Town Hall Welcomes Tangos from Gardel to Piazzolla 4/29

The Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, Times Square's landmark concert venue, will welcome back the Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble for the world premiere of "Tangos from Gardel to Piazzolla," a concert evening of Tango dance and music, Friday, April 29 at 8:00 PM. This concert follows the Town Hall successes of Romulo Larrea's acclaimed productions of "Tango First Century" (Town Hall, 2006) and the internationally renowned "Spotlight on Tango" (Town Hall, 2009).

"Tangos from Gardel to Piazzola," performed by the Romulo Larrera Tango Ensemble, celebrates the immense beauty of the art of Tango. Singer Verónica Larc and six tango dancers present a world of intense emotions, extraordinary music, great melodies and magnificent dances celebrating the talent and passion of renowned composers Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla.

Maestro Larrera, a virtuoso bandoleon player, is recognized internationally as a leader among the Tango scene. His troupe diligently explores the world of tango that has made them exceptional ambassadors of the art of Tango in international cultural circles. His ensemble's artistry presents a unique approach to the genre and is a benchmark for all aficionados.

ABOUT ROMULO LARREA
Born in Montevideo (Uruguay), Larrea began his bandoneon study at the age of ten with Professor Rolando Gavioli. In the 1960s, he formed his first ensemble, began composing, recorded his first album and worked with several orchestras in Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

Larrea went to Quebec at the end of the 1970s and founded the first Tango groups. He is known for having introduced Tango to Montreal. At the end of the 1980s, Larrea worked with Master Astor Piazzolla in South America. When he returned to Montreal, Larrea made his debuts as soloist with the Quebec Symphonic Orchestra. He developed a new musical approach that led to the creation of the Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble.

Larrea added tours throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. He has performed in several concert halls including at the Wiesbaden Kurpark (Rheingau Festival), Teatro Alvear and Teatro San Martin in Buenos Aires, at the Vaz Ferreira concert hall in Montevideo, at Orange County Performing Arts Centre in California, at the Metropolitan in New York, at Town Hall Theatre, at Meany Hall Theater, Washington, at Place des Arts de Montréal, at Palais Montcalm and Grand Théâtre de Québec and at the National arts Centre in Ottawa.

He has shared the stage with renowned francophone artists such as Michel Sardou, Claude Léveillée, Bruno Pelletier, Sylvain Lelièvre and Claude Dubois. Larrea also performed with Piazzolla's collaborators: cellist José Bragato and poet Horacio Ferrer, as well as guitarists Alvaro Pierri and Aniello Desiderio, flutist Timothy Hutchins, cellist Antonio Lysy and Julius Berger, violinist Paul Rozcek, clarinetist André Moisan and pianist Pascal Rogé. In 1999 he received the Félix Award as ‘‘Arranger of the year'. Larrea is also a member and delegate for Quebec of the Academia National del Tango of Argentina.

Larrea created the shows "Tango First Century," "Le Tango de chez nous," "Homenaje a Astor Piazzolla," "Tangos... para La Milonga," "Tango Sinfónico," "Piazzolla y sus contemporáneos," "Tango du cœur," "Sinfonía del Ángel" and "Spotlight on Tango."

Musical Director of "Tangos from Gardel to Piazzolla" is Maestro Romulo Larrea; he is also arranger and appears on bandoleon. The Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble includes François Pilon, first violin, Frédéric Lefebvre, violin; Martine Gagné, viola; Sheila Hannigan, cello; Alain Malo, double bass; Louise-Andrée Baril, piano and Verónica Larc, vocals. The tango partners will be Leah Barsky & Carlos Cañedo, Mariana Galassi & Walter Perez, Mariana Parma & Hernán Brizuela. Group number choreography is by Cecilia Saïa and Carlos Cañedo. Lighting design is by Pierre Lavoie.

"Tangos from Gardel to Piazzolla" is part of The Town Hall's 2011 90th Anniversary season that will also include "Peter Yarrow and Friends" (May 15), "Broadway By The Year®: Musicals of 1982" (May 16), "An Evening with Linda Eder" (May 20), "An Evening with Kelli O'Hara" (June 3rd), "Easy to Love: Andrea Marcovicci & Jeff Harnar sing Cole Porter" (June 9), "Broadway By The Year®: Musicals of 1997" (June 20) and 2011 Grammy ® Award recepient Dee Dee Bridgewater's "To Billie with Love a celebration of 'Lady Day'" (June 24).

PRESS CLIPPINGS
"A forceful, enticing tango - The Larrea ensemble delivers a sensual, gritty style to the melancholy music of the bandoneon...(which) is wielded by Larrea with unusual, invigorating rhythmic force. 'Tangos ... for La Milonga' speaks eloquently of tango as a distinctive and often profound expressive realm. (Verónica) Larc ... is fearless, venturing a daunting array of tango classics. ...The dancers adroitly summarize the range of tango style, from intense ... to flamboyant."
--Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times

"Ensemble turns tango into high art ... (Verónica) Larc was a knockout. She sang with the warmth and feeling of an artist deeply immersed in the style and meaning of the words and music ... "
--Wilma Salisbury, The Plain Dealer

ABOUT TOWN HALL
Now celebrating its 90th Anniversary Season, The Town Hall (www.the-townhall-nyc.org) was built in 1921 by a group of suffragettes and began as a lecture hall and public forum for debates where "American Town Meetings on The Air was broadcast live for 25 years. Over the decades, the stage has been graced by Eleanor Roosevelt, Carl Sandberg, Margaret Sanger, Billie Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, Bob Dylan and Miles Davis. Today the hall flourishes as a popular, affordable venue, boasting the hottest acts in rock, pop, folk, cabaret, world music, comedy and dance, including Billy Joel, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Natalie Merchant, Graham Nash, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Norah Jones, Andre Watts, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Pink Martini, Regina Spector, Brian Adams, Aimee Mann, Robin Williams, Dawn Upshaw, Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Al Gore, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Mercer, Jay Leno, Dave Matthews, Vanessa Williams, and Ben Folds. For over a decade, The Town Hall has hosted live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion." In its annual show, "Rising Stars," The Town Hall gives recent graduates from the nation's leading performing arts schools a chance to showcase their talents and perform on the legendary stage. The Town Hall Educational Outreach Program helps schools build their arts programs and advance student learning through standards-based, collaborative arts residencies. In addition to offering residencies in drama, technical theatre, music, dance, and fine arts, The Town Hall also customizes its curriculum to meet the needs of each school. Teaching artists bring hands on, interactive workshops to New York City school students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. These activities introduce new skills that foster creative expression, self-awareness, and personal discipline. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, The Town Hall has produced the Feature Film Seminar Series and a number of new and critically acclaimed musical series, which include The Century of Change, Not Just Jazz, Broadway By The Year®, The Broadway Cabaret Festival and The Summer Broadway Festival.

TICKETS
Tickets are on sale now for $45 and $50. All tickets for The Town Hall shows are available through Ticketmaster, 800-982-2787, or www.ticketmaster.com, or by visiting The Town Hall Box Office between noon and 6PM (except Sundays) at 123 West 43rd Street, 212-840-2824. Further info visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org