QuinTango, a chamber tango quintet (two violins, bass, cello and piano) based in Northern Virginia, has brought thousands of new fans to the music of Tango by engaging audiences in their sizzling, mind-opening fusion of traditional South American Tango repertoire and classical chamber music style. In keeping with their mission to bring Tango to new audiences, QuinTango concerts blend musicianship, audience connection, and great story telling. Patrons leave a QuinTango performance with not only a new-found love of Tango, but with an understanding of the heart and history of this art form.
All QuinTango’s repertoire is originally created for the group, with most of the musical arrangements crafted by top-ranking tango composers in Argentina. Concerts usually include 14 -18 tangos, many with short narratives introductions. Audiences meet Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, gauchos, poets and broken-hearted lovers as the Tangos unfold in a kaleidoscope of emotions and historical settings.
QuinTango concerts often include exhibition dancers. Starting in 2011-12, QuinTango will offer a guest bandoneonist as well.
QuinTango has performed in concert in large venues – Kennedy Center, Kravis Center (Palm Beach), Lincoln Center Plaza, Gaillard Auditorium (Charleston, SC), and Dinkelspiel in Palo Alto; in historic venues – The White House (State dinner), Teatro Nacional in San Jose Costa Rica, Teatro Angela Perralta in Mazatlan, Cosmos Club in Washington, Residence of the US Ambassador in Buenos Aires, Teatro Notariado in Montevideo, Barter Theater in Abingdon, KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque; and in local theaters in twenty states. No two concerts are ever the same, as each program reflects the group’s efforts to engage a particular audience. QuinTango has performed with symphony orchestra (Wichita, Charleston, Fairfax in VA, Augusta, Ars Flores in FL, American Philharmonic in CA, Orquesta de Sinaloa in Mexico) and in such festivals as Piccolo Spoleto (11 years), Mendocino, Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Italy, Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival, Costa Rica International Music Festival, and the Virginia Highlands Festival. QuinTango has self-produced five CDs and collected four WAMMIES. They are at work on a sixth CD currently.
