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.