Saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo release El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 3, the anticipated third installment in their celebrated series

Saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo release El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 3, the anticipated third installment in their celebrated series

Out August 28, 2026 via Miel Music 

NYC Album Release Concert October 17 at The Jazz Gallery

The much-anticipated El Arte del Bolero, Volume 3, the latest installment in the ongoing duo project featuring alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo, will be released August 28, 2026 on Zenón’s Miel Music label.  The album will be available on vinyl, CD and all streaming services.

Beloved by listeners and praised by critics, Volumes 1 and 2 showcased the artists in spirited, innovative renditions of Latin repertoire. Volume 3 continues in the same vein, with Zenón and Perdomo at the top of their game and in their comfort zone. “There is a concept behind it,” Zenón says, “but the performances are very off-the-cuff and involve very few takes. We just go in and play!” 

It’s fitting that Zenón, a MacArthur Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and tireless global concertizer who’s released 19 albums in 25 years as a bandleader, should receive a Grammy as well. When El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2 won in 2024 for Best Latin Jazz Album, the voters got it right; this kind of stand-and-deliver musical eloquence might be the purest form of jazz. 

Virtuoso instrumentalists and harmonic masters, Zenón and Perdomo have been playing together in the internationally acclaimed Miguel Zenón Quartet for 27 years, and they have lifelong knowledge of the popular Latin repertoire in common. The distinctive, sweet tone of Zenón’s alto saxophone, Perdomo’s remarkable touch on the piano, and the duo’s ability to follow the music wherever it goes bring these lovely songs to life with authenticity, soul, and spirit. 

What is the bolero? A style of bittersweet love song, perfect for sensual, slow dancing, that appeared in eastern Cuba in the 1880s and quickly internationalized. As Latin music became massified in the twentieth century, the bolero was central. Radio transmitted it everywhere. Mexican (and other) movies of the 30s and 40s made hemispheric singing stars out of the artists and established in popular consciousness many songs that are still being sung. 

Bolero is perhaps the most pan-Latin of genres. Across the Caribbean from each other, Zenón (in Santurce, Puerto Rico) and Perdomo (in Caracas, Venezuela) grew up with these complex harmonies, timeless melodies, and heart-rending lyrics. For them, the music is personal and meaningful. 

“We're exploring music that's very familiar to us,” Miguel says. “For both Luis and myself, it has a personal connection. It's not like I was around when these songs were first written or recorded. It's more like I remember hearing them at home through my parents or grandparents.”

With their duo, Zenón and Perdomo are reviving these durable songs and effectively assembling their own Latin American Songbook canon. “We explore it the same way that jazz folks would explore music out of the Great American Songbook,” says Zenón. Indeed, the composers of these songs were in one way or another influenced by jazz, something that is palpable in the harmonic cadences and song structures.  

How does the duo research the repertoire to choose the songs? “It's not like we have to look very far,” says Miguel. “We draw from our own experiences. I might say, ‘Oh, I remember hearing this tune at home with my mom or my dad.’ Or Luis might say, ‘Oh, there's this one tune that I really like, and there's this version by so and so. . .” It’s a personalized approach to repertoire that brings out the soul of this nostalgic music. 

The first El Arte del Bolero album was created quickly, in response to the need for a livestream concert during the pandemic. It was released as an album on January 8, 2021, with much of the world still in isolation. The Grammy Award-winning Volume 2 came out in 2023. With Volume 3, it’s officially a series. Listeners fell in love with the first two installments of this wonderful project; Volume 3 should be no different. 

Miguel Zenón is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, music producer and educator. He is a GRAMMY Award Winner, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Doris Duke Artist Award. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree in the Arts from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, Zenón has released nineteen albums and has collaborated with some of the great musicians and ensembles of his time including The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Mingus Big Band, and Bobby Hutcherson. As a composer, Zenón has been commissioned by NYO Jazz, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, Miller Theater, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet, Kinetic Ensemble and many of his peers. He has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Section at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Grammy Award winning pianist Luis Perdomo has released nine critically acclaimed recordings as a leader, and has appeared on over 250 recordings as a sideman. A native of Venezuela, Perdomo holds a bachelor's degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a master's degree from Queens College. He has performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists, such as Ravi Coltrane, Jerry Bergonzi, David Gilmore, Tom Harrell, Brian Lynch, Ray Barretto, Henry Threadgill, Ralph Irizarry, David Sanchez, The Cookers, George Garzone and The Vanguard Orchestra among others. A founding  member of the Miguel Zenón Quartet which has released numerous recordings, Perdomo has also collaborated with  Zenón on three duo recordings: El Arte del Bolero, which was nominated for both a Grammy and Latin Grammy in 2022; El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2, which received a 2024 Grammy Award, and El Arte del Bolero, Vol 3. In addition to keeping a busy performing schedule, Perdomo is active as a clinician and educator. He has taught at Queens College in NYC, Berklee College of Music, The New School, and is currently an associate professor of Jazz Piano at Oberlin Conservatory.  He is also on the faculty of the “Jazz in July” summer program at UMass Amherst.

Catalyst Quartet Releases UNCOVERED Vol. 4: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Catalyst Quartet Releases UNCOVERED Vol. 4: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

The Final Volume in the Quartet’s GRAMMY®-Nominated Series of Works by Historically Important Black Composers, Featuring the First Complete Recording of Bologne’s 18 String Quartets

Out Digitally on May 29, 2026 on Azica Records - Pre-Release Single – Op. 1 No. 3, Mvmt. 1 – Out May 8!

