Havana Nights–The Mambo Kings With Camille Zamora

ASO Pops Concert

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• Saturday, January 24, 2026 @ 7:30 pm · get tickets

Ismael Sandoval, Guest Conductor

Even in January, you can’t avoid the heat at Miller Symphony Hall. Join us for this sultry night of unforgettable Latin sounds featuring Camille Zamora, in her second appearance on our stage, and the Mambo Kings, one of the hottest Latin jazz ensembles anywhere. You’ll be transported by the passionate rhythms and fiery energy.

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ARTIST BIOS

CAMILLE ZAMORA

In collaboration with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Sting, Camille Zamora has garnered acclaim for her dramatic and nuanced interpretations
of repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango. She is known for her dignity and glowing sound in luminous, transcendently lyrical performances
that combine gentility and emotional fire (The Houston Chronicle).
Hailed by NBC Latino and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as a leading interpreter of Spanish song, Camille has performed classic
Spanish repertoire on five continents, in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival. She has performed
and recorded zarzuelas, boleros, and tangos with the world’s leading interpreters and has premiered Tango Caliente, Sueños de España,
and Havana Nights—her signature symphonic pops programs of Latin classics arranged for her by Grammy® Award winner Jeff Tyzik—with
orchestras including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic,
Edmonton Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Buffalo Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and
more. With a deep commitment to opening doors for Latin and Hispanic communities in classical music spaces, Camille has a passion for
collaborating with orchestras and presenters to welcome new audiences and expand representation in the concert hall.
Camille has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, London Symphony Orchestra,
Guadalajara Symphony, and American Symphony Orchestra, and in live broadcasts on PBS, NPR, BBC Radio, Deutsche Radio, and Sirius
XM. She sang Brahms’ Liebeslieder with Leon Fleisher at the Aspen Music Festival, Bach’s Magnificat with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s
at Carnegie Hall, and, also at Carnegie Hall, the premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Song of Elos, a performance she repeated at the
American Academy in Rome. A champion of new music, Camille made her Lincoln Center Festival debut in Bright Sheng’s Poems from the
Sung Dynasty for Soprano and Orchestra and premiered Grammy-winner Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein’s Away but Not Far Away as
part of The AIDS Quilt Songbook @ 20 at Cooper Union’s Great Hall. Camille performed Aaron Jay Kernis’ Simple Songs for Soprano and
Orchestra at the Bowdoin Festival under the baton of the composer and works of Ricky Ian Gordon with the composer at the piano at Lincoln
Center. She has also premiered works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Bernd Franke, Roberto Sierra, Henry Brant, and Richard Wargo with companies
including Spoleto Festival USA, New York Festival of Song, Continuum, and American Opera Projects.
Camille’s discography is extensive, and her two most recent albums, Si la noche se hace oscura: Four Centuries of Spanish Song and Le
dernier sorcier, debuted on Billboard’s Top Ten Classical Chart. Her world premiere original language album of Hindemith’s The Last Christmas
Dinner with the American Symphony Orchestra, recorded live in concert at Lincoln Center, topped The New York Times’ Classical Playlist
and was one of Opera News’ Best Recordings of the Year. Other recordings include The Music of Chris Theofanidis (Albany Records),
New Music with Guitar / David Starobin (Bridge), Strauss’ Die Liebe der Danae (ASO), and the world premiere recording of Scott Gendel’s At
Last with Yo-Yo Ma on An AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope (Naxos/GPR).
Camille’s recent seasons have featured performances with Yo-Yo Ma at the US Capitol, her Kennedy Center recital debut, and operatic
roles including the tour-de-force double-bill of La voix humaine and I Pagliacci, cited as Favorite Performance of the Year by The Columbus
Dispatch. Other highlights include music of Enrique Granados with Yo-Yo Ma and Cristina Pato in the award-winning documentary film The
Music of Strangers; American Songbook classics by Gershwin, Berlin, Ager, and Arlen with Jon Batiste in Los Angeles and New York City;
and Twin Spirits: Robert and Clara Schumann at Lincoln Center and LA’s Music Center in collaboration with Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk,
Nathan Gunn, Trudie Styler, and Sting.
Camille’s operatic appearances include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Anchorage Opera and Glimmerglass Festival; Ilia in Idomeneo at
Boston Lyric Opera; Despina in Così fan tutte at Glimmerglass Festival and Virginia Opera; Rosita in Luisa Fernanda at LA Opera; Elle in
La Voix Humaine at Auckland Opera, Phoenicia Festival, Opera Columbus, and Bay Chamber Festival; Mimì in La bohème at Opera on the
James; Nedda in I Pagliacci at Opera Columbus; Amore/Valetto in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Houston Grand Opera; The Countess in The
Marriage of Figaro at On Site Opera; and Europa in Die Liebe der Danae, The Countess in Die Verschworenen, and Masha in The Chocolate
Soldier at Bard Summerscape. Other signature roles include Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), The Governess (The Turn of the Screw),
and the title roles in Susannah, Alcina, and Anna Bolena, of which The Houston Chronicle wrote, Camille Zamora digs deep into Anna Bolena
with the richness of her colorful and unwaveringly powerful soprano instrument… a consummate actress whose ability to get inside her character
is phenomenal.
An advocate for arts in education, Camille is the Co-Founder of Sing for Hope, a leading artists’ peace corps that creates initiatives—including
Sing for Hope Pianos in public spaces from the Bronx to Beirut—that promote arts for all. She has presented and performed at The
United Nations, The United States Capitol, and the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, and has given masterclasses and held
Distinguished Artist in Residence positions at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Harvard, Oxford, NYU, and FSU. She
has been honored with a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award, a World Harmony Torch-Bearer Award, a 100 Hispanic Women Community
Pride Award, and has been named one of the Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy by Town & Country, NY1’s New Yorker of the Week, and one
of CNN’s Most Intriguing People. Raised in Texas and Mexico, Camille is a graduate of The Juilliard School.
www.greenbergartists.

