The Miami Herald reports that Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres has joined the faculty of Florida International University as a visiting guest artist.

Torres will also break new ground this fall at the school: The flutist will be the founding director of the FIU School of Music’s first charanga ensemble, made up of winds, strings and percussion instruments used to perform traditional and modern versions of the folk music from Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean.

“His work here, forming one the nation’s only university charanga ensembles and tutoring aspiring flutists, will be invaluable to the School of Music and to FIU,” said Orlando Jacinto Garcia, director of the School of Music.

“It will be a pleasure and a privilege to share my love and knowledge of this wonderful music with a new generation of musicians,” Torres said in a prepared statement. Born in Puerto Rico, Torres moved to New York City as a teenager and attended Mannes School of Music in New York City, as well as Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

While playing in New York City’s Latin dance clubs, he said he learned to improvise in the style of charanga, which helped to shape and develop Torres’ melodic and danceable sound.

Torres has performed and recorded with Ricky Martin, Tito Puente, Herbie Hancock and Gloria Estefan. He has 13 CDs to date; his Treasure of the Heart and My Latin Soul, were nominated for a Latin Grammy and his production This Side of Paradise won the Latin Grammy award in the pop instrumental category.

His most recent production, Nouveau Latino, was also nominated for a Grammy and Latin Grammy in the Latin Jazz category.

For the original report go to http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/19/v-print/1880746/flutist-nestor-torres-to-teach.html#ixzz12rZiTjtF