“one of the most worthwhile recording projects around, notable not just for the serious attention that the quartet is paying to Black composers who deserve it, but also for the excellence of their playing” – The New York Times

The GRAMMY®-nominated Catalyst Quartet releases UNCOVERED Volume 4: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges on Azica Records. The digital-only album is the fourth and final issue of a multi-volume anthology highlighting string quartet works by historically important Black composers, which aims to bring greater awareness and programming of their music. Volume 4 profiles French composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and features three distinct sets of six quartets, each composed at different times in Saint-Georges’s musical career. This marks the first-ever commercial recording of all 18 works together.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, composed 18 string quartets on this album, more than a dozen violin concertos, eight symphonies concertantes, and several operas, among other works. His memory, in turn, has inspired multiple books, recordings, and – most recently and uniquely – the 2022 feature film Chevalier. 

UNCOVERED Volume 4 opens with Saint-Georges’ concertante quartets, published in 1779. They have no opus number but bear the subtitle “aux gôut du jour” (in the style of the time), and are representative of early Parisian renditions of the 18th-century string quartet style most associated with Haydn.

Op. 14 was Saint-Georges’s last piece of instrumental music, and a unique departure from his focus on vocal music at the time. Published in 1785, the set is perhaps more mature and confident than Saint-Georges’s entries from the 1770s, and they show his experience writing flowing vocal lines in his operatic compositions. Unlike Haydn’s quartet, however, Saint-Georges’s quickly gives way to a rushing pattern in the violin in the relative major. The first movement of the final quartet, in G minor, features delightful interplay between the instruments, including a couple of soaring solos for the cello. This dynamic extends into the second movement before the set – and with it, Saint-Georges’s involvement with instrumental music and the string quartet – ends abruptly with an understated unison on the tonic.

The final set of string quartets featured on this album, Op. 1, was likely among Saint-Georges’ first output, written at the beginning of the 1770s and published in 1773. Like all of Saint-Georges’s string quartets, they are written in two movements. Each of the Op. 1 quartets features a spritely allegro first movement in sonata form and a more wandering rondeau second movement. Taken together, they offer a window into the soundworld of Parisian chamber music circles of the late eighteenth century. 

The first recording of a string quartet by Saint-Georges was released in 1974 as part of the Black Composers Series, produced by Columbia Records in association with the Afro-American Music Opportunities Association, an advocacy group founded by the pianist C. Edward Thomas. This set of eight records featured the work of major Black composers from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including other composers recorded by the Catalyst Quartet, like Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, and George Walker. The Black Composers Series was a feat: conductor Paul Freeman led top orchestras and featured illustrious soloists. Saint-Georges’s own Symphonie Concertante, Op. 13, for example, was performed by violinists Jaime Laredo and Miram Fried, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Saint-Georges’s first string quartet, Op. 1, No. 1, was also recorded on the Black Composer Series by none other than The Juilliard Quartet. Liner notes were written by the musicologist Dominique-René de Lerma, a unique figure who studied oboe with Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute of Music before becoming a leading scholar in the study of Black music. De Lerma had moreover reconstructed and edited many of the scores used for the album. In his notes, de Lerma identifies Saint-Georges’s early quartets as among the first to be published in France, alongside those of Gossec and Pierre Vachon. 

The Catalyst Quartet’s GRAMMY®-Nominated UNCOVERED series has endeavored to produce high-quality renditions of works that have been under-performed and under-recorded music by historically important Black composers. Volume 1, released February 2021, includes the string quartet and quintets of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Stewart Goodyear; Volume 2 features works by Florence B. Price; and Volume 3, released February 2023, features Coleridge-Taylor, Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker, and was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

Track List

1-12. Six Concertante Quartets – Saint-Georges

Concertante Quartet No. 1 in B-flat Major

I. Allegro assai [3:38]

II. Gratioso [3:02]

Concertante Quartet No. 2 in G minor

I. Adagio [3:03]

II. Aria Andantino [5:35]

Concertante Quartet No. 3 in C Major

I. Allegro [4:43]

II. Rondeau-moderato [2:18]

Concertante Quartet No. 4 in F Major

I. Allegro [4:00]

II. Rondeau [2:07]

Concertante Quartet No. 5 in G Major

I. Allegro assai [4:22]

II. Gratioso [3:21]

Concertante Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major

I. Allegro [5:18]

II. Aria con variazione [3:12]

 

13-24. Op. 14 – Saint-Georges

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 1 in D Major

I. Movement 1 [7:19]

II. Andante, Aria con Variazioni [8:21]

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 2 in B-flat Major

I. Movement 1 [5:42]

I. Andante [4:12]

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 3 in F minor

I. Movement 1 [4:44]

I. Vivace [2:46]

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 4 in G Major

I. Movement 1 [7:21]

I. Tempo di Minuetto [2:37]

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 5 in E-flat Major

I. Movement 1 [6:13]

II. Tempo di Minuetto [4:18]

String Quartet Op. 14, No. 6 in G minor

I. Movement 1 [6:39]

I. Allegro [2:48]

 

25-36. Op. 1 – Saint-Georges

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 1 in C Major

I. Allegro Assai [4:30]

II. Rondeau [1:58]

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 2 in E-flat Major

I. Allegro [4:51]

II. Rondeau [2:12]

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 3 in G minor

I. Allegro [3:20]

II. Rondeau [1:33]

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 4 in C minor

I. Allegro Moderato [4:45]

II. Rondeau [2:21]

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 5 in G minor

I. Allegro [4:27]

I. Rondeau [2:53]

String Quartet Op. 1, No. 6 in D Major

I. Allegro Assai [6:08]

II. Rondeau [3:07]

Total Time: 2:29:44

ACD-71394

Producer and Recording Engineer: Alan Bise

Concertante Quartets recorded at Purchase College in June 2024

Op. 1 & 14 recorded at Drew University in June 2025

Cover Image and Graphic Design: Louise Mandumbwa

About Catalyst Quartet

Hailed by The New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Catalyst Quartet was founded by the Sphinx Organization in 2010. The ensemble (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagines their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.

