Mario Salvador is an award-winning Cuban composer, film scorer, and Tres Cubano virtuoso, reimagining the instrument through a bold musical language that bridges Cuban tradition, jazz, contemporary composition, and storytelling for the screen. Mario is currently residing in Boston, MA.
Mario Salvador (b. 1999, Cuba) is a visionary Tres Cubano player and composer redefining the instrument's expressive possibilities. Classically trained in Cuba under maestro Efraín Amador for a decade, he released his debut album, Ciudad Fantasía, with EGREM at age 20. His subsequent recordings include Masintin (577 Records, NY, 2023), Le Mat (2023), Nuevo Trío (2024), and Nuevo Montuno — Live (2025), the latter receiving recognition at the Gunther Schuller Centennial Composition Contest at New England Conservatory.
His music blends jazz, improvisation, Cuban heritage, magic, and contemporary new music — marked by polystylism, nonlinear narratives, and inventive rhythmic structures. At 23, he became the first Tres player to receive a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. His move to the United States was supported by the Fondo de Arte Joven, which awarded him an Academic Scholarship to facilitate his transition to Berklee.
A double major in Composition and Film Scoring at Berklee, he is a two-time recipient of the Berklee Composition Department Amy Beach Award (2025 and 2026) and winner of the Best Original Score Award at the FSN Film Festival. His recent concert works include Homo Ludens for Tres and electronics, performed by him at New York's Power Station, and Puentes Entre Mundos for string quartet, performed by the Rhythm Method String Quartet during their Berklee Residency concert in 2025 and "The Sacred Tree" for the Hypercube ensemble, a work that got performed by them in 2026.
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Composer. Original score for the short film, 2023.
Best Original Score — FSN Film FestivalOriginal re-score of the scene from The Wild Robot.
Original score written to picture — a demo in the natural-history idiom.
A look inside the session — scoring process and mix breakdown.
Composer. Original music for the film accompanying Leslie Martinez: The Fault of Formation at MoMA PS1, in which the artist speaks with Assistant Curator Elena Ketelsen González about their materials and process.
A MoMA PS1 production. Video by Marissa Alper, Elle Rinaldi, and Nora Rodriguez.
Additional music. Directed by Yanet Pavón Bernal — shot in Cuba, set in the cane fields in 1978.
Credited in the film’s end titles; not listed on IMDb.
Original re-score for the scene.
Original concert, chamber, or solo works written to commission for ensembles and soloists.
Original scores and re-scores for short films, features, trailers, and games.
Send a sketch, receive it fully orchestrated and produced with professional sample libraries.
Orchestrating and arranging existing material for chamber ensemble through full orchestra.
Custom sound design and audio processing for film, game, and media projects.
Note-for-note transcription from audio recordings into notated scores and lead sheets.
Clean, publication-ready music engraving formatted to professional notation standards.
Preparing full scores and parts for rehearsal and performance, including transposition.
Workflow consulting, template building, and troubleshooting for Cubase and Dorico.
Live and session Cuban tres performance for ensembles, concerts, and recording projects.
One-to-one composition study — craft, orchestration, form, and developing an individual voice.
Private lessons in Cubase, Dorico, and Cuban tres — plus music initiation for all ages.
