Maria   Torres Melgares 

Maria Torres Melgares has earned acclaim for her performances marked by “enticing passion and melancholic yearning” (Tuesday Musicale). A Spanish saxophonist deeply rooted in her Hispanic heritage, she thrives in musical endeavors that connect cultures and nationalities. Her debut album, recorded in July 2023 with her chamber group Flieben Duo, is the core of the upcoming documentary “Transatlantic Connection,” recorded by DeCara Films, narrating her musical journey and the process of her CD recording.

As a soloist, she has collaborated with The Cleveland Orchestra as well as performed with the Long Island Concert Orchestra, Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band of the Police of Public Security of Portugal, the String Orchestra of the University of Iowa, the New World Symphony, and the ICC String Orchestra. She has received over twenty international prizes in solo and chamber music competitions, including the 1st Prize in the Solo Collegiate Competition of the North American Saxophone Alliance 2024, the prize AIE from ACIMC Competition 2023, 1st Prize in the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition 2022, 1st Prize in the VIII “Concurso Internacional de Saxofone Vitor Santos” (Portugal, 2021), and 1st Prize of the 94th Concours International Léopold Bellan (France, 2020), among others.

Currently based in Iowa City, Maria serves as the Program Coordinator of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, while she is also pursuing her Doctorate in Musical Arts in saxophone performance, chamber music entrepreneurship, and recording engineering, at the University of Iowa. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance and certificates in Arts Entrepreneurship and Leadership, and in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Previously, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the Conservatory of Liceu in Barcelona.