The Catalyst Quartet, known for “perfect ensemble unity” and “unequaled class of execution” (Lincoln Journal Star), has toured widely throughout the United States and abroad, including sold-out performances at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., at Chicago’s Harris Theater, Miami’s New World Center, and Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York. The quartet has served as guest soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony, New Haven Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, and has served as principal players and featured ensemble with the Sphinx Organization’s featured ensemble, the Sphinx Virtuosi, on six national tours. They have been invited to perform at important music festivals such as Mainly Mozart in San Diego, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Sitka Music Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics, Strings Music Festival, and the Grand Canyon Music Festival, where they appear annually. The Catalyst Quartet was ensemble-in-residence at the Vail Dance Festival in 2016, and in the 2021-22 season, they were in residence with San Francisco Performances, where they presented the complete series of works from their Uncovered Project. In 2014, they opened the Festival del Sole in Napa, California, with Joshua Bell and participated in England’s Aldeburgh Music Foundation String Quartet Residency with two performances in Jubilee Hall. In 2022, the Catalyst Quartet was named ensemble in residence for the Chamber Music Northwest Festival in Portland and for the Met Museum's Met LiveArts series in NYC. 

Recent seasons have brought international engagements in Cuba, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Puerto Rico, and expanded tours throughout the United States. The ensemble’s New York City presence has included concerts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, for Schneider Concerts at The New School, for Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series, at the 92nd Street Y, and six concerts with GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant for Jazz at Lincoln Center, for which the subsequent recording won the 2018 GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. The Catalyst Quartet launched its New York concert series CQ@Howl in 2018.

Highlights of past collaborations include Encuentros, featuring a commissioned work by innovative Cuban composer Jorge Amado Molina and other voices from across the Cuban diaspora; (Im)migration: Music of Change, a collaboration with the Imani Winds; and CQ Minute, a commissioning project of 10 miniature string quartets in commemoration of the quartet’s 10th anniversary with works by Andy Akiho, Kishi Bashi, Billy Childs, Paquito D’Rivera, Tania Leon, Jessie Montgomery, Kevin Puts, Caroline Shaw, Joan Tower, and two young composers selected from a national call for scores. The quartet premiered Passage, a chamber ballet by Jessie Montgomery in celebration of Dance Theater of Harlem on their 50th anniversary, with Kennedy Center honoree Tania Leon, and was ensemble-in-residence for the Vail International Dance Festival, where they collaborated with members of the Silkroad Ensemble and some of the finest dancers in the world. 

Catalyst Quartet’s largest ongoing project, UNCOVERED, is a multi-volume set of albums on Azica Records that celebrates important composers of color whose works have been overlooked by the traditional canon. Volume 1, released February 2021, includes the string quartet and quintets of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Stewart Goodyear. Volume 2 featured works by Florence B. Price, and Volume 3, released in February 2023, featured Coleridge-Taylor, Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker, and was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

The Catalyst Quartet’s recordings span the ensemble’s scope of interests and artistry. Its debut album, The Bach/Gould Project, features the quartet’s own collaborative arrangement of J.S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations, the first ever 4-voiced version of the piece, paired with Glenn Gould’s rarely heard String Quartet Op. 1. The ensemble can also be heard on Strum (Azica 2015), the solo debut album of composer Jessie Montgomery, who was a member violinist from 2012-2020; Bandoneón y cuerdas (Progressive Sounds 2017), tango-inspired music for string quartet and bandoneon by JP Jofre; and Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue Records 2017), a 2-CD GRAMMY®-winning album with Cecile McLorin Salvant. 

The Catalyst Quartet combines a serious commitment to diversity and education with a passion for contemporary works. The ensemble has served as principal faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. The Catalyst Quartet’s ongoing residencies include interactive performance presentations and workshops with Native American student composers at the Grand Canyon Music Festival. Past residencies have included concerts and masterclasses at The University Of Michigan, University Of Washington, Rice University’s Shepard School of Music, Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, The Virginia Arts Festival, and Pennsylvania State University, and internationally at the In Harmony Project in England, The University of South Africa, and The Teatro De Bellas Artes in Cali, Colombia. The ensemble’s residency in Havana, Cuba for the Cuban American Youth Orchestra in January 2019, was the first by an American string quartet since the revolution.

The Catalyst Quartet members hold degrees from The Cleveland Institute of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory. The Catalyst Quartet proudly endorses Pirastro strings. 

Pro Arte Musical presenta al guitarrista clásico puertorriqueño Juan Pablo Lugo en la Serie Nuevos Virtuosos Fili G. Gill 2026.

VAIVÉN: RITMOS DE LATINOAMÉRICA

Pro Arte Musical presenta al guitarrista clásico puertorriqueño Juan Pablo Lugo en la Serie Nuevos Virtuosos Fili G. Gill 2026.

San Juan, Puerto Rico – Como parte de la Serie Nuevos Virtuosos Fili G. Gill 2026, Pro Arte Musical presenta al joven guitarrista clásico puertorriqueño Juan Pablo Lugo en el concierto Vaivén: Ritmos de Latinoamérica, el viernes 12 de junio de 2026, a las 7:30 p.m., en la Sala Jesús María Sanromá del Teatro Bertita y Guillermo L. Martínez del Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico en Miramar.

