With jazz violin and viola, electric harp, grooving bass and funky, pulsating percussion, NeoCollage is actively blurring the line between the classical and pop genres.
NeoCollage was formed in the fall of 2004 at the Eastman School of Music by five friends interested in developing a new musical sound with classical instruments. This new age classical-crossover group incorporates musical styles ranging from jazz to funk to world to free improvisation. Through infectious beats evocative of Justin Timberlake and solid orchestrations suggestive of Radiohead, the ensemble, cleansed of the pop-music vocal crutch, has created an exciting and virtuosic new genre of music called classical-pop fusion.
NeoCollage released their debut album Against the Current in the fall of 2005, and they toured both the Rochester and New York City areas in 2006. The band has performed in venues ranging from the Glimmerglass Opera House in Cooperstown, NY, to the Lion’s Den in Manhattan’s legendary Greenwich Village. In response to their CD release, the group was hailed as a “source of salvation for eager music buffs” by the University of Rochester’s Campus Times, and the group’s electric live performances are consistently rated as “City’s Choice” in Rochester’s City Magazine. In addition, the album placed the group in the semi-finals of the 2006 Independent Music World Series.
With the release of their newest album City Nights, Frank De Blase of Rochester’s City Magazine calls their music “a brilliant synthesis of classical tones, funky rhythms, and electronic textures. It’ll blow the doors off the way you think about classical music, and music in general.” Democrat and Chronicle music critic Anna Reguero advises listeners to, “Leave all expectations behind, with one exception: Expect to feel like moving to the beats.” Through their music, NeoCollage aims to break the boundaries of “classical” instruments, bridge musical gaps, and bring a fresh perspective to the popular music scene.