JOSÉ ANTONIO ZAYAS CABÁN AND {TRÉS} WITH SPECIAL GUEST MIGUEL ZENÓN

The Cedar Presents

Friday, January 16, 2026 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 8:00 PM

All Ages

Seated

This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request access accommodations, please go to our

For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door. Tickets purchased at the door will include a $1 Eventbrite fee.

{Trés} Live at the Cedar: Puerto Rico, Jazz & Chamber Music

Join {Trés} and special guest Miguel Zenón for a night of electrifying chamber music that blurs the lines between classical, jazz, and folkloric traditions. Featuring selections from Pedacito de Tierra—a bold, genre-defying work blending chamber music, electronics, and oral histories from the Puerto Rican diaspora, plus vibrant works by Puerto Rican composers and music rooted in the rhythms of the Caribbean and the Americas, this concert explores improvisation, memory, and movement. An intimate, expressive experience that invites audiences into a soundscape of cultural depth and musical innovation.

José Antonio Zayas Cabán is a multi-GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist, McKnight Fellow, and activist whose work bridges music and social justice. Born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, he now resides in Minneapolis, where he leads Our Streets as Executive Director.

His artistic projects, including El País Invisible and ROMANCE AL CAMPESINO PORTEÑO, reflect on cultural identity and political narratives, bringing Caribbean and Latin American influences to contemporary chamber music. As a co-founder of the chamber music trio {trés}, he has performed extensively across the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean, commissioning and premiering works that explore themes of heritage and social change.

Zayas Cabán is also on faculty at St. Joseph’s School of Music, where he teaches applied saxophone. His work continues to inspire and challenge audiences, fostering a deeper understanding of the intersections between art, identity, and activism.

To learn more about José Antonio Zayas Cabán:

• Visit his website here

{trés} is a Grammy and Latin Grammy-nominated chamber music trio renowned for its dynamic performances, commitment to new music, and dedication to cultural advocacy. Founded in 2010, {trés} has built an international reputation for championing works by composers from the Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond. The trio has performed extensively across the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean, captivating audiences with programs that blend contemporary and traditional influences.

A hallmark of {trés}’s work is its dedication to commissioning and premiering compositions that reflect diverse artistic perspectives. Recent collaborations include works by MacArthur Fellow and Grammy winning composer Miguel Zenón, Brooklyn-based Angélica Negrón, and Dublin-based Amanda Feery. Their performances highlight music as a means of storytelling, cultural preservation, and social change.

Among the ensemble’s notable initiatives is A Tribute to Puerto Rico, a national tour designed to raise funds and awareness for Puerto Rico’s recovery following Hurricanes Irma and María. This work evolved into an annual multi-week residency on the island, bringing free concerts and educational programming to underserved communities. As recipients of a New Music USA Project Grant, {trés} continues to expand its outreach, ensuring access to high-quality musical experiences for audiences who might otherwise be excluded.

Through innovative programming and deep community engagement, {trés} remains at the forefront of contemporary chamber music, redefining what it means to be an artist in service to both music and society.

“This young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.”
— MacArthur Foundation, 2008.

Grammy Winner, Doris Duke Artist and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released eighteen recordings as a leader, including his latest, Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard (2025), the Grammy-nominated Golden City (2024), and the Grammy-winning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson.

In April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution. In 2024 he received a Doris Duke Artist Award from the Doris Duke Foundation.

Zenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year.

As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, Miller Theater, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet, Kinetic Ensemble and many of his peers. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT.

Zenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga and their daughter.

To learn more about MIGUEL ZENÓN:

• Visit his website here

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