El concierto ofrecerá un recorrido por el repertorio latinoamericano para guitarra clásica de los siglos XX y XXI, destacando la riqueza rítmica, melódica y cultural de compositores de América Latina y el Caribe. El programa incluirá obras emblemáticas como Tres Apuntes y Elogio de la Danza del compositor cubano Leo Brouwer; los célebres Cinco Preludios del brasileño Heitor Villa-Lobos; Sonatina Meridional del mexicano Manuel Ponce; así como piezas de compositores puertorriqueños y latinoamericanos contemporáneos como Juan Sorroche, Ernesto Cordero y Leonardo Egúrbida.

El concierto contará además con la participación especial de la flautista Nadira Novruzov en las obras Triptych de Clarice Assad y Bambuleá de Johanny Navarro, aportando una dimensión camerística y contemporánea al repertorio de la noche.

Nacido en San Juan, Puerto Rico, en 2003, Juan Pablo Lugo inició su formación musical a los nueve años. A los doce ingresó a la Escuela Preparatoria del Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, donde comenzó estudios formales de guitarra, teoría y solfeo. Posteriormente cursó un bachillerato en ejecución de guitarra clásica en dicha institución bajo la tutela del guitarrista, compositor y profesor Alberto Rodríguez Ortiz, graduándose Magna Cum Laude.

Durante su desarrollo artístico, Lugo ha participado en importantes escenarios y programas musicales internacionales. En 2022 formó parte del “Camino Artes Guitar Workshop” en España, dirigido por el reconocido guitarrista René Izquierdo. En 2023 se presentó junto a Izquierdo en el Festival Casals y tuvo el honor de compartir escenario con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico en un concierto homenaje al compositor puertorriqueño Amaury Veray.

El joven guitarrista fue galardonado en 2025 con el prestigioso Premio Roberto I. Ferdman y el Premio María Zeno Annexy, otorgados anualmente por Pro Arte Musical. Actualmente cursa estudios de maestría en la prestigiosa Yale School of Music, en New Haven, Connecticut, donde continúa perfeccionando su técnica y sensibilidad musical.

“Este año ha sido de mucho crecimiento para mí”, expresa Juan Pablo Lugo. “Estoy muy entusiasmado de poder presentar un programa completamente latinoamericano en mi alma mater y ante el público puertorriqueño. Los invito a todos a acompañarme, prometo será una noche especial”.

Desde 1992, Pro Arte Musical presenta anualmente la Serie Nuevos Virtuosos en honor a su exdirectora Fili G. Gill, con el propósito de celebrar el talento y los logros de jóvenes intérpretes menores de 30 años -locales e internacionales- que comienzan a destacarse en la escena musical global. La serie reafirma el compromiso de la institución con el desarrollo artístico de las nuevas generaciones y con la difusión de la excelencia musical en Puerto Rico.

“Juan Pablo Lugo representa el compromiso, la excelencia y el virtuosismo de una nueva generación de músicos puertorriqueños que se destacan dentro y fuera de Puerto Rico. Su trayectoria y sensibilidad artística lo convierten en un digno representante de la Serie Nuevos Virtuosos”, expresó Karen Schneck Malaret, directora ejecutiva de Pro Arte Musical.

Los boletos para el concierto Vaivén: Ritmos de Latinoamérica están disponibles en Ticketera. Para información adicional, comuníquese al (787) 722-3366, o escriba un correo electrónico a: proarte@proartemusical.com.

Sobre Pro Arte Musical

Pro Arte Musical es la organización cultural sin fines de lucro de mayor antigüedad dedicada a la promoción y difusión de la música clásica en Puerto Rico. Fundada en 1932, Pro Arte Musical ha dejado una huella profunda en el desarrollo cultural del país. Por 94 años, la organización ha cultivado el gusto por el repertorio clásico y la excelencia musical, promoviendo el acceso a la música de cámara, la ópera y otros géneros clásicos y de concierto, a la vez que aporta excelencia al ambiente cultural de Puerto Rico, al presentar a virtuosos exponentes del jazz, world music y la danza en las principales salas de concierto. 

La misión de Pro Arte Musical también se extiende a la juventud y las comunidades, mediante programas educativos orientados al desarrollo musical y artístico de nuevas generaciones y fomentando el aprecio por la música y las artes musicales entre el público general. Visite nuestra página web en: www.proartemusical.com

El sonido de Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead debuta en la Isla, en un concierto estelar junto al destacado percusionista puertorriqueño Henry Cole.

Cole & Barber: Jazz Contemporáneo en San Juan

El sonido de Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead debuta en la Isla, en un concierto estelar junto al destacado percusionista puertorriqueño Henry Cole.

Pro Arte Musical presenta al baterista, compositor y educador Jonathan Barber junto a su grupo de jazz Vision Ahead, el sábado 16 de mayo de 2026 a las 7:30 p.m., en el Teatro de la Universidad Interamericana, Recinto Metro. El concierto contará con la presentación estelar del baterista puertorriqueño Henry Cole, en un encuentro que reúne a dos figuras clave del jazz contemporáneo.

Reconocido por la revista Modern Drummer como “#1 Up-and-Coming Drummer” y distinguido como Baterista de Jazz del Año 2026 en los Drumeo Awards, Barber se posiciona entre los intérpretes más destacados del jazz actual. Su propuesta se sitúa en la vanguardia del modern jazz, integrando improvisación libre y una síntesis de géneros como el góspel, soul, rock, R&B y fusión eléctrica, en un lenguaje de gran intensidad expresiva. Al frente de su quinteto, Vision Ahead, ha consolidado un repertorio propio reflejado en cinco producciones discográficas: Vision Ahead (2018), Legacy Holder (2020), Live at Jazz Standard (2020), Poetic (2022) e In Motion (2024).

