Listen to a diverse selection of classic and contemporary Argentine tango compositions. Only three minutes long, a typical tango is like a short story, at times whimsical, more often full of nostalgia and melancholy. Melodies are simple, yet surprising. Arrangers develop them with a rich palette of contrasts and expressive textures. Musicians add their own flair in the moment making each performance unique.
Tango Ensemble:
Alexander Zeyliger—bandoneon, voice
Keiko Cadby—violin
Crystie Nicci Shum—piano, voice
Ken Miller—double bass
Hugo Wainzinger—guitar
About Tango Music
Tango emerged at the end of the 19th century around Río de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay) and has been evolving ever since. Along the way, it picked up new instruments, such as bandoneon, peculiar playing techniques and special effects, performance tradition, and a place on the United Nations' Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Many legendary musicians shaped the tango's Golden Age (approximately 1935 to 1950). Thanks to those who lived to pass the tradition to the new generation, tango music is thriving today with many superb musicians performing and innovating.
Alexander Zeyliger grew up listening to records from the 1930s and '40s and singing them back. He studied voice, piano and clarinet at a music school in Leningrad. While pursuing a physics degree at Caltech, he never missed a quarter of Caltech glee club and chamber singers. He studied classical singing with Frieda Bernstein and Eugene Brancoveanu. Having discovered Argentine tango as a social dance over twenty years ago, it was only a matter of time before he was drawn into singing tangos and playing the bandoneon, an instrument of German origin that found its way to Argentina to become the soul of tango music. Alexander attended Tango Music Institute at Reed College as vocalist, bandoneon player and arranger, and participated in the Stowe Tango Music Festival. He currently leads several tango groups in the Bay Area.
Violinist Keiko Cadby is a mixed native to northern California and southern Japan. She studied with Lorenz Gamma and Movses Pogossian at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. There she was first introduced to Argentine tango through the music chair and cello professor Antonio Lysy (son of the legendary Argentine violinist Alberto Lysy). Later, she participated in the Stowe Tango Music Festival and studied with renowned tango artists such as Julio Pane, Nicolas Ledesma and more.
Pianist Crystie Nicci Shum was born in Hong Kong. In 2017, she fell in love with Argentine tango after playing in the CMC Tango Ensemble directed by Scott O'Day. Since then, she has been receiving coaching from maestros such as Hector Del Curto, Pablo Estigarribia, Gustavo Casenave, Hernan Possetti, Nicolas Ledesma, Adrian Enriquez, Cesar Salgan, Julian Peralta and Juan Pablo Gallardo. In August 2022, she performed in the Stowe Tango Music Festival Orchestra and experienced playing a piece for the Che Bandoneon International Competition. Crystie is currently a pianist, vocalist and arranger in La Orquesta Fusion Tango, Orquesta Tipica Domo, TangoLuna and Tango Brumoso.
Ken Miller is a versatile double-bass player who works in many genres. He played with the SF Symphony, SF Opera, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestras and The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he is active on the San Francisco jazz scene, having performed with many top-level players including Branford Marsalis, Bruce Forman, Mark Levine and Mimi Fox.
Hugo Wainzinger is a composer, guitarist and arranger. Born in Argentina, he has been exposed to a wide variety of music since childhood. He absorbed many musical styles, making him uncommonly versatile as an arranger, largely through the influence of his mother, a passionate bolero singer. A prolific composer as well as a wide-ranging performer, he spans the spectrum from classical to jazz to contemporary and world music.
Frequently performing as a soloist, he also plays with both Latin and American artists at various Bay Area venues and festivals including the San Francisco Jazz Festival. In addition to his active career as a composer and performer, he engineers and produces recording projects at HeartStrings Music Studio in Mountain View, California.
Senior Programs are made possible in part by generous contributions from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the John R. Schwabacher Family, as well as many other individual donors. We are grateful for their generous support.
Tuesday, January 28
1:00–2:00 PM | Doors open at 12:30 PM
The Nourish Cafe by Tony Caters on campus is open for lunch before the concert. Linger after the concert for free snacks and beverages in the lobby.
Albert and Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall (Bldg. F)
$15 purchased online by January 20 | $25 after January 20 and at the door
Contact: Michelle Rosengaus |
[email protected]
