Performances & Events

SONIC welcomes a program of Caribbean music entitled Nexus, produced by Puentes Caribeños, an organization dedicated to promoting Caribbean art music since 2013. Featuring Jamaican pianist Paul Shaw, Puerto Rican flutist Nora Lee Garcia with pianist/composers Mariano Morales and Raymond Torres-Santos, and Bahamian ensemble C Force – with Christine Gangelhoff, flute; Christian Justilien, euphonium; and Paul Jones, piano – this performance presents works connected to the Caribbean, including four world premieres.

Curated by: Puentes CaribeñosCoordinated by: Christine Gangelhoff

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Puentes Caribeños is the organization behind the Caribbean art music symposia that have taken place across the Caribbean since 2013. Passionate about the extensive but little-known repertoire of music from the region, Puentes Caribeños is committed to promoting composers linked to the Caribbean in order that their voices may be heard more widely. As the classical music world finally begins to embrace more diversity and inclusion, the work of Puentes Caribeños is more timely than ever. The Puentes Caribeños committee consists of its co-founders Dr Carlos Carrillo (University of Illinois), Dr Christine Gangelhoff (University of The Bahamas) and Dr Adam Walters (University of Trinidad and Tobago).

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Composer Carlos R. Carrillo Cotto holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM), Yale University (MM), and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.). Dr. Carrillo is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Bearns Prize, the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, BMI, and ASCAP awards. He has taught composition at DePauw University, Reed College, and the Conservatory of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Currently, Dr. Carrillo is an Associate Professor of Composition-Theory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Flutist Christine Gangelhoff is currently Professor of Music at The University of The Bahamas and has also held positions on the faculties of Memorial University of Newfoundland and St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a founding member of C Force, a chamber ensemble that challenges the traditional concept of chamber music. Her extensive research on art music from the Caribbean has inspired albums, academic symposia, concert series, scholarly publications and most recently, an innovative textbook. She is a Powell performing artist and holds degrees from Yale University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Minnesota.

After a freelance career as a composer and French horn player in the UK, Adam Walters moved to Trinidad in 2009 to join the music faculty of the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Absorbing himself in local musical styles, Adam has developed an approach to composition that blends sounds and gestures of Trinidadian musics and environments with his own background in western classical styles. Now living back in London, Adam holds a PhD in composition from Royal Holloway, University of London, and his music has been performed in Trinidad, the UK and the US.