Henry Cole, por su parte, es baterista, compositor y educador ganador del Premio Grammy, originario de Mayagüez, cuyo trabajo vincula tradiciones afro-puertorriqueñas, indígenas y europeas con el jazz contemporáneo. Reconocido por su estilo provocador y diferente, Cole ha definido por más de dos décadas la arquitectura rítmica del jazz latino moderno en escenarios globales.

“Este concierto forma parte del Jazz Touring Network del Mid Atlantic Arts, auspiciado por el National Endowment for the Arts, una iniciativa que impulsa el desarrollo, la diversidad y la difusión del jazz en la región y refuerza nuestra misión institucional de presentar experiencias musicales de primer nivel. Reunir a Jonathan Barber y a Henry Cole nos permite ofrecer al público una experiencia de alto calibre que articula proyección internacional y talento local en un mismo escenario”, expresó Karen Schneck Malaret, directora ejecutiva de Pro Arte Musical.

Para su participación especial en el concierto, y como tributo a grandes cantantes, Cole presentará Henry Cole: Solo, un proyecto que nace de su interés por traducir las palabras en ritmos. En esta propuesta, transforma algunas de sus canciones favoritas en versiones a cappella, lo que le permite construir e improvisar un nuevo acompañamiento en percusión que dialoga con la letra, el fraseo y la energía vocal, sin estar atado a patrones o géneros específicos. El repertorio integrará canciones de artistas como Tego Calderón, Ismael Rivera, Cano Estremera, Niña Pastori, Chamaco Ramírez y Chabuca Granda, entre otros, reinterpretadas desde una perspectiva rítmica. El resultado es una versión de cada canción que evoluciona en cada interpretación: una propuesta de gran libertad, sostenida por un pulso sólido y profundidad emocional.

Sobre su visita a la Isla, Jonathan Barber destacó: “La música es una forma de conectar y servir a los demás; cada concierto es una oportunidad para compartir algo significativo con el público”, a la vez que expresó su entusiasmo por debutar en Puerto Rico. “Por su parte, Henry Cole expresó: ‘Es un honor formar parte de la temporada de conciertos de Pro Arte Musical, la organización cultural más antigua de Puerto Rico, que ha sido un referente del más alto nivel de excelencia musical. Me enorgullece representar el talento local en una noche que reúne a dos bateristas líderes.”

Los boletos para este concierto de Jazz Contemporáneo en el Teatro de la Universidad Interamericana Recinto Metro están disponibles en Ticketera.

Henry Cole Videos: https://henry-cole.com/on-drums

YouTube Jonathan Barber: https://www.youtube.com/@jonathanbarberlive8274/videos

Sobre Pro Arte Musical:

Pro Arte Musical es la organización cultural sin fines de lucro más antigua dedicada a la promoción y difusión de la música clásica y de concierto en Puerto Rico. Fundada en 1932, ha dejado una huella importante en el desarrollo cultural del país. A lo largo de 94 años, la organización ha cultivado el aprecio por el repertorio clásico y el acceso al público a la música de cámara, la ópera y otros géneros en las principales salas de concierto del País. Su misión también se extiende al impacto en la comunidad y a la formación de nuevas generaciones, mediante la concesión de becas y programas educativos dirigidos al desarrollo musical y artístico de la juventud. Visite nuestra página web en: www.proartemusical.com. Para más información sobre los conciertos de la Temporada 2025-2026 o sobre las membresías de Pro Arte Musical, llame al (787) 722-3366 o escriba a: proarte@proartemusical.com.

Barcelona Art Orchestra & Miguel Zenón explore the many faces of human expression in new large-scale work

Barcelona Art Orchestra & Miguel Zenón explore the many faces of human expression in new large-scale work

Expressions – Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, a collective composition by four leading voices of the Barcelona jazz scene, to be released June 26, 2026 on Miel Music

The Barcelona Art Orchestra joins forces with acclaimed alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón for Expressions – Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, a large-scale work exploring the many dimensions of human expression through the dialogue between soloist and ensemble. The album will be released June 26, 2026 on Miel Music, Zenón’s record label.

Structured in four movements, Expressions reflects contrasting emotional states — ranging from silence and whispering to song, lament and outcry. Each movement has been composed by one of the orchestra’s artistic directors — Néstor Giménez, Lluc Casares, Joan Vidal and Lluís Vidal — forming a collective work that embodies the ensemble’s collaborative identity.

Part I: Silenci / Xiscle – Néstor Giménez

Part II: Canta / Parla – Lluc Casares

Part III: Xiuxiueig / Esglai – Joan Vidal

Part IV: Lament / Crit – Lluís Vidal

Conceived specifically for Zenón’s distinctive voice on the alto saxophone, the piece places the soloist in constant interaction with the orchestra, moving fluidly between lyrical intimacy and moments of heightened intensity. The music blends improvisation, contemporary jazz language and chamber-like textures, creating a sonic landscape that is both structured and open.

At the core of the project lies the Barcelona Art Orchestra’s collective approach to composition and performance. Rather than centering on a single authorial voice, Expressions emerges from the intersection of multiple perspectives, shaped by the individual identities of its members while forming a unified artistic statement.

Founded by Lluís Vidal, Néstor Giménez, Lluc Casares and Joan Vidal, the Barcelona Art Orchestra was conceived as a collaborative platform for large ensemble creation within the Catalan jazz scene, bringing together musicians from different generations and artistic backgrounds.

Since its inception, the ensemble has developed a diverse body of work that reflects its exploratory and interdisciplinary spirit. Through a growing body of projects, the orchestra has steadily expanded its artistic identity, revisiting musical traditions while fostering new forms of collective creation.

