Passion for Tango Festival 2008
Friday Concert, August 22nd, Centennial Square, Douglas St. downtown
6:30 Dance workshop and music survey for audiences FREE
No experience or partner necessary for this free beginners dance lesson with a survey of early to fusion tango music to learn by.
7:30 Grupo de Barrio, guest musicians and dancers, FREE
Kate Rhodes violin and Alex Olson bass of the Victoria Symphony with classical guitarist Jason Corbett and Mussette accordionist Dr. D form Victoria’s tango band, Grupo de Barrio (neighborhood quartet.) Vancouver Island has enjoyed their concerts and milongas (tango dances) since 2005. An early version of the quartet was Tango Abrazo. This year they were invited to perform at Folklife Fest in Seattle and played both a concert and a milonga. You may hear a lilt of classical, latin, klezmer and jazz in their tango from their musical backgrounds. A fitting variation on tango as they draw out some of the cultures and music that flavored tango in it’s early stages of development. This group also performs at monthly milongas making them truly Victoria’s neighborhood tango group, loved by tango dancers and tango music listeners.
Guests: Tom Ackerman clarinet and dancers Robert Creese (winner of Dance Victoria's 2008 Dancing With the Stars) and Vanessa Winn.
Saturday concert, August 23rd, Victoria Arts Connection, 110-2750 Quadra St
8:00 PM, $12.00 advance/ $15.00 door. Late night performance 10:30, $5.00.
Early bird priceof $10.00 available until August 4th at 250 590-9106 or the Martin Batchelor Gallery
Bertram Levy bandoneon, Andy Carr piano; classic tango.
Maestro bandoneoinst Bertram Levy was so inspired the first time he heard a tango, the work of Astor Piazzolla it was as if his “heart was pierced with cupids arrow”. Many musicians and dancers have a similar strong reaction to tango music and it changes their lives. “Bertram Levy met Astor Piazzolla, author of modern tango, in 1989 and was so moved by Piazzolla’s music that he abandoned all his other musical endeavors to study the tango. At that time, Bertram was an internationally recognized virtuoso folk musician, having been featured in over a dozen albums including the Smithsonian CD compilation, ‘American Folk Music’.” He spends much of the year in Buenos Aries playing music and integrating the culture. Maestro Levy studied the dance music of tango, (played by his group Tangoheart) to better understand Piazzolla, which he has mastered with exceptional skill in his group Caurteto Nuevo. Levy is a historian of tango music as well, in 2006-treated Victoria to a milonga of his arrangements of early tango dance music and a lecture.
Maestro Levy’s sextet Tangoheart is one of only a handful of groups outside Buenos Aries playing “typico tango”. For the festival 2008 audience he will play classic tango. Andy Carr a jazz musician from Seattle, is in Tangoheart and Caurteto Nuevo, and will make the evening of tango music more exciting with his acquired knowledge of playing tango. The folk music world’s loss of the most recognized concertina player is the tango music lover’s gain. www.tangoherat.com
Project Tango by Robert Mari: exploration of tango through jazz, funk, and, electronic. Robert Mari, piano, Daniel Lapp violin, Sean Drabitt bass, Kelby McNair drums. Robert explores tango through jazz, funk and electronic music in an inspiring search for tango. A jazz musician through and through Robert has classical training starting piano at age 3, a PhD in orchestral conducting (DMA (abd)), played electronic music for 10 years, teaches music, has conducted a number of orchestras in the United States and Canada and has produced albums for himself and other musicians. All of this is allowed expression in his unique improvisatory style as Robert and his trio delves into contemporary and on the edge forms of tango music. www.syntonicarts.com
Lynda Raino and Victor Sanchez, Contemporary Dance and Tango.
Linda said at her year-end dance recital “contemporary dance and tango go together like peanut butter and chocolate, really well”. This is not surprising from this acclaimed Canadian choreographic talent and skilled modern dance instructor when she pairs with tango dancer Victor Sanchez. An Argentinean by birth Victor learned tango when he came to Canada. Contemporary tango dance, new to Victoria, has been introduced in the States and Europe. Thanks to Linda we now have it on Canadian soil. www.lyndaraino.com
Collaborations, festival musicians jam, dance music. $5.00, door only.
Bertram Levy and Andy Carr, festival musicians; collaborations, music jam,
dancing. Just as this sounds. Bertram and Andy will perform music that can be danced to and an open stage will give musicians the opportunity to jam together. The evening will highlight solo musicians collaborating with tango dance performers.
Sunday Guitar recital of latin and tango composers.
Exhibition of paintings “The Tango Dancers”
Closing reception
Victoria Arts Connection, 110-2750 Quadra St
3:00 PM, $8.00 advance, $10.00 door
Early bird price $6.00 available until August 4th at 250 590-9106 or the Martin Batchelor Gallery
Guitarists Jason Corbett, Monte SaatchiPaintings by Charlton Bullock
Jason Corbett solo guitar
Classically trained musician with a Master’s in Performance and virtuoso flamenco guitarist Jason plays in: the guitar duo of Corbett and Lauchbaum, jazz and pop duo with singer pianist Kelly Best and is a member of tango quartet Grupo de Barrio. His philosophy of “Believing in the minimalism of simply using two-hands and a guitar, Jason is capable of creating the sound, color and groove needed to make beautiful music in a solo setting”. He is a recent and welcome addition to the Vancouver Island music community. Jason will play Astor Piazzolla and other tangos and flamenco composers. www.jasoncorbett.com
Monte Saatchi solo guitar
Virtuoso classical guitarist Monte Saatchi has specialized in composer Augustus Barrios, a Paraguayan considered the greatest guitar composer of all. Monte’s intense performance style captivates tango lovers when he performs Piazzolla. Raised in Vancouver he started studying guitar in his early teenage years, late for most musicians. Never the less he has accomplished a level of performance that has created a following the last few years having made Victoria his home.
Charlton Bullock painter
Painter Charlton Bullock has been fascinated by tango dancing for years and uses dancers as his subject matter in the series of paintings on show at the Victoria Arts Connection Gallery for the weekend of Passion for Tango Festival. Charlton began painting in watercolors but moved to oil to work on a large scale painting boats and the sea. His interested switched to people and tango because “it is a great, exciting topic involving people, movement, shade and makes fascinating subject matter.” Charlton started art training in product designer at Manchester College of design. Painting as mean of expression overcame design and he has been painting for 30 years.
Tickets available at Munro's Books 1108 Government St (across from the Bay), Martin Bachelor Gallery 712 Cormorant St (across from Centennial Square), or by phone 250-590-9106.
(call 250 590-9106 or Martin Bachelor Gallery before August 4th for early bird ticket sales)
Passion for Tango Festival 2008 is made possible in part by the generous support of the City of Victoria and Department of Canadian Heritage, CFUV University of Victoria Radio, and Monday Magazine
To contact us call 250-590-9106