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Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenn represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as 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, Zenn has released fifteen recordings as a leader, including his latest, Msica De Las Amricas and the Grammy Nominated El Arte Del Bolero (2021), Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019) and Yo Soy La Tradicin (2018). As a sideman he has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Snchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Guillermo Klein ez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson. Zenn 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 categories on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll and was selected as the Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of The Year). As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet and many of his peers. Zenn has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is a permanent faculty member at New England Conservatory and The Manhattan School of Music. In April 2008 Zenn 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 Corazn in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution.
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