Saxophonist, composer, educator, and curator, Michael Rene Torres, currently serves as Lecturer of Saxophone at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and Instructor of Saxophone and Composition at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble (CODE); a contemporary music ensemble that is dedicated to the promotion, performance, and perception of new music in Central Ohio. Additionally, Michael is an Advisory Board member of the Johnstone Fund for New Music which advances the performance of new music for the benefit of the Central Ohio community and is an Executive Committee member of the Society of Composers, Inc. as the Co-Editor for the bimonthly national SCI Newsletter. Michael has presented recitals, clinics, and masterclasses at conferences and universities throughout the USA. As an advocate of contemporary music, Michael has commissioned and premiered several works for the concert saxophone and is an active chamber musician as a member of the Tower Duo with flutist, Erin Helgeson Torres. Tower Duo specializes in creating engaging musical experiences and commissioning new concert works to advance the growing repertoire of the flute and saxophone duet. Michael’s compositional interests are in chamber music that explores the juxtaposition of consonance and dissonance and is often inspired by psychology. He is a winner of the 2015 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for composition and the 2015 Greater Columbus Arts Council Composition Fellowship. Michael served as Assistant Dean of Students at the Brevard Music Center Festival and Institute (2010-2015), Instructor of Music at Ohio Dominican University (2014-2015), Assistant Event Coordinator for The Ohio State University Contemporary Music Festival (2010-2012), and as the General Manager of the 2013 National Conference of the Society of Composers, Inc. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University (DMA-saxophone, MM-composition), Northwestern University (MM-saxophone), and Stetson University (BME-education). He has studied saxophone with James Bishop, Frederick L. Hemke, James Hill, and Joseph Lulloff and studied composition with Thomas Wells and Kari Juusela. Michael is a Conn-Selmer Endorsing Artist and performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones. For more information, visit: www.michaelrenetorres.weebly.com
Compositions
Attentional Control for Wind Quartet (2015) refers to an individual's capacity to choose what they pay attention to and what they ignore; an individuals's ability to concentrate. Attentional Control was commissioned and premiered by the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble at Wild Goose Creative in Columbus, OH.
Our Lady of Paris for Solo Flute (2012) represents the composer's visit to Notre Dame de Paris in March of 2012. The faster, more aggressive moments resemble the imposing architectural features of the cathedral, both geometric and ornamental, while the more lyrical moments feature the beauty found within the cathedral. The work is dedicated to and was premiered by flutist, Erin Helgeson Torres.
Elegy for Eurydice for Solo Alto Saxophone (2009) is a reference to the Greek mythological characters Orpheus and his wife Eurydice. In the myth, Eurydice dies from a fatal snake wound. Orpheus, tormented by his loss, travels to Hades and persuades Pluto, god of the underworld, to rescue Eurydice from death. The single condition of her return was that Orpheus did not turn around and look at her as she followed him out of the Underworld. In a brief moment of weakness and doubt, Orpheus glanced back to see his love only to watch her vanish forever. Each movement of Elegy for Eurydice is a glimpse into Orpheus' emotional state while he experiences the five stages of grief as he copes with the second and final loss of his wife. The pitch material of Elegy for Eurydice was generated by using a form of soggetto cavato (the conversion of text or vowels into pitches), so that the rows formed from the title of each movement are used in conjunction with rows created by the names "Orpheus" and "Eurydice," establishing a unique sound for each stage of grief. Multiphonics, a central reoccurring theme between movements, are used to convey moments of great anguish and tension. Elegy for Eurydice was premiered by the composer.
Sextet for Winds (2013) is an homage to composer, Igor Stravinsky, whose music has had a large influence on my art. Written for the traditional woodwind quintet with the addition of the alto saxophone, the piece is a two movement work (I. Intervallic Construct and II. Rhythmic Construct) that uses intervallic relationships and rhythmic motifs to explore the timbral and melodic possibilities of these instruments. The work was commissioned by clarinetist, Justin Johnston and was premiered by the xYz Quintet.