Tango Caliente

Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 7:30 PM

BPO Pops Series TANGO CALIENTE

Bradley Thachuk, conductor Camille Zamora, soprano Héctor Del Curto, bandoneón

Baldosa Floja Celos Tanguera Tango de la menegilda Milonga Del Angel El Choclo Mallorca Desde El Alma

INTERMISSION

Escualo Tango 1932 Por Una Cabeza Vuelvo Al Sur Primavera portenia Carceleras La Cumparsita

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

BRADLEY THACHUK, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Bradley Thachuk is the Music Director of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Canada, entering into his 11th season as their artistic leader and conductor in September 2021. He is also the Conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s BPO Rocks! series, Conductor and Arranger for Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” project, and a lecturer in Orchestral Literature at the world-renowned Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. A respected and devoted artist, he has received many awards including Established Artist 2016 in Niagara, given to an artist of international stature who has benefitted the artistic life in the Niagara region, being selected by the National Arts Centre (Canada) as the only Canadian in an international field to be featured in their Young Conductor Showcase, receiving the David Effron Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institute, and being awarded a Corbett Scholarship at the University of Cincinnati, allowing him to pursue his entire graduate education tuition-free. A versatile and diverse musician, Mr. Thachuk has also established himself globally as one of the handful of conductors who moves easily between the classical and rock worlds. He is a highly sought-after symphonic arranger, but he also has the legitimacy and skills as a symphony conductor, which allows him to see a project through from inception to performance. He is quite uniquely positioned in this capacity and has worked with artists in many genres. His work on Steve Hackett’s worldwide Blu-Ray/DVD/CD release “Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at Royal Festival Hall”, and appearances in Europe with this project have been met with critical acclaim. Recent and upcoming projects include Blue Rodeo, Styx, Dave Mason of Fleetwood Mac and Traffic, Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Bahamas, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars franchise, Tony-Award winning Heather Headley, Sarah Slean, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Beach Boys, and Air Supply. An advocate of contemporary music, he has led world, Canadian, and U.S. premieres of works by John Estacio, Joseph Schwantner, Kevin Lau, Stewart Goodyear, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Roydon Tse, Robert A. Baker, and Ronald Royer, amongst others A native of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Thachuk started his music studies in classical guitar at the age of 5. Having established a performing career by the age of 9, he eventually began studies of the French horn and piano before entering the University of Toronto to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance as a guitarist. Following graduation, his sights set on conducting and he began the Special Program for Conductors at the University of Toronto. Following studies at the Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic he pursued his Masters and Doctorate degrees at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and completed his studies with NHK Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Orchestre de Paris (France), and Tonhalle Orchestra (Switzerland) Music Director, Paavo Järvi.

CAMILLE ZAMORA, SOPRANO

In collaboration with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Sting, soprano Camille Zamora has garnered acclaim for her “dramatic and nuanced” (The New York Times) interpretations of repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango. She is known for her “dignity and glowing sound” (The New York Times) in “luminous, transcendently lyrical” performances (Opera News) that “combine gentility and emotional fire” (The Houston Chronicle). Hailed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and NBC Latino as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish song, Camille has performed on five continents, in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival, and in live broadcasts on PBS, Deutsche Radio, and the BBC. She has headlined with ensembles including London Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony in works ranging from Bach to Bernstein to boleros. Her recent albums, If the night grows dark and The Last Sorcerer, debuted in Billboard's Classical Top Ten, and her recording of Hindemith’s opera The Long Christmas Dinner topped The New York Times’ Classical Playlist and was one of Opera News’ Best Recordings of the Year. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Camille is the Co-Founder of Sing for Hope, a leading “arts peace corps” that presents initiatives, such as NYC’s Sing for Hope Pianos, that make the arts accessible to all. Camille has performed at the US Capitol and the United Nations, been honored with a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Recognition and a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award, and been named one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People.

HÉCTOR DEL CURTO, BANDONEÓN

Praised by The New York Times as a "splendid player," Argentinean bandoneónist Héctor Del Curto's career, spanning for more than twenty–five years, has encompassed the traditional Tango, New Tango, Jazz, Classical and World music. As one of the most sought–after bandoneónist, he has performed with luminaries across many musical genres including the Tango legends Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Pugliese, Latin jazz giant Paquito D'Rivera, jazz violinist Regina Carter, saxophonist Joe Lovano, violinist Cho–Liang Lin, and appeared with prestigious orchestras such as Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mobile Symphony, and Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra. Born into a family of bandoneón players, Mr. Del Curto was introduced to the world of Tango and bandoneón by his grandfather, Héctor Cristobal. By the age of 17, he had won the title "Best Bandoneón Player Under 25" in Argentina, and was invited to join the orchestra of the legendary Osvaldo Pugliese, the "Last Giant of Tango." In 1999, Mr. Del Curto received the Golden Note Award from the Italian–American Network in recognition of his artistic achievements. As a music director, he directed the spectacular show Forever Tango on Broadway and founded the Eternal Tango Orchestra, a ten-piece ensemble. Since the Lincoln Center début in 2003, the Eternal Tango Orchestra (now the Hector Del Curto Tango Orchestra) returned to Lincoln Center for three more engagements and performed at other various venues including the Skirball Center for Performing Arts. His celebrated quintet has appeared in venues and festivals such as Lincoln Center, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Eastman School of Music, Bay Chambers Concerts, National Folk Festival, Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, Fiesta Iberoamericano 37

