Sugar Vendil
Sugar Vendil is a New York-based director and pianist lauded for "putting a new face on classical music" (NPR) and "leading the unlikely intersection of classical music and new fashion" (The New York Times). A Filipino-American, Sugar grew up in El Sobrante, CA and holds a Master of Music degree from New York University. She is the founder of The Nouveau Classical Project (NCP), a hybrid ensemble and creative production hub where new classical music intersects with fashion and art. She was featured as one of Refinery29 "Industry Leaders in the Arts" in 2014. While leading NCP, Sugar has helped the group gain a foothold in the fashion world, with collaborations and performances in the fashion shows of Gretchen Jones (Project Runway Season 8 Winner), CFDA-awardee Pamela Love, Ecco Domani grantee Novis, CFDA nominee Tanya Taylor, and others. Awards include an installment on MATA's Interval Series and grants from LMCC, NYSCA, and the Puffin Foundation.
Recent concerts outside NCP include solo performances for the FLATT Magazine Book 8 launch hosted by Rose McGowan at Tribeca Grand Studios and the Kempner Collection F/W 2015 NYFW presentation at Artbeam, as well as a concerts with The Curiosity Cabinet, Hotel Elefant, and Stone Mason Projects.
Sugar has expanded her artistic practice to creating and directing hybrid pieces that integrate music, fashion, movement, and other visual elements with NCP. Recent productions include Sacred-Profane, a theatrical concert, and Potential Energies, a ballet for musicians and dancers with composer Trevor Gureckis and choreographer Barbie Diewald. She is currently working on a new evening-length piece with composer Gabi Herbst. Sugar is a 2016 Fellow in the Target Margin Institute for Collaborative Theater Making.
