Carnegie Hall

In 1977, a collective of fearless New York City musicians came together to form the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), an ensemble dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. With more than 40 years committed to artistry, creativity, community, and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that not only cultivates and develops the careers of living composers, but also provides composers a direct pipeline to partnerships with many of America’s major symphony orchestras. In addition to its annual concert series at Carnegie Hall, ACO produces national educational programs for all ages, and composer advancement programs to foster a community of creators, audience members, performers, collaborators, and funders—all dedicated to American composition.

Visit americancomposers.org for more information.

Praised for his versatility, technical clarity, and keen musical insight, Tito Muñoz is internationally recognized as one of the most gifted conductors on the podium today. After 10 years as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony, his tenure—one of the longest in the organization’s history—concluded at the end of the 2023–2024 season. He now continues his relationship with orchestra as its newly appointed artistic partner.

Muñoz previously served as music director of the Opéra National de Lorraine and Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy in France. Other prior appointments include assistant conductor positions with The Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Aspen Music Festival. He has appeared with many of the most prominent orchestras in North America, and maintains a strong international conducting presence. In the 2024–2025 season, he makes his debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and Singapore’s Orchestra of the Music Makers.

As a proponent of new music, Muñoz champions the composers of our time through expanded programming, commissions, premieres, and recordings. He has conducted important premieres of works by Christopher Cerrone, Kenneth Fuchs, Dai Fujikura, Michael Hersch, Adam Schoenberg, and Mauricio Sotelo. A passionate educator, Muñoz regularly visits North America’s top educational institutions, summer music festivals, and youth orchestras.

Born in Queens, Muñoz began his musical training as a violinist in New York City’s public schools. He attended LaGuardia High School, The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program, and Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege program. He furthered his training at Queens College (CUNY) as a violin student of Daniel Phillips. He received conducting training at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, where he studied with David Zinman and Murry Sidlin. He is the winner of the Aspen Music Festival’s 2005 Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize and the 2006 Aspen Conducting Prize, returning to Aspen as the festival’s assistant conductor in the summer of 2007 and later as a guest conductor.

Muñoz made his professional conducting debut in 2006 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, invited by Leonard Slatkin as a participant of the National Conducting Institute. That same year, he made his Cleveland Orchestra debut at the Blossom Music Festival. He was awarded the 2009 Mendelssohn Scholarship sponsored by Kurt Masur and the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation in Leipzig, and was a prizewinner in the 2010 Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition in Frankfurt.

Harlem Samba is a Brazilian percussion ensemble based in New York City. Founded in 2005 as an after-school club at the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, the group has grown into a vibrant collective of students, alumni, and community members united by their passion for the rhythms of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival.

Under the direction of educator Dr. Dana Monteiro, who maintains close ties to Brazil’s samba schools, Harlem Samba has become a recognized leader in bringing the spirit of Brazilian samba to audiences across the US. Originally formed with just 12 students, the program now integrates samba into the curriculum for all Frederick Douglass Academy students, offering them an opportunity to connect with Brazilian culture through music learning.

Harlem Samba specializes in the high-energy, authentic samba styles performed by Rio’s famous samba schools. Harlem Samba has earned numerous awards and collaborated with top musicians from both Brazil and the US in studio recordings and live performances. The ensemble’s members range from beginners to advanced percussionists, reflecting a dynamic and inclusive approach to music making.