518 Concert Series Presents: Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra at The Glove Theatre

The 518 Concert Series continues with the dance-inducing Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra, with guests Baila Albany!

Formed October 1980 in Amsterdam, NY, this 12 piece orchestra is led by the Bronx-born bassist Alex Torres.  They have been presented by hundreds of festivals, performing arts centers and events annually to perform their original blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Cha-cha, Bomba, Plena and Latin Jazz.

The Orchestra has been the recipient of numerous awards including the New England Cultural Arts Preservation Award, the New York State Music Achievement Award, the Schenectady League of Arts Award, The Governor´s Excellence in Arts Award, The NAACP Albany Chapter Award and 3 awards from NY Capital District Original Music Awards in 2016.

Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra have performed for President Bill and Hillary Clinton at the New York State Democratic Convention and also for New York Governor's George Pataki and Eliot Spitzer's Inauguration. They have shared the stage and billings with such major acts as Tito Puente, Tito Puente Jr., Eddie Palmieri, Andy Montañez, Los Hermanos Moreno, Arturo Sandoval, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Ray Barretto, Jane Burnette & The Spirits Of Havana, Larry Harlow, Jose Alberto "El Canario," Brenda K. Starr, Tito Nieves, Jerry Gónzalez & The Fort Apache Band, King Changó, Arrested Development, Branford Marsalis, The Count Basie and Woody Herman Orchestras.

The group is also registered with the Arts-In-Education Program of New York State. This program brings the orchestra into schools to showcase cultural diversity and explain the music, instruments and rhythms associated with their music.

 Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra also have been featured on television commercials for The Albany Times Union Newspaper, they wrote and performed the music for the PBS weekly program " Made in New York", and twice performed for Time Warner’s music series, Sounding Board. Their music has also been featured in the motion pictures "Slammin' Salmon," "Old Dogs," "Drunken Wedding," "Broken City," indie films,"The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby," "Guten Tag Ramon,"  "Permission"and the made for TV movie "Unanswered Prayers." Also on the TV series, "Ugly Betty," Australian TV series "Tricky Business," "The Glades,"  two Fox TV series "Human Target,"  "The Finder," Miami's The Color Splash,"  "Road To The Kentucky Derby," "Quiero Mis Quinces,"  "Mistresses," "Breaking Amish," "The Blacklist," "Code Black," USA Network series "Complications," Netflix,  "Seven Seconds," Verizon's web series "Grown," Netflix series, "Shameless," "Ant-Man," & "Hit & Run," NBC's "Ordinary Joe" APPLE+ "The Shrink Next Door," HBO MAX "Gordita Chronicles,"& appearing live on a HBO mini series “White House Plumbers” starring Woody Harrelson in 2022 & also the featured sound tracks on the video games "Tropico 3, 4 & Tropico 5."

Baila Albany is owned and operated by Felix Ortiz, who began in 2000 and states “Baila Albany is a vision based on one simple premise…’To dance is to be happy!’”. Baila Albany offers dance instruction, apparel, and more!