Samuel Torres - A Dance For Birds (2024)

A Dance for Birds is a nine-movement suite of music crafted by the visionary composer and percussionist, Samuel Torres. It showcases his new Latin chamber ensemble featuring the Bergamot String Quartet. This work brings Afro-Latin rhythms, Jazz and classical music together, defying musical stereotypes and expanding the horizons of chamber music. This piece was commissioned by Chamber Music America through the New Jazz Works Grant funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.

A Dance for Birds is a pivotal work in Torres’s career because it showcases his innovative approach to composition by bringing the traditions of Afro-Latin rhythms, the improvisational elements of jazz and the rich complexities of contemporary classical music. It represents Torres's commitment to breaking musical hierarchies by featuring his instrument, the congas, as a centerpiece to this ensemble and fostering equality amongst traditions.

The musicians in the Latin Chamber Ensemble are top in their field. The Bergamot String Quartet is an award-winning impassioned creative force that champions work from living composers. Members of Torres’s Latin Jazz sextet are New York City's finest jazz players who wield a rhythmic force and are unparalleled in skill and creativity. Torres collaborated with acclaimed Colombian visual artist, Diego Pombo. Pombo crafted a mixed media presentation featuring abstract birds within nature which is illuminated behind the ensemble. This artwork guides the audience through a poetic story about migration. Torres encourages us to explore paradoxes of elements both beautiful and reflective of traditions while expanding classical and jazz horizons.