THE MAMBO KINGS

Mambo Kings, together since 1995, are enjoying great success as America’s foremost Latin jazz ensemble and
have rapidly earned a national reputation for their explosive blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation.
Since their orchestral debut in 1997 with the Rochester Philharmonic and conductor Jeff Tyzik, Mambo Kings
have appeared at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and in pops concerts with orchestras in Baltimore, Vancouver,
Detroit, Dallas, Naples (FL), and Portland (OR), among many others, performing original compositions
and arrangements by pianist Richard DeLaney.
As a quintet, Mambo Kings have appeared as featured soloists at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest,
the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango (CO), the Lewiston (NY) Jazz Fest, the Big Sky Arts Fest in
Bozeman (MT), and with soprano Camille Zamora at the Wallis Center in LA and the Grand Teton Music Fest in
Wyoming.
After a triumphant 2019 performance for an audience of 16,000 at the Grant Park Music Fest, the band weathered
the 2020-2021 season with online performances with the Austin, Buffalo, and West Michigan orchestras and
a live performance with the Virginia Symphony to wrap up the year. The 2022 season started with performances
with the Phoenix and Oregon symphonies and included shows with orchestras in Spokane, North Carolina, Dayton,
and Detroit.
The 2023 season included performances with the Augusta, Edmonton (AB), and Iowa Symphony orchestras. The
2024 season includes concerts with the Springfield (MA), Erie (PA), and Harrisburg orchestras.
Mambo Kings released their third self-produced recording, Nostalgia, in July of 2008. Nostalgia, along with their
previous releases—Live! (2005) and Marinera (2003)—continues to receive radio airplay throughout North America
and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit the band’s website: www.mambokingdom.com.
Musical Director Richard DeLaney, a native of Lima, Peru, has been active as a jazz pianist, arranger, and composer
in Rochester since earning a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1978. He has written
and performed music for film, television, the stage, and the concert hall. He has performed with the Rochester
Philharmonic and the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, as well as with Paquito D’Rivera, Bobby Sanabria, and numerous
bandleaders in Rochester. Richard joined the piano faculty of the Hochstein School of Music in 1985 and
has directed the school’s Jazz Ensemble Program since 2001. He received the Faculty Service Award in 1996.
Percussionist Wilfredo (Freddy) Colón (drums, timbales, bongos) has performed with Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente,
Soneros Del Barrio, Johnny Rivera, El Cano, and Paquito Acosta. He has taught percussion at the Eastman
School of Music’s Community Education Division and is much in demand as a percussion clinician in the
Rochester area.
Saxophonist John Viavattine has been an accomplished woodwind specialist in Rochester for many years.
John has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, including a memorable performance in Washington, D.C., at
President Reagan’s 1980 Inaugural Ball. John has also performed with Chuck and Gap Mangione, Jeff Tyzik,
the Rochester Philharmonic, The Temptations, Ray Charles, Patti Page, Connie Francis, Vic Damone, and Lou
Rawls.
Percussionist Tony Padilla (congas) was born and raised in Rochester. A self-taught percussionist, he began
playing at age 12 and has been performing professionally since the age of 14. Tony has played with such artists
as Paquito De Rivera, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Arturo Sandoval, Jerry Gonzalez, Lou Gramm, the Maelstrom
Percussion Ensemble, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tony conudcts clinics and workshops throughout the United States, including The Eastman School of Music, The
New York State Teachers Music Association, The Percussive Arts Society, and a variety of colleges and high
schools.
Bassist Hector Diaz has been playing with bands in the Western New York area since the age of thirteen. He has
performed with Ismael Miranda, Hector Tricoche, “El Cano” Estremera, Paquito Acosta, Zafra Negra, Luisito Rosario,
Wendell Rivera, and Johnny Rivera. While in the Army, Hector toured with an All Soldiers show throughout
Army bases in South Korea.
MAMBO KINGS BIOGRAPHY
www.greenbergartists.com

ISMAEL SANDOVAL
Ismael Sandoval is a Mexican-American conductor based in Chattanooga, TN. As a conductor, Ismael has directed several ensembles across the East Coast, all invested in the pursuit of bringing people together in the beauty and power of music. Ismael is currently the assistant conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (CSO), the music director of the CSO Youth Symphony, music director at First Christian Church of Chattanooga, orchestra director at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and music director for the Chattanooga Women’s Chorus.

Ismael is a collaborator and a bridge builder between various organizations and his efforts span across many disciplines and genres. In his efforts to give back to his community and promote the profound impact that music can have on people, Ismael frequently brings music to life in unorthodox performance venues such as homeless shelters, assisted living facilities, hospitals, parks, and anywhere else where music might be needed.

Ismael was the first Artistic Director/Conductor of the Women’s Chorus, an ensemble in Boston that connects women experiencing poverty and homelessness with the healing power of music. In addition to his work with the Women’s Chorus, he also served as the assistant conductor for both the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and Eureka Ensemble. Ismael was also the conducting fellow with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra with Diane Wittry for the ‘17-’18 season. In 2017, Ismael won the College Orchestra Directors Association National Conference Conducting Competition and Workshop.

As a champion of new music, Ismael frequently premieres works by composers from all around the country in several styles and genres. Ismael also believes in expanding the traditional canon of repertoire to include more representation from diverse composers of all walks of life and has programmed unique concerts that tastefully balance pieces from the classical canon with these new and exciting works.

Ismael received his Masters of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, under the tutelage of Bruce Hangen, and received his B.M. in Music Education and B.M. in Composition from the University of Florida.

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