07:00 pm
Jacomo Bairos Conductor
Chris Muller Composer
Discover the sounds of Central and South America this summer with the Netherlands’ most vibrant orchestra, Jong Metropole! The symphonic jazz orchestra presents enchanting melodies played by a highly talented orchestra! Its energetic setlist brims with complex rhythms and lively melodies, led by the inspiring Portuguese-American conductor Jacomo Bairos. Latin American music is the result of centuries of cultural exchange. During the colonial period, millions of Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas. They brought their rhythms, singing traditions and spiritual music with them. In countries such as Cuba, Brazil and Colombia, these African influences blended with European harmonies and indigenous melodies. From this encounter emerged musical styles such as son, salsa, samba and cumbia. From rousing dance rhythms to tranquil, lyrical moments: this concert celebrates the richness and diversity of a musical heritage that connects continents. With tracks such as Esperanca by Vince Mendoza and Wakafrica by Manu di Bango, it’s impossible to sit still at this summer party. With Chris Muller’s newest work, the young crossover specialists also perform a German premiere.
The Dutch formation Jong Metropole (Young Metropole), founded in 2015, is a cooperation between the Nederlands Jeugd Orkest (NJON) and the Metropole Orkest (MO) – with the goal of supporting young talents from the Dutch conservatories who play classical and non-classical music on their way to professional careers. The combination of classical traditions with swing, jazz and improvisation is the focus of attention here. Jong Metropole meets twice a year for intense rehearsal phases culminating in concert performances. It considers itself an outstanding platform for its ca. 60 members, developing their artistic capabilities, forming a community and experiencing the world of professional music beyond rigid genre boundaries. Jong Metropole is supported by the Dutch Cultuurfonds and the foundation “Keep an Eye”.
For the second time since 2024, the Portuguese-American conductor Jacomo Bairos returns to Jong Metrople. Trained as a tuba player at the Juilliard School, he switched to conducting and graduated from the Peabody Institute and the Aspen Institute, where Robert Spano, Jorma Panula and Kurt Masur were among his mentors. Since then, Bairos has conducted renowned symphony orchestras in San Francisco, St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston, but also in Iceland, Malaysia and Singapore. He has worked closely with famous Grammy winners and award-winning soloists such as J’Nai Bridges and Conrad Tao as well as contemporary musicians such as Wyclef Jean, PF Morton, Jon Batiste and Angélique Kidjo. As a co-founder and artistic director of the Nu Deco Ensemble in Miami, Bairos has set intriguing accents by cross-genre cooperations; he also redefined the role of artistic director for his ensemble, as his work is informed by his experience as a certified teacher of yoga and meditation.
The 28-year-old Chris Muller is a Dutch pianist, composer and arranger. He began his career as a classical pianist, graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the Eindhoven University of Technology in 2020 before moving on to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he graduated with degrees in jazz piano performance and arranging in 2023. As early as 2021, he founded the Chris Muller Big Band, which released its debut album Turning Thoughts in 2023, after a multitude of performances within the Netherlands. As a composer/arranger, Chris Muller has not only performed with several bands, but also with international soloists such as Randy Brecker, Dick Oatts and Bill Laurance. As part of the 2025 Jong Metropole summer tour, he won the Rogier van Otterloo Prize of the foundation Cultuurfonds, an annual award for young artists working in crossover genres.