Classical Jam Performs Music of Piazzolla at the Music Box

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit's 2014-2015 Midtown Series comes to a lively conclusion with Classical Jam performing traditional tangos and 'nuevo tango' of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla on Friday, May 1 at 8:00 PM. Argentine tango dancers Elena Vais and Daniel Moreno will join Classical Jam for two traditional tangos. The concert, featuring cabaret seating, a cash bar and complimentary desserts, takes place at the Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center (next to Orchestra Hal), 3711 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. General admission tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students and are available by phone at 248-855-6070 or online at www.ChamberMusicDetroit.org.

Classical Jam - featuring Simon Gollo, violin, Wendy Law, cello, Justin Hines, percussion, Marco Granados, flute and Pablo Zinger, piano - is particularly well suited to performing the music of Piazzolla. A maverick 20th-century performer, ensemble leader and composer, Piazzolla transformed traditional Argentinian tango into a sophisticated "nuevo tango" that blends the traditional dance music with classical music and jazz. Like Piazzolla, the members of Classical Jam are all virtuoso soloists whose vibrant performances mix classical music with contemporary music, world music, jazz and improvisation. The program includes some of Piazzolla's best known compositions, including The Seasons and Libertango.

Known for its engaging style and creative concert programming, Classical Jam is a collaborative chamber ensemble that unites acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians to present engaging, high-caliber performances to diverse audiences. Classical Jam's wide-ranging repertoire includes traditional classical works, exciting improvisations, world music, commissioned new works, and original compositions by ensemble members.

Classical Jam members perform regularly with Musicians from Marlboro, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Ethel. Individually, they have appeared as soloists with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Singapore Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony and the Virginia Symphony, among others. Members have performed in venues throughout Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East.

Along with their dedication to their individual careers, members of Classical Jam have served as teaching artists at such leading organizations as the Lincoln Center Institute, the New York Philharmonic, 92nd Street Y and Carnegie Hall. They have visited schools across metropolitan Detroit through two previous residencies with the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, and will do so again the week of April 27 leading up to their May 1 concert.

Elena Vais and Daniel Moreno are professional Argentine Tango dancers. Elena Vais studied with some of Argentina's most renowned dance coaches, has toured in the U.S. and abroad, and has won top honors at Latin dance competitions nationally. She opened the Birmingham Tango Dance Studio in 2013, where she enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students. Daniel Moreno also studied Argentine Tango in Argentina, immersing himself for three years in the tango culture in Buenos Aires and training with prominent teachers before becoming a professional dancer.

Astor Piazzolla (1921 - 1992) is widely regarded as the world's foremost composer of tango; his oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style, nuevo tango, which incorporates elements from jazz and classical music. He was also an accomplished bandoneon player (an Argentine type of concertina), arranger and ensemble leader who toured worldwide and recorded with various ensembles throughout his career. Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina to Italian immigrant parents, Piazzolla spent most of his childhood in New York, where he took music lessons from Bela Wilda, a student of Rachmaninoff. He later studied with Alberto Ginastera in Buenos Aires and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Piazzolla made over 70 recordings between 1955 and 1989, and his music appears in over 40 films.

A press release and photos of Classical Jam, Elena Vais and Daniel Moreno are attached. Thank you for featuring this concert in your upcoming event listings! Don't hesitate to contact me if you need any further information.

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