Corazón Tango: Discovering Contemporary Argentine Tango

Corazón Tango presents popular contemporary Argentine tango pieces arranged by world-renowned maestros from 1980 to the present. Trained in Buenos Aires under the living tango maestros, the group will perform a variety of trio, quartet, and quintet arrangements, including rare, original Piazzolla quintet pieces—such as “Kicho,” “Revirado,” and “The Four Seasons” series—as well as his early tango work—”Villeguita” and “Melancólico Buenos Aires”—which demonstrates the evolution of his music before he moved onto nuevo tango. The evening will also feature contemporary tango music written by Maestro Horacio Salgán, Víctor Lavallén, Leopoldo Federico, and many more. Guest singer Teresa Tam joins the group to present traditional tango pieces.
 
FEATURING:
Hanel Yeon – bandoneón
Sumi Lee – piano
Ahram Kim* – violin
YoonHo Jeong – contrabass
Maximiliano Larrea* – guitar
Teresa Tam* – vocals
(*guest artist)
 
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Hanel Yeon is a classically trained pianist who obtained a bachelor’s degree in composition from Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, and is a professionally trained tango bandoneonist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce. She has studied with top bandoneon maestros such as Rodolfo Daluisio, Rodolfo Mederos, Federico Pereiro, and Dino Salouzi, as well as piano maestros Nicholas Ledesma, German Martinez, and Hernan Posetti. While living in Buenos Aires for 10 years, Yeon was a widely respected piano teacher and shared the stage with several maestros at prestigious venues. She currently performs with the tango group Scaimmarella as a pianist and bandoneonist. Her previous work includes performing as a pianist at the theater Tango Porteño from 2012-2019, playing with Siamarella Group in the 2015 Tarbes en Tango Festival in France, and performing as a bandoneonist in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and often with the group Romantica Milonguera.

Sumi Lee is a classically trained pianist who obtained a master’s degree in music, piano performance, from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has also been professionally trained as a tango pianist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce, the most prestigious tango orchestra school in the world sponsored by the city government of Buenos Aires. Lee is a widely respected piano teacher and is on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco branch of Music Teachers’ Association of California. While living in Buenos Aires, she performed with living maestros and musical directors such as Víctor Lavallén, Jose Pepe Colangelo, Osvaldo Piro, Roberto Alvarez, Daniel Binelli, Mauricio Marceli, Nicolas Ledesma, and many more. Her latest concert at Teatro General San Martin in Buenos Aires was sold out to a large audience and aired live via national radio 2*4 and TV. Since moving back to the Bay Area in 2018 after receiving her diploma, she plans to perform authentic Argentine tango music and tour the U.S. and Asia with her own group and produce her own contemporary tango music.

Ahram Kim was born in Gwangju, South Korea, and started playing violin at the age of five. She continued her studies in classical music while also having a passion and curiosity for different styles of popular and folk music from all over the world. After graduating from university, she flew to Buenos Aires in 2009. There, she received a diploma of orchestral studies of classical music from Instituto Superior del Teatro Colón, and in 2012 also graduated from Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce. Between 2012-2017, Kim played in the first violin section of Buenos Aires Philharmonic and has been working in operas with Orquesta Estable del Teatro Colon as a guest artist. She has studied tango violin with Miguel Angel Bertero since 2011 and has played and recorded with many tango musicians in Argentina. Kim was the solo violinist in the tango show Cátulo as well as the tango performance Milonga by Sidi Larbi Chercaoui.

YoonHo Jeong is a classically trained contrabass player who also has been professionally trained as a tango bassist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce. He has performed in concerts throughout Argentina and South Korea, such as international tango festival Mundial 2017 and 2018. While living in Buenos Aires, Jeong also performed at prestigious concert venues such as Kirchner Cultural Centre, Teatro General San Martin, Teatro Coliseo, Usina del Arte, Biblioteca Nacional, and Parque Centenario. After receiving his diploma in 2018, he moved back to Seoul, South Korea, and is planning to perform authentic Argentine tango music and tour many cities in Asia with his own tango group.

Maximiliano Larrea is an accomplished guitarist, arranger, and composer from Rosario, Argentina, and is one of the leading interpreters of classical and contemporary guitar of the new tango generation. After completing a degree in classical guitar, he moved to Buenos Aires where he studied tango and folk music in the prestigious Manuel de Falla Conservatory under legendary guitarist Juan Falú, as well as tango arranging and composition from renowned masters Diego Schissi, Nicolas Ledesma, and Gabriel Senanes. In Argentina, Larrea worked as a guitarist, arranger, and director of multiple acclaimed tango and Argentine folk music groups including Cuartero Revirado, Quinteto Negro La Boca (Sony Argentina), Quinteto Clandestino, and Aires Trio. Most recently, he has been working as an arranger for the New Mexico-based quintet Q-Tango, performing with various tango bands in the Bay Area—such as Mariano Barreiro Quartet and Trio Larrea-ODay-Durso—and preparing the launch of his new musical project, Maximiliano Larrea Tango Trio.

Teresa Tam grew up playing violin in orchestras and singing in choirs since her childhood in Taiwan. While attending UC Davis as an undergrad, she made her solo debut with the prestigious American Bach Soloists in the Bay Area, performing the “Magnificat, BWV 243” in D major by Bach. Tam has had the honor of performing as a soloist under the direction of conductors Jeffrey Thomas, Joshua Rifkin, and more. After receiving her M.M. in vocal performance from Boston University, she then began collaborating in various duos with jazz guitarists and performed as a featured soloist with jazz bands around the Bay Area. As an avid Argentine tango dancer, Tam has formed a new voice and guitar duo with Maxi Larrea. Together, they blend jazz and tango melodies with the harmonic complexity of these two rich genres to breathe new life into familiar songs. When she is not busy performing, Tam is crafting custom modern portraitures as a photographer for clients worldwide.
 
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Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $25-30 / (Door) $30 general, $25 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.

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