"Nu Deco Ensemble continues to pay its musicians and lead educational programs.... In fact, they seem to know a secret that no one else does when it comes to keeping audiences connect and putting musicians first."

"What we want to do is represent not only our community and Miami on the world stage, but also the diversity of this community."

"I think every orchestra is very community specific. I don't think there will ever be a point where these big orchestras are going to go anywhere. We need these institutions that celebrate great art and history. But with every orchestra, we have to ask how relevant is the orchestra to the community? That is the question that people have to ask. And in Miami, we decided to stay in our lane and do the music that we really love."

"Bairos’ style was engaging and thoughtful, with an endearing sense of expression that translated beautifully through the orchestra’s execution. His full-bodied enthusiasm was fun to watch, but even more fun to listen to, as the FWSO and Bairos demonstrated a wholesome togetherness that served as a fitting tribute to the troops."

"Nu Deco Ensemble, led by conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos and with music largely composed by Hyken, is entering its third season as Miami's best-kept secret. The ensemble's shows at the Light Box in Wynwood have become the hushed talk of the town: Locals want their friends in on the secret of these inspired performances, but in some small way, they dread the day they'll have to share the magic of this futurist ensemble with the rest of the world."

"A tremendous orchestral showpiece in its own right, inspired by Bairos' direction, for a time, it seemed as if the SSO members were closet rockers."

"Occasionally, you see or hear something that blows your mind. Last night (August 13), the Nu Deco Ensemble at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) was exactly that. The Miami-based group made their New York debut with an evening of fiery, captivating and refreshingly original music."

"....Jacomo Bairos say(s) Bashi gave them a new vision of the ensemble's musical potential."

"[Bairos'] music-making is world class. I’ve never heard a better live account of Prokofiev’s glorious Romeo and Juliet ballet score. It was as though I were hearing it for the first time. There was incredible control, going from rafter-rattling explosions to dreamy whispers in an instant. This was hands-down one of the most thrilling showings from the Philharmonic that I can recall. Bairos proved to be a ferocious conductor, sometimes leading the orchestra with the grace of a ballerina, sometimes with the power of a prizefighter closing in on a knockout."

"Throughout the suite, Bairos demonstrated a high level of musical sensitivity leading the orchestra with firm and concise gestures in the fast movements, and allowing for the musicians to fluctuate freely between phrases in more lyrical sections."

"Backed by a 20-plus-piece ensemble, Nu Deco assisted the Cuban Latin Grammy-nominated artist in delivering what is being described as a sonically spellbinding experience."

"The Latin GRAMMY-nominated Cuban songstress, Danay Suarez took the stage and the night shifted into an entirely different dimension. Not only did her words preach of truth and positivity, but her presence on that stage proved that powerful vocals can make anyone stop mid-sentence and listen. She brought us to church with every song and moved confidently as if the 20+ piece Ensemble backing her was as comfortable as a trio in her hometown."

"Nu Deco Ensemble attracts the youngest, liveliest and most engaged audience of any classical group in South Florida. A cross between a cutting-edge new music collective and a 21st-century version of a pops orchestra.”

"For his first entry into this series, Folds chose to feature two very talented and very different artists; Blake Mills and Danay Suarez. He also brought in skilled, and debonair, conductor Jacomo Bairos to guide this complex collaboration. He was a perfect choice, as he is the co-founder of the Nu Deco Ensemble, which also celebrates the interaction of “new music with classical, popular and electronic traditions.” Bairos is also a frequent collaborator with Folds, so they have both literally and figuratively have made sweet music together before."

"There can be little doubt about the fact that the chameleon-like Nu Deco knows how to shift, charm and hook concertgoers. Billed as a “21st-century orchestra,” this daring local chamber ensemble relies on the accessibility of its programming to appeal to a diverse crowd. The success of this approach was evident in the heterogeneous nature of the attendees who packed the seats at Knight Concert Hall during the season closer."

"It takes guts, some grit and a willingness to venture into unknown territories to investigate and to produce a genre-bending performance."

"Conductor Jacomo Bairos opened the festivities with perhaps the most familiar piece of Cuban music—”Malagueña” by Ernesto Lecuona. Co-artistic director Sam Hyken’s arrangement mixed a brassy dance band sound with deeply resonant string figures over Maria Zdralea’s pianistic arpeggios. Bairos and the players brought maximum energy to Hyken’s hybrid chart."

"Schoenberg’s score is a winning curtain-raiser that should become standard concert fare. Jacomo Bairos, the ensemble’s co-artistic director, led a spirited performance with the orchestra playing at top speed and sonic power. Bairos announced that, in partnership with the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation, Nu Deco has commissioned Schoenberg to write a concerto for two pianos and orchestra."

"A radical exhibition, expected to draw 400,000 visitors for the next two weeks, deserves radical music... At Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts this week, the Grand Rapids Symphony is making music that’s a little more club music and a lot less concert music. 'Rock, Funk, Disco, Heavy Metal, Reggaeton, Latin, Drumsets, Steel Pans are all on display,' promises guest conductor Jacomo Bairos."

"He's [Jacomo] doing some groundbreaking work with his ensemble in Miami," said Kaczmarczyk. "Their mission is to reimagine an orchestra for the 21st century with new music and new approaches to how an orchestra can make music."

"Bairos led the orchestra in a program of delicious variety. Delicious, too, was Bairos’ splendid sense of musicality and the orchestra’s solid professional craftsmanship."

"He [Bairos] attends well to shaping dynamics and, at his best moments, can achieve a visceral energy that parallels that of his own body movements."