Ragtime Stories (2022), its debut recording, reimagines early jazz traditions through contemporary compositional approaches, while albums such as Les Filles de Lilit further explore multidisciplinary formats that integrate music with stage creation. Other projects include Serratologia, a large-scale reinterpretation of the music of Joan Manuel Serrat; Osmosi, released as a multimedia album combining live drawing, stop-motion animation and big band composition, in which visual creation and improvisation unfold in real time through a dialogue between artist and musicians; and Música Laietana, which revisits the legacy of Barcelona’s influential 1970s jazz-rock movement through a contemporary lens, alongside a reworking of Nino Rota’s score for The Godfather.

Through these projects, the Barcelona Art Orchestra has established itself as a distinctive voice within the European large ensemble landscape, combining composition, improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration as central elements of its artistic vision.

The collaboration with Miguel Zenón adds another dimension to this trajectory. Widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz, Zenón brings a rare combination of technical mastery and expressive depth, serving as both interpreter and catalyst within the ensemble. A Grammy Award winner, Doris Duke Artist and MacArthur Fellow, Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences.

Through Expressions, the Barcelona Art Orchestra further consolidates its artistic identity: a collective ensemble in which composition and improvisation, individuality and group expression coexist as part of a shared creative process.

31st Annual Jazz Journalists Association Awards Finalists Announced in 40 Categories of Excellence in Music-Making and Jazz Media

31st Annual Jazz Journalists Association Awards Finalists Announced in 40 Categories of Excellence in Music-Making and Jazz Media

Standard-bearers and avant-gardists, up-and-comers and a fresh generation of jazz recordings by composers, arrangers and soloists -- as well as journalists and media-makers bringing news and views, and books considering the art form with perspective -- are celebrated by the Jazz Journalists Association with publication of finalists for its 31stAnnual JJA Jazz Awards.

See more than 200 nominees in 40 categories, recognizing excellence in the career-long and recent music of vocalists and instrumentalists -- plus the journalists and media covering jazz.

Nominated for recognition with the JJA’s Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award are veteran pianist Kenny Barron, composer-educator-reeds virtuoso Anthony Braxton, standard-setting guitarist and educator Kenny Burrell, and master drummer Andrew Cyrille -- all artists in jazz for decades (and all clearly “winners,” having survived and thrived creating music of personal distinction). Nominees at earlier stages of their career paths vying for Up and Coming Artist of the Year are singers April Garner and Tyreek McDole, and reeds and winds players Nicole Glover and Alexa Tarantino. 

Nominated for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism are Nate Chinen, WRTI editorial director, author and host of The Gig; Dan Ouellette, author, columnist and blogger; Ben Ratliff, author, NYU professor, former New York Times jazz and pop critic; Zan Stewart, former jazz critic of the L.A. Times, author and active musician. Nominated books in two categories of awards include the autobiography of Billy Hart, writings of pianist Matthew Shipp, and Ricky Riccardi’s study of Louis Armstrong’s early years. 

Jazz Awards are also voted for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting and Photography, Photo of the Year, Album Art of the Year, Best Jazz Periodical (including websites), Best Blog, Best Podcast and and Best Streaming Production. 

JJA Awards finalists are those who received the most nominations in a first round of balloting, during which JJA professional members advanced three choices in each of 37 categories. Book of the Year, Photo of the Year, and Album Art of the Year nominees are pre-screened by JJA committees. Current voting ends May 1 at midnight, ET. Winners of the 31st annual JJA Jazz Awards will be announced May 5 at www.JJAJazzAwards.org. 

The JJA’s Jazz Awards follows the earlier April announcement of the organization’s 25th annual spotlight on activist Jazz Heroes in communities across the U.S. (and in London!) working behind the scenes to support the music. The JJA’s spring and summer programs -- including a Pre-International Jazz Day Media Meetup at Chicago’s historic Palmer House on April 29 -- are sponsored in part by Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts (which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), with ongoing sponsorship from the Jazz Foundation of America. 

JERSEY CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL 2026 FULL SCHEDULE AVAILABLE NOW

JERSEY CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL 2026 FULL SCHEDULE AVAILABLE NOW

Free Three-Day Waterfront Fest Expands as 

Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival Merges with Annual Event 

Featuring Global Talent and Family-Friendly Activites

JERSEY CITY, NJ -- The Jersey City Jazz Festival returns in 2026 with its biggest event yet, inviting music fans of all ages to experience jazz from across the spectrum including straight-ahead, Latin jazz and more throughout an unforgettable three-day celebration. Presented by Exchange Place Alliance, the free event runs from Friday evening, May 29 through Sunday, May 31 along the Hudson River waterfront at Exchange Place Plaza, offering sweeping views of lower Manhattan. Designed to welcome both locals and visitors, the Jersey City Jazz Festival continues to grow as a destination event that’s easy to reach via PATH train and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail for a day trip or a full weekend immersed in live music, culture and community.

Drawing more than 30,000 attendees annually, this year’s event will bring the Jersey City Jazz Festival together with the Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival for the very first time and extend the music into a three-day experience that reflects the full spectrum of jazz.

Performances will take place across multiple stages, creating a dynamic, open atmosphere where audiences can move freely between styles, sounds and spontaneous musical moments. Known as a true “musician’s hang", the festival fosters an environment where artists connect, collaborate and celebrate their craft in a relaxed, welcoming setting.

Beyond the music, attendees can explore a curated artisan marketplace, enjoy a wide selection of food trucks and take part in the Community Zone, which features free activities for children along with interactive dance classes for all ages.

This year’s lineup brings together acclaimed international performers, standout New York City talent and rising voices shaping the future of jazz:

· Andromeda Turre

· Alex Wagner & Alex DeLazzari Quintet 

· Bobby Sanabria & Ascension

· Charlie Sigler Organ Band

· Chembo Corniel Quintet

· Chicha Libre

· Dave Kikoski Quartet featuring Billy Hart, Steve Nelson, & Joe Martin

· Honk NYC!

· Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra

· Joe Lovano “Trio Tapestry” featuring Marilyn Crispell & Carmen Castaldi

· John Benitez and Revolution

· Melvis Santa & Jazz Orishas

· Moses Patrou

· Nate Smith

· Nelson Gonzalez

· Saha Gnawa

· The Eddie Palmieri Experience feat. special guests Conrad Herwig, Jimmy Bosch, and Zaccai Curtis presented by Louis Fouché & Luques Curtis

Leading up to the main event, a pre-festival Jazz Week offers a series of ticketed performances across Jersey City venues, providing an intimate prelude to the waterfront celebration, including:

· May 26

o Emily Braden at The Junto

o Tim Berne 4 at Pet Shop

o Nobuki Takamen Trio at 87 Sussex  

· May 27

o Champian Fulton at The Junto

o Ian Kenselaar Jam Session at Pet Shop

o LaMP and Beninghove’s Hangmen at White Eagle Hall

o Seg March & Live in the Garden Jam at Sip Studios Presents

· May 28

o Brooklyn Circle at Pet Shop

o Lezlie Harrison at The Junto

o Swingadelic at Brennan Courthouse

o Edmar Castaneda at The Statuary

· The Roy Hargrove Band

· Tim Berne 6

· Winard Harper & Jeli Posse

· Riverview Jazz All-Stars

· NJCU Jazz Combo

· UCMP’s Latin Jazz Ensemble

Open to the public at no cost, the Jersey City Jazz Festival continues its mission of accessibility while offering options for those seeking enhanced experiences. Limited VIP packages are available, which include premium reserved seating, a private lounge, access to Jazz Alley, dedicated restrooms and an exclusive tote filled with festival merchandise and essentials for $200. Jazz Alley passes are also available, offering entry to a dedicated stage and bar area with additional performances (click HERE for Jazz Alley schedule). Pricing is $50 for a single day or $95 for the full weekend. 

This year’s Jersey City Jazz Festival is made possible through the generous support of Exchange Place Alliance, RWJ Barnabas Health, and supported in part by funding through the NJEDA’s A.R.T. - Phase II Grant Program, Chamber Music America, Jersey City Arts + Culture Trust Fund and the HCOCHA TD LAP Grant, as well as Community Zone partner the Jersey City Free Public Library, festival sponsor Fifteen, lodging partners Hyatt House and Hyatt Regency, and media partner WBGO.

 

About Riverview Jazz:

Riverview Jazz is a Jersey City-based non-profit organization that produces year-round world-class shows for the community, including the Jersey City Jazz Festival and the Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival. “Our goal is simple - We believe in throwing a damn good party for the people, but a party with some of the best musicians you’ll ever hear. That’s how we can engage our communities with the wonderfully diverse world of “jazz” for generations to come.” - Bryan Beninghove, Director, Riverview Jazz

 

De vuelta a casa la serie de conciertos “Solos, dúos y tríos”

De vuelta a casa la serie de conciertos  “Solos, dúos y tríos” 

Esta edición inicia con dos conciertos, un recital de guitarra y un dúo de piano y voz. 

[San Juan, Puerto Rico] La serie “Solos, dúos y tríos” regresa a su casa, la Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, donde inició como un proyecto particular previo a la pandemia. 

En esta primera mitad del año, la serie presentará dos conciertos –uno en abril y otro en mayo, comenzando el próximo 26 de abril a las 3:00 de la tarde con un concierto dominical a guitarra sola, a cargo del doctor Gerardo Miranda, joven puertorriqueño recién graduado del Eastman School of Music de la Universidad de Rochester en el 2025. 

El repertorio seleccionado para el primer espectáculo, titulado “Gerardo Miranda: Recital de guitarra clásica”, oscilará de lo clásico a la música latinoamericana hasta llegar a la puertorriqueña. 

El segundo concierto será el viernes, 8 de mayo a las 8:00 de la noche y constará de la presentación del disco “Serrat…en voz de mujer”, producido y dirigido por el pianista José Negroni y con la cantante Ana del Rocío como invitada estelar. Esta será la única presentación de este concierto en San Juan y toda el área metropolitana, ya que la gira de promoción se moverá principalmente en pueblos como Guayama y Mayagüez, entre otros fuera de la zona metro. 

El programa de “Serrat…en voz de mujer” incluirá el repertorio del disco homónimo, lanzado a través de un primer sencillo en marzo de este año, y constará de las canciones más emblemáticas de Serrat, así como poemas que el llamado “cantautor universal” inmortalizó. 

La serie “Solos, dúos y tríos” presenta conciertos de artistas solos, a dúo o tríos en el ambiente íntimo de la sala de actividades de la Fundación, entidad sin fines de lucro en ruta a su trigésimo aniversario. Se perfila como una iniciativa de recaudación de fondos para apoyar a artistas probados y también emergentes, a la vez que se apoya a la Fundación con cada función. 

La serie se presenta en la sede de la Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, ubicada en la Calle Fortaleza #56 del Viejo San Juan. Para información de boletos y acceso a los conciertos de esta serie, favor de comunicarse el (787)792-5000 o visitar los puestos de venta de Ticket Center, también disponibles por internet y redes sociales. 

“Solos, dúos y tríos” es producida por A+ Research-Creation, LLC. La serie recesará en verano y regresará con dos conciertos adicionales en la segunda mitad del año que se anunciarán eventualmente. 

