Tower Duo is a flute and saxophone ensemble based in Columbus, Ohio that specializes in creating engaging musical experiences with a particular interest in performing and premiering contemporary works by living composers. Tower Duo, whose members are flutist, Erin Helgeson Torres and saxophonist, Michael Rene Torres, has been performing together since 2007 and gave its inaugural recital at the Brevard Music Center Festival and Institute in North Carolina. The duo has since performed all across the United States at universities, conferences, and festivals. Highlights include the Omaha Chamber Music Society’s Eko Nova series, the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project’s Re:Sound New Music Festival, as well as conferences by the Society of Composers, Inc, and the North American Saxophone Alliance. Tower Duo recently recorded their debut album, Crosswind, which features the duo’s favorite collaborations with composers from the first decade of their artistic work. Crosswind was released by Ravello Records under the PARMA Recordings label in January of 2019.
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Erin Helgeson Torres is Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Ohio Northern University. Principal Flute of the Lima Symphony Orchestra, Principal Flute of the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, and Second Flute/Piccolo with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Erin is also an auxiliary flutist with the Louisville Orchestra, Principal Flute of the Queen City Opera, and solo flutist with the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble. She performs regularly in various area orchestras including the Columbus, West Virginia, Central Ohio, Springfield, Ashland, and Westerville Symphonies. Erin graduated with a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Masters of Music from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Music Performance at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. She completed her Artist Diploma at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.
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Saxophonist, composer, educator, and curator, Michael Rene Torres, currently serves as Assistant Professor of Practice at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where he teaches saxophone and composition. He is also the founder and Artistic Director of the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble, a contemporary music ensemble that is dedicated to the promotion, performance, and perception of new music in Central Ohio. Additionally, Michael serves as the Program Director and an Advisory Board member of the Johnstone Fund for New Music, which advances the performance of new music for the benefit of the Central Ohio community. A winner of the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award and the Greater Columbus Arts Council Composition Fellowship, Michael’s compositional interests are in chamber music that explores the juxtaposition of consonance and dissonance and is often inspired by psychology and poetry. Michael is a Conn-Selmer Endorsing Artist and performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones.