranging repertoire, from Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras" and Chick Corea’s “Children's Song No. 6" to Traditional Macedonian “Gadjarsko” and original works “Hector, Desmond and Titus,” “Rain Song” and “Dizer O Que.”

This past season Quarteto Nuevo was the recipient of a Jazz Road Creative Residency grant from South Arts that supported the creation of their new Jazz Road Suite. The resulting ten-movement suite explores the connection of jazz to geographical and cultural locations. The ensemble premiered the new works in each state they toured during the 2023-2024 season and the complete suite was recorded live in concert in March 2024 at ASU's Kerr Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Live concert videos were released monthly on YouTube, and the full concert recording was released in April 2025.