Ed,
Eighth Blackbird is indeed wonderful. They're at CCM for the contemporary music festival most summers and I'm really looking forward to seeing them again. I would really encourage anyone who isn't familiar with these ensembles to take the time and check them out. Also, if anyone is interested, here is a video of an interview with Nico Muhly, as well as clips of some performances of his music. He's a phenomenal, 25-year-old composer who is really writing some unique new music:
NewMusicBox
-Matthew