Leading International Composers: Miguel Zenón

Miguel Zenón - “Yo Soy La Tradición” Miguel Zenón (b. 1976): Rosario Miguel Zenón (b. 1976): Cadenza Miguel Zenón (b. 1976): Promesa Miguel Zenón (b. 1976): Villalbeño Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo - “El Arte del Bolero” Jose Antonio Méndez (1927-1989), Arr. Miguel Zenón: La Gloria Eres Tu Manuel Alejandro (b. 1933), Arr. Miguel Zenón: Señora Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), Arr. Miguel Zenón: El Dia Que Me Quieras Carlos Brito Benavides (1891-1934), Arr. Miguel Zenón: Sombras Pablo Milanés (1943-2022), Arr. Miguel Zenón: Canción Presented in anticipation of The Phillips Collection’s summer 2027 exhibition on artist Juan Sánchez, Grammy-winning Puerto Rican alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón is the season’s second featured composer in Phillips Music’s Leading International Composers series. A friend of Sánchez, Zenón is joined by a string quartet and acclaimed pianist Luis Perdomo for selections from Zenón’s Yo Soy La Tradición, El Arte del Bolero, and an improvised response to an artwork by Sánchez. Rooted in Puerto Rican musical traditions and shaped by deep artistic collaboration, the program reflects the power of friendship, heritage, and creative exchange. Performers Miguel Zenón, saxophone Luis Perdomo, piano Grammy Winner, Doris Duke Artist and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel 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. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released eighteen recordings as a leader, including his latest, the Grammy-nominated Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard (2025) and the Grammy-winning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson. In April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution. In 2024 he received a Doris Duke Artist Award from the Doris Duke Foundation. Zenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year. As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council on the Arts, 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. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT. Zenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga and their daughter. Ever since he came to New York in 1993 from Venezuela, Luis Perdomo has emerged as one of the most in-demand sidemen – as evidenced by his celebrated work with a wide array of jazz and Latin stars – from Ravi Coltrane to Ray Barretto, and by his six critically- acclaimed recordings as a leader. The release of his magnificent new, Hot Tone label debut CD, 22, features bassist Mimi Jones’ supple, deep basslines and drummer Rudy Royston’s quicksilver rhythms, in a trio he christened The Controlling Ear Unit. “I wanted to create an environment where a sensitive player could make his own musical choices, without fear of the consequences,” Perdomo says. “The word ‘unit’ is appropriate because although the current group is a trio, it doesn’t really have to be restrained to that. It could have a different format, depending on what the music calls for.” On 22, save for his elegant rendition of the Bees Gees’ classic ballad “How Deep is Your Love,” Perdomo delivers a s