Raymond Torres-Santos
Encyclopedia
Raymond Torres-Santos is a Puerto Rican
born composer
and conductor
who has received international recognition for the quality of his musical compositions and great talents as a pianist, arranger, producer and conductor. He has been described as the most versatile Puerto Rican composer active in the 21st century by Malena Kuss in her book, Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: an Encyclopedic History. His multifaceted career encompasses amazing wide range of musical talents as a composer, conductor, educator, pianist and arranger, equally at home in both classical and popular music.
Dr. Torres-Santos earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
and the University of Puerto Rico
. Later he completed graduate studies at UCLA earning M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in music composition, music theory and literature. In addition, Torres-Santos completed post doctoral studies in Europe
. First at the Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Germany; later at the Uhiversity of Padua, Italy. Further post-doctoral studies include those at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, Eastman School of Music and Harvard University.
Torres-Santos was considered a prodigious child, since he started performing professionally while in elementary school. While at college, he started his musical career as a pianist and arranger for the Puerto Rico Orchestra, Los Hispanos and the Mario Ortiz Orchestra at the Caribe Hilton Hotel, where he accompanied world class performers, such as: Chita Rivera
, Robert Goulet
, Dianne Carroll and The Stylistics
.
As an arranger, he has worked alongside many artists, including Julio Iglesias
, Danny Rivera
, Ednita Nazario
, Elvis Crespo
, Placido Domingo
, Andrea Bocelli, Angela Gheorghiu, Ana Maria Martinez and Juan Luis Guerra . He was the first Puerto Rican to receive the Frank Sinatra
Award in jazz composing and arranging and also the Henry Mancini Award in film scoring in Los Angeles. Torres-Santos has also received other awards from many organizations, including ASCAP, BMI
, Meet the Composer, American Composers Forum, the American Music Center in New York.
Torres-Santos has maintained a prolific artistic career while at the same time developing his career as a music educator.
After completing his doctoral studies, Torres-Santos became a music professor at various colleges including California State University,San Bernardino, University of Puerto Rico and was appointed Chancellor of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Torres-Santos has lived in the New York City area. He was a professor at City University of New York (CUNY) for 6 years. In June, 2008, Torres-Santos was appointed Dean of the College of the Arts and Communication of William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey; and in 2011 appointed Dean of the College of the Arts at California State University, Long Beach.
He has traveled extensively both to perform as a musician and conductor and as a guest speaker at international events, such as the 28th and 29th International Conferences of the International Society for Music Education held in Bologna, Italy in July, 2008; and in Beijing, China in July 2010.
Chamber Music Society; “Jersey Polyphony”, commissioned by the American Composer Forum Continental Harmony Project; "Danza" commissioned by the Casals Festival; "La cancion de las Antillas" commissioned by the Puerto Rico Symphony; and “Juris Oratorio” commissioned by the University of Puerto Rico
. Other orchestral works include: "El Pais de los Cuatro Pisos", a symphonic poem; and "Sinfonia del Milenio" a symphonic tour of history from creation to present times in an audiovisual format.
Featured at the Casals Festival, World Fair in Seville, Venice Biennale and Op Sail 2000, his music has been used for television and radio programs, and choreographed by dance companies.
pianist in Los Angeles, he has worked with the likes of Maynard Ferguson
, Freddie Hubbard
, Bobby Shaw, and Tito Puente
.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
born composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who has received international recognition for the quality of his musical compositions and great talents as a pianist, arranger, producer and conductor. He has been described as the most versatile Puerto Rican composer active in the 21st century by Malena Kuss in her book, Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: an Encyclopedic History. His multifaceted career encompasses amazing wide range of musical talents as a composer, conductor, educator, pianist and arranger, equally at home in both classical and popular music.
Overview
Dr. Raymond Torres-Santos, is currently the Dean of the College of the Arts (Music, Film, Theater, Design, Dance, Art) at California State University, Long Beach (Los Angeles County) and previously Dean of the College of Arts and Communication at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.Dr. Torres-Santos earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...
and the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. Later he completed graduate studies at UCLA earning M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in music composition, music theory and literature. In addition, Torres-Santos completed post doctoral studies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. First at the Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Germany; later at the Uhiversity of Padua, Italy. Further post-doctoral studies include those at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, Eastman School of Music and Harvard University.
