Two Track: Tony Succar (Virtual Concert)

Two Track is a music video series designed for Berklee’s YouTube and social media channels that features artists in an intimate setting with only one microphone and continuous camera takes. Each recording session will revolve around a single theme (i.e., connection, love, dreams) that can be expressed by the artist either through their track selection or through a short storytelling segment that will be recorded as part of the performance. The videos in this series will premiere at specific dates and times, but if you miss the premiere, each video will be public on the channel in continuity.

Two-time Latin Grammy-winning artist, producer, and composer/arranger Tony Succar performs for this week’s Two Track concert series with members of the Latin American Association of Berklee Students: Nicolle Horbath, Ben Romanow, Yibran R. Aponte Cotto, Peter Antinozzi, Miguel Morales, Sergio de Miguel Jorquera, Sebastian Duque, Ricky Matute, and Carlos Andrés Fabré Muñoz.

About the Artist

In spring 2022, the LABS (Latin American Association of Berklee Students) organized a concert at the Berklee Performance Center, ídolos Latinos, which featured special guest and two-time Latin Grammy winner Tony Succar.

This Two Track episode features Succar on percussion, performing in an intimate setting with Berklee students Nicolle Horbath (vocals), Miguel Morales (guitar), Sergio de Miguel Jorquera (piano), Sabastian Duque (percussion), Ricky Matute (percussion), Carlos Andrés Fabré Muñoz (bass), Ben Romanow (trombone), Yibran R. Aponte Cotto (trumpet), and Peter Antinozzi (saxophone).

Tony Succar is a two-time Latin Grammy-winning artist, producer, and composer/arranger. In 2018 he received his first nomination for Best Tropical Song, “Me Enamoro Más de Ti.” In 2019 he received four nominations for his album, Más de Mi, winning Producer of the Year and Best Salsa Album, and making history as the youngest winner ever to win both categories. Mas de Mi was released by Succar through his independent label, Unity Entertainment. Tony describes his award-winning album as “a fresh approach to salsa music.”

His inspiration for the album was to write and produce non-traditional songs that will appeal to younger generations. His musical diversity is well-known in the industry, having worked with an impressive array of talented artists, including Tito Nieves, India, Jon Secada, Marc Anthony, Sheila E., Arturo Sandoval, Judith Hill, and Obie Bermudez, among others.

Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, Florida, Succar is grateful to have come from a family of musicians. That early musical influence was his foundation and set the groundwork for what was to come. “I was privileged to be brought up in a family of musicians; I couldn’t be more grateful,” Succar explained. Tony’s path has led him into the world of salsa, jazz, pop, and Afro-Latino-inspired music. His formal musical education began on piano and then segued to percussion. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance from Florida International University in 2008 and his master’s degree in 2010. It was FIU that fulfilled Tony’s personal desire to surround himself in an environment that quenched his thirst for excellence. 

In May 2021 Tony released Live in Peru, distributed by his new label, Sony Music Latin. Live in Peru was recorded in February 2020, during a magical sold-out concert at Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima. The album brings together Tony’s greatest hits from Más de Mi, as well as his Latin pop arrangements of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man in the Mirror,” from his 2017 album Unity: A Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson.

In July 2021 PBS premiered Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz, a music special co-produced and co-directed by Tony. The show was hosted by renowned percussionist Sheila E., and featured Tony, Dr. Pablo Gil, and the Raíces Latin Jazz Orchestra. Filmed in over five countries with musicians from all over the world, Great Performances: Roots of Latin Jazz tells the complex story of Latinx history and culture through the exuberant rhythms and infectious beats of the diverse musical genre known as Latin jazz. Showcasing original compositions and arrangement of jazz standards, such as “Eye of the Hurricane” by Herbie Hancock and “Mas que Nada” by Jorge Ben, the film features Grammy-winning artists Richard Bona (from Cameroon) and Anaadi (from Brazil), among others.

In 2021 Tony was elected to the Latin Grammy Board of Governors for the South Florida Region. Tony Succar keeps growing his career internationally with his latest nomination: the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Latin Tropical Album for Live in Peru.