Biografía de Gerardo Miranda 

 Comenzó sus estudios de guitarra a los 16 años con Carlos Ciuro en la Escuela de Bellas Artes en Carolina, Puerto Rico. Fue entonces admitido al Departamento de Música de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, donde estuvo bajo la tutela de Eduardo Valdés y Juan Sorroche. 

 En 2015, terminó su Bachillerato graduándose Magna Cum Laude y recibió además el Premio Augusto Rodríguez por su excelencia académica y artística. Para sus estudios de Maestría, asistió a la Manhattan School of Music, donde tuvo a Mark Delpriora como Maestro, graduándose en 2019 de esta institución. 

 A lo largo de su carrera, se ha presentado en lugares como el Teatro de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, el Conservatorio de Puerto Rico, el city hall de Nueva York, el Festival de Gastronomía en Canóvanas, la Interfaith Chapel de la Universidad de Rochester, Eastman House, el Washington Square Concert Series de Rochester, el Festival de Guitarra Clásica de Rochester, y ha organizado conciertos para organizaciones benéficas como el centro comunitario contra el cáncer en Gilda’s Club en Rochester, entre otros. 

 Ha colaborado con jóvenes guitarristas emergentes como Jesse Flowers, Mateusz Kowalski y Emiliano Verrino. Participó en clases magistrales para guitarristas de renombre mundial como David Russell, Rene Izquierdo, Antigoni Goni, Judicäel Perroy, Alvaro Pierri, Eduardo Fernández, Fabio Zanon, Allan Neave y Sergio Assad. 

 Finalizó sus estudios Doctorales en la Eastman School of Music de la Universidad de Rochester en el 2025, obteniendo un Performer’s Certificate de esta institución por su excelencia artística tras ser evaluado satisfactoriamente por un jurado. De aquí también tuvo la oportunidad de aprender de 4 profesores visitantes, durante un sabático del Profesor Nicholas Goluses, provenientes de reconocidos conservatorios, entre ellos Stephen Aaron del Oberlin Conservatory, Thomas Viloteau, quien fue profesor en el Peabody Institute, Dieter Hennings de la Universidad de Kentucky y Matthew Slotkin de la Universidad de Bloomsburg. 

 Gerardo Miranda es un pedagogo apasionado y tuvo la oportunidad de enseñar en escuelas comunitarias con Internal Creations en la ciudad de Nueva York y en escuelas públicas con Ezra Guitar, donde enseñó a estudiantes a partir de los cuatro (4) años. En la Universidad de Rochester, y al igual que en Eastman, impartió clases de Guitarra, clases grupales de Introducción a la Guitarra para estudiantes del River Campus, Historia y Literatura de la Guitarra y Armonía en el Diapasón en Eastman, todos los cuales se ofrecen tanto a estudiantes de Bachillerato como de posgrado. También domina el inglés, español, portugués y alemán. 

Biografía de José Negroni 

 @negronipiano 

 Negroni es músico, educador, productor y empresario que ha dedicado su vida al arte de la música, particularmente a través de una vibrante ejecución del piano. 

 Entre los educadores que marcaron su carrera vale mencionar primero al maestro de su pueblo natal, Juana Díaz en Puerto Rico, llamado Santiago Martínez. Igualmente, se hallan la leyenda viviente Papo Lucca y la profesora Alicia Morales, nieta del legendario pianista Noro Morales, Narciso Figueroa y el doctor Pedro Rojas. 

 Negroni cuenta con una identidad polifacética como empresario, pianista, director musical y compositor de música clásica, música latina, pop y jazz, aspectos que le permiten ser un creativo sin limitaciones, un gran visionario. Trabajó por una década como director creativo de SONY Music Publishing en Miami, Florida. Desde ahí, siempre abrió las puertas y colaboró con el crecimiento de quienes hoy son reconocidos como figuras claves en la composición popular latina. A su vez, es un artista y productor desprendido, que incluye en todas sus producciones a otros artistas y músicos invitados, noveles o experimentados, a quienes hace lucir con su capacidad de adaptación y musicalidad llena de puro romanticismo. 

 Negroni tiene una vasta experiencia como director musical y ha dirigido en muchas plazas e importantes teatros musicales y por largas temporadas a grandes cantantes de la música popular y clásica. Hace 25 años, Negroni y su hijo Nomar Negroni fundaron el proyecto Negroni’s Trio, que ya lleva 14 álbumes y tres nominaciones al Grammy©, entre otros reconocimientos. Negroni’s Trio ha sido invitado en diferentes temporadas a ser parte de la cartelera de diferentes festivales de música en Estados Unidos, Japón, España, Italia, América del Sur, América Latina y el Caribe. 

 Además de su experiencia como director musical y compositor, y de su trabajo en los negocios de la música con editoras y compañías de discos, su pasión por la educación es ineludible. Negroni, junto a su piano, ha ofrecido una serie de charlas y conciertos educativos en escuelas y universidades en Puerto Rico y el extranjero, en los que trasmite sus experiencias a nivel musical, profesional y personal. En estos conciertos, el pianista sorprende siempre por su virtuosismo y energía al interpretar obras de su autoría y estándares del repertorio latino y jazz. 

Biografía de Ana del Rocío 

 @anadelrociomusic 

 Desde pequeña, Ana del Rocío estuvo rodeada de este género musical a través de su padre, Antonio Carmona, guitarrista y cantaor flamenco natal de Cádiz, y su mamá, la bailaora Zulma Deli, quien tenía una academia de baile de flamenco. 

 En la adolescencia, empieza a cantar profesionalmente de la mano de su padre, pero más que tener la vena musical, ha estudiado a fondo el género y siente placer escuchando exponentes de flamenco para nutrirse de ellos. 

 La música es su profesión de vida y la ha llevado a escenarios en España, Estados Unidos y el Caribe.