For the 17th annual Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival, we are pleased to feature a brand new work composed especially for the school's combined chorus, orchestra, and jazz band. Renowned composer and educator Felipe Salles' work, titled Duality, is inspired by an ancient Taoist text by poet and philosopher Lao Tzu. The work seeks to meld diverse musical voices into one united expression.

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles has been an active musician in the US since 1995, where he has worked and recorded with prominent jazz artists, including Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, David Liebman, Melissa Aldana, Lionel Loueke, Jerry Bergonzi, Chico Pinheiro, Magos Herrera, Sofia Rei, Yosvany Terry, Jovino Santos Neto, Oscar Stagnaro, Luciana Souza, and Bob Moses. He has toured extensively in Europe, North and South America, India, and Australia, as a sideman and as a leader of his own group.

The Rivers & RSC Jazz Festival began in 2007 and is a full-day event filled with music performed by The Rivers School and The Rivers School Conservatory’s jazz ensembles. Over the years, the ensembles have performed tunes representing a variety of jazz styles including bebop, fusion, and contemporary. Numerous world-class jazz artists have been featured at the festival, among them are Harvey Diamond, George Garzone, Greg Hopkins, Bill Lowe, Donny McCaslin, New World Jazz Octet, Adam Niewood, Mario Pavone, and Bruno Råberg.