Sam Torres
Sam Torres is a New York City/Baltimore based electroacoustic composer, saxophonist, and freelance audio engineer. He is interested in creating electroacoustic music that elegantly combines live interactive electronics with acoustic instruments, as opposed to pitting the instrument against the machine.
Tilted Arc, an electroacoustic duo with pianist Sophia Vastek; Stretto, Sam’s modern jazz quartet; and Little Wing, an 11-piece indie chamber ensemble are among Sam’s ongoing ensemble projects. In addition to these, Sam has written music for live electronics and saxophone, solo piano, and has performed on saxophone and electronics with various ensembles. He has been commissioned to write works for violin and electronics; a 42-piece high-school string ensemble, choral ensembles, and various other soloists and chamber ensembles. A graduate of the Horace Mann School, Sam earned his Bachelor’s degree in jazz performance in May of 2016 from Manhattan School of Music, where he has studied composition with Reiko Fueting and Todd Reynolds, electronic sound arts with Sam Pluta and David Adamcyk, and jazz saxophone with Donny McCaslin, Rich Perry, and Steve Wilson. Sam is currently Master’s student and Graduate Assistant fellow at the Peabody Institute, John Hopkins University, where he studies computer music composition with Geoffrey Wright.
Sam’s music has been performed in many house concerts and coffee shops in Baltimore and New York City, as well as at Thalia Theater at Symphony Space, Spectrum, University of Cape Town in South Africa, Arts Letters & Numbers, Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and Manhattan School of Music. As a saxophonist and woodwind doubler, Sam has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Spectrum, the RISD Museum, SMOKE, The Shrine, and others with Stretto, ensembles from Manhattan School of Music, New York Youth Symphony, New York Jazz Academy, and others. As an audio engineer or technical assistant, Sam has worked with Talea Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, Wet Ink Ensemble, Columbia University Composers, composer Michael Harrison, Music of Reality, pianist Sophia Vastek, and violinist Todd Reynolds in performances at the Dimenna Center, EMPAC, University of Chicago, MIT, and the Jewish Museum. Sam has been a technical assistant for compositions recorded by cellist Clarice Jensen, released on Miasmah Recordings, and Mari Kimura, released on New World Records.
Sam holds degrees in jazz saxophone performance from Manhattan School of Music and computer music composition from Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University.
Visiting artist at Arts Letters & Numbers Summer Workshop 2016, 2018 and Creative Music Intensives 2018-2019.
Website:
http://samtorresmusic.com