Torres-Santos was considered a prodigious child, since he started performing professionally while in elementary school. While at college, he started his musical career as a pianist and arranger for the Puerto Rico Orchestra, Los Hispanos and the Mario Ortiz Orchestra at the Caribe Hilton Hotel, where he accompanied world class performers, such as: Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
, Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
, Dianne Carroll and The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
.
As an arranger, he has worked alongside many artists, including Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera
Danny Rivera is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who was born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well-known in Puerto Rico for his political activism.-Musical career:...
, Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
, Elvis Crespo
Elvis Crespo
Elvis Crespo , is a Puerto Rican-American Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning Merengue singer.-Early years:Crespo was born in New York City and was named "Elvis" after Elvis Presley...
, Placido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, Andrea Bocelli, Angela Gheorghiu, Ana Maria Martinez and Juan Luis Guerra . He was the first Puerto Rican to receive the Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
Award in jazz composing and arranging and also the Henry Mancini Award in film scoring in Los Angeles. Torres-Santos has also received other awards from many organizations, including ASCAP, BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
, Meet the Composer, American Composers Forum, the American Music Center in New York.
Torres-Santos has maintained a prolific artistic career while at the same time developing his career as a music educator.
After completing his doctoral studies, Torres-Santos became a music professor at various colleges including California State University,San Bernardino, University of Puerto Rico and was appointed Chancellor of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Torres-Santos has lived in the New York City area. He was a professor at City University of New York (CUNY) for 6 years. In June, 2008, Torres-Santos was appointed Dean of the College of the Arts and Communication of William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey; and in 2011 appointed Dean of the College of the Arts at California State University, Long Beach.
He has traveled extensively both to perform as a musician and conductor and as a guest speaker at international events, such as the 28th and 29th International Conferences of the International Society for Music Education held in Bologna, Italy in July, 2008; and in Beijing, China in July 2010.
Compositions
Torres-Santos catalog of compositions include orchestral, electronic and vocal music for the concert hall, ballet, film, theater, television and radio. In recent years his versatility and music has attracted audiences in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the United States. He has received commissions to compose many of his works, such as the “1898 Overture” commissioned by the Puerto Rico Government’s 1998 Centennial Commission; “Conversations with Silence”, commissioned for the New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Chamber Music Society; “Jersey Polyphony”, commissioned by the American Composer Forum Continental Harmony Project; "Danza" commissioned by the Casals Festival; "La cancion de las Antillas" commissioned by the Puerto Rico Symphony; and “Juris Oratorio” commissioned by the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
. Other orchestral works include: "El Pais de los Cuatro Pisos", a symphonic poem; and "Sinfonia del Milenio" a symphonic tour of history from creation to present times in an audiovisual format.
Performances
His works have been performed and/or commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra, Warsaw Conservatory of Music Chorus and Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Reading Orchestra, Queens Symphony, North Massachusetts Philharmonic, Soria Symphony (Spain), the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra; the (national) symphony orchestras of London, Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto, Taipei, Virginia, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic; Youth Symphony of the Americas, American Youth Symphony, Bronx Arts Ensemble, Continuum, New Jersey Chamber Music Society, West Point Woodwind Quintet, Newark Boys Choir, North Jersey Philharmonic Glee Club, North/South Consonance, Quintet of the Americas, Voix-Touche, the orchestras of London, Vienna, Taipei, Virginia, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, as well as many other independent groups in the USA, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Argentina.Featured at the Casals Festival, World Fair in Seville, Venice Biennale and Op Sail 2000, his music has been used for television and radio programs, and choreographed by dance companies.
Recordings
Among his major recordings of his works are: La Canción de las Antillas, recorded by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in 1990; Requiem, released in 1997 and featuring mezzo-soprano Ilca Lopez and baritone Rafael Cotto; and Fantasia Caribeña, recorded by the San Juan Pops Orchestra in 2000. His music arrangements have been recorded by Sony Music (Classical and Pop).Piano
As a studio and jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist in Los Angeles, he has worked with the likes of Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Bobby Shaw, and Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
.