de las Artes in Puerto Rico, Festival Internacional da Safona, and Copa Fest in Brazil among many others. A musician who is dedicated to the education, outreach, and preservation of tango music, Mr. Del Curto founded the Stowe Tango Music Festival, the premier tango music festival in the United States, noted both for its unique series of performances and its high level of musical training. As the festival's Artistic Director, he directs the Stowe Tango Music Festival Orchestra, a 20 plus piece tango orchestra comprised of an extraordinary group of selected students from all over the globe and world-class artists including guest tango legends from Argentina. Mr. Del Curto recently produced and released his second album, Eternal Piazzolla, featuring his quintet with a sold out CD release concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. He was featured along with his first CD, Eternal Tango, on BBC News, which was televised nationally and internationally and on Public Radio International's The World. He appears in numerous recordings with artists such as Osvaldo Pugliese and Astor Piazzolla on Finally Together (Lucho), Pablo Ziegler on the albums Asphalto, Quintet for the New Tango (BMG), and Tango & All That Jazz, Paquito D'Rivera on Funk Tango, Jazz Clazz and Panamericana Suite Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri on Masterpiece, Plácido Domingo's Encanto del Mar (Sony Classical), Erwin Schrott on Rojotango (Sony Classical), Denyce Graves' The Lost Days (BMG), Absolute Ensemble on Bach Reinvented (Sony Classical), Fernando Otero on Plan, Vital and Pagina de Buenos Aires, Ricardo Arjona's Quién Dijo Ayer and Santo Pecado (Sony International), and Shakira's Laundry Service.

CELINA ROTUNDO & HUGO PATYN, TANGO

Celina Rotundo and Hugo Patyn are Argentine Tango dancers, masters, and choreographers who dazzle the world, both on stage and in every class or workshop they teach. They possess an especially particular connection and style, making them first class dancers with an extensive dance background. They have danced in diverse places of the world, presenting challenging, intense, and sensual choreographies with history. As instructors, they have initiated and inspired hundreds of students around the world. With a career of more than 20 years, they have danced, choreographed, and directed several shows including "TANGO AND FIRE," "TANGO BUENOS AIRES," "EMPORIO TANGO," "CABARET TANGO," "TANGO JOVEN," "SUPER TANGO," "EVOLUTION TANGO," "FOREVER TANGO," "RISAS Y TANGO," "FOLLIES BERGERE," "ALMA DE TANGO," "TANGO ESPIRITU III," "PASION DE TANGO," "EL CORAZON DEL TANGO," "TANGO DREAMS," "FUSION TANGO," "I TANGO," "BIEN ARGENTINO," and "MILONGUERA," which have been presented in different places of the world such as the United States, Canada, Greece, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Peru, Spain, Italy , Bermuda, Chile, Indonesia, Korea, and Portugal, among others. Hugo and Celina are fantastic instructors of Argentine Tango. They teach classes and intensive seminars in different places of Argentina and the world. Some of which have been: CITA 2010, MYSTERY TANGO, TANGO FESTIVAL OF MAR DEL PLATA, TANGO FESTIVAL IN MALAGA, etc. They have traveled on their annual tours in different cities helping initiate new communities and collaborating in the evolution of Argentine Tango. Together they run their school in Argentina, in which they teach social and stage tango to children from 5 years old up to adults, as well as differently-abled people. They also give monthly body training seminars and host a largely attended milonga there. Both have had extensive artistic training from an early age in Ballet, Argentine Folklore, Music, Flamenco, and Figure Skating. When Tango finally entered their lives, they had the influence of great mentors such as Osvaldo Zotto, Gloria & Eduardo Arquimbau, Nito & Elba, and Pedro Monteleones, among others. They lead an Argentine Tango Company that has participated in grand events in several places around the globe, receiving the best ratings after each presentation. With its own character and of an incomparable aesthetic, the Company recreates fantastic scenes and moments of the Argentine Tango. With fantastic costumes and unique skills, they embody musicality, and choreographies that cause the audience to fall in love with each presentation. 38