The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) will kick off summer concerts with “Danzas Sinfónicas,” a program highlighting the rhythmic and expressive power of Latin American symphonic music, on Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. at Woolsey Hall. Under the direction of Music Director Perry So, the concert will feature internationally renowned trumpet soloist Pacho Flores, a three-time Latin GRAMMY nominee making his highly anticipated NHSO debut.

Celebrating Latin America’s rich musical and dance traditions, the concert will feature elegant Cuban danzón in Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2, energetic tango in Daniel Freiberg’s Historias de Flores y Tangos, and Andean folk influences in Gabriela Lena Frank’s Escaramuza. Silvestre Revueltas’s Sensemayá will pulse with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Alberto Ginastera’s Four Dances from Estancia will evoke the powerful malambo dance of Argentina’s pampas. 

Music Director Perry So says: “We open our summer programming with a blockbuster concert constructed from the powerful symphonic repertoire of our closest geographical neighbors – Latin America. Dance music is everywhere on the program, and the essence of this music is how carefully poised it is between dance on the one hand and impeccable artistry on the other. I am always initially drawn into this music by the driving rhythms and soaring melodies but find myself digging deeper and deeper into their engagement with some of the weightiest chapters of our shared hemispheric history. We are joined in the second half by my friend and hermano, Pacho Flores, the trumpet virtuoso with the most beautiful, heartbreaking tone I know, and he brings with him two concertos written especially for him to close this season.”

About Pacho Flores

Pacho Flores will make his NHSO debut performing two concertos written especially for him by Arturo Márquez and Daniel Freiberg, showcasing his extraordinary technical command and expressive artistry. Flores has established himself as one of the foremost trumpeters of his generation. He was awarded First Prize in the “Maurice André” International Trumpet Competition, the most prestigious competition of its kind, along with top prizes in the Philip Jones and Cittá di Porcia competitions. A product of Venezuela’s renowned El Sistema music program, Flores has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras worldwide, including the NHK Orchestra of Japan, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Kiev.

Flores has received multiple Latin GRAMMY nominations for his albums, which feature collaborations with major composers such as Arturo Márquez, Paquito D’Rivera, Roberto Sierra, Efraín Oscher, Christian Lindberg, and Daniel Freiberg, and performances with renowned orchestras including the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, Arctic Philharmonic, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería.

Tickets: Tickets start at $15. Tickets for youth under 18 are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

This concert is sponsored by Oracle, WSHU Public Radio, Frontier, and the New Haven Register.