Salvador Flores is a versatile and sought-after saxophonist and educator based out of Washington D.C. His performances have taken him to venues such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the U.S. Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and the New World Center. Recognized as one of the country’s most promising young soloists, he was one of five young artists selected to partake in the Performance Today Young Artist in Residence program, through which he was heard in interview and performance by millions of listeners across the country.
Salvador has garnered many prestigious awards over the course of his career, including being named the second saxophonist to ever receive the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance’s most distinguished performance award, the Albert A. Stanley Medal, after GRAMMY-award Saxophonist Timothy McAllister. Other achievements of his include being named the 1st Prize Winner of the 2020 North American Saxophone Alliance Collegiate Classical Solo Competition, a 2020 Yamaha Young Performing Artist, the winner of the 2020 University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance Concerto Competition, and the winner of the 2020 National Collegiate Solo Competition hosted by the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” In 2017, Salvador was also named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, earning him an invitation to the White House and solo performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
An active chamber musician, Salvador currently serves as the Soprano Chair of the Aero Quartet. The quartet has been named the recipient of many prestigious awards, most notably a Gold Medallist and 1st Prize Winner of the 2021 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. The quartet has performed and given masterclasses at various universities, including the University of Michigan, Notre Dame University, University of Wisconsin – Madison, and Thiel College. Advocates for new music and collaboration, Aero Quartet has frequently worked with many composers and artists, including Jennifer Higdon, Gala Flagello, and Brett L. Wery. They have also collaborated and performed alongside jazz saxophonist Arun Luthra, who currently teaches at the Mannes School of Music in NYC. The group’s debut album, Aero Quartet, was ranked within the Top 15 New Releases Worldwide on the Billboard Charts, featuring music by Alexander Glazunov, Carlos Simon, Guillermo Lago, Arturo Márquez, Paquito D’Rivera, Ed Calle, and John Coltrane.
He serves as a member of the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” saxophone section and is also a freelance musician in the Washington D.C. region, performing with local funk bands to the National Symphony and Opera Orchestras. He maintains an active teaching schedule, on it include his local middle/high school private studio and lessons/masterclasses with collegiate level students from across the country.
Salvador has completed both a BM and MM in Saxophone Performance, as well as an MM in Improvisation, at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor under the direction of saxophonists Dr. Timothy McAllister and Dr. Andrew Bishop. He performs exclusively on Yamaha Saxophones.