“Music is all about community and IRIS understands, embraces and
promotes that through the glory of swing!”
– Reginald Thomas, NYO Ensemble Director and Jazz Pianist
IRIS is a band comprised of Arman Sangalang, Kirby Fellis, Austyn Menk, Morgan Turner, and Noah Brooks. The group was born out of five peers’ mutual desire to fuse jazz’s historic subgenres, such as hard bop and post bop, with a modern aesthetic. Inspired by their wide range of influences, namely Mulgrew Miller, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, and Walter Smith III, their compositions aim to search for life’s answers
through music. The members of the quintet have worked with esteemed musicians including Reginald Thomas, Bobby Broom, Brian
Lynch, and Etienne Charles, among many others. In 2022, IRIS was one of four ensembles selected to attend the JAS Academy in Snowmass, Colorado. The band members’ compositions seek to preserve the tradition of jazz while exploring each individual’s experiences as musicians. Their upcoming EP (expected 2023) pays homage to their influences.