Winter Tango Festival | Brisbane Tango Orchestra
Brisbane's own Chloe Ann Williamson is a pioneering woman of tango! Not only an accomplished tango musician, Chloe has also established of a number of successful tango ensembles that regularly perform for dancers and music-lovers across Australia (Mendoza Tango Quartet, Tango Enigamatico). In 2021 Chloe piloted a project which brought together three Brisbane-based tango ensembles to form the basis for a tango orchestra. The acclaimed performance of this pilot orchestra was hosted in the Old Museum, and again delighted both dancers and music-lovers. 2022 gave Chloe the opportunity to restructure the ensemble, and she has brought together eight professional musicians who have not only mastered their instruments, but also perform across a variety of styles of music to create the Brisbane Tango Orchestra (BTO). The instrumentation of the BTO reflects the early days of tango orchestras, with percussion from piano and double bass, a big string sound from three violins and a cello and the haunting beauty of a wind section featuring flute and clarinet/bass clarinet. Moonlight Tango Inc are delighted to be partnering with the BTO! BTO will perform their milonga debut at the festival's Gala Milonga on Saturday 13th August, 2022.
BTO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brisbanetangoorchestra
BTO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brisbanetangoorchestra/
BTO on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rgYWstEZXKk
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Lux Fiat
Let it Bloom!
This is your chance to be a modern-day patron and make your mark on Australia’s cultural landscape. Think about that for a second. It’s pretty cool, right?
We all want to help others, to support our interests, give back to the community, be part of something bigger than ourselves. Now you can! Give what you can to support the creation and development of creativity, artistic expression and innovation. Support your friends, support your fellow dancers, support the Brisbane Tango Orchestra.
They are young, motivated, and need all our help to give us what we have always wanted: ongoing live music, cultural diversity, great sound, amazing memories, long nights of dancing with our friends. Ultimately, this is your chance to make a statement about culture and lifestyle in Brisbane. Oh yes, and don’t forget donations are tax deductible!
Moonlight Tango has initiated a project on Australian Cultural Fund to assist in the creation of the Brisbane Tango Orchestra and bring them to the festival.
Director & Double Bass
Chloe Ann Williamson
A graduate of the University of Queensland (Master of Philosophy in Music; Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours), Queensland University of Technology (Graduate Diploma in Education with Distinction) and the University of Tasmania (Graduate Certificate in Music Studies), Chloe Ann Williamson maintains an eclectic and successful career, as a freelance double bassist. The leading proponent of tango double bass in Australia, Chloe has a host of accolades and a strong dedication to Argentine tango as an art form. She was a recipient of a 2016 Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artist Fellowship and PPCA Grant to enable her to attend Tango for Musicians at Reed College in Portland (OR), USA, as well as undertake further study and research of tango music in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2018, Chloe again attended the Tango for Musicians course with the support of a PPCA Grant that was awarded to the Mendoza Tango Quartet – her former ensemble which she co-founded and directed from 2014-2018. She has studied with the best in the world of tango double bass – Ignacio Varchausky (author of The Bass In Tango), Juan Pablo Navarro and Pablo Aslan. As well as directing and playing in her own ensemble, Tango Enigmático, Chloe is also a member of Solidaridad Tango - a Toronto-based, all-woman, diversity-affirming tango orchestra.
The Three Violins
Liz Young
Liz Young studied violin under the tutelage of Spiros Rantos and Patricia Pollett at the University of Queensland (2004-2007) where she won the prestigious Sleath String Performance Prize (2007). She began dancing tango in 2010 and has continued to fall more in love with both tango dance and music as the years have gone by. This has led her to further tango music study at Tango for Musicians at Reed College in Portland (OR), USA (2018) where she had lessons with Ramiro Gallo as well as lessons with Soledad Grigera from La Academia Tango Club. Liz has been a member of Mendoza Tango Quartet since 2016 and more recently Diez Cuerdas and Cien O Mas. She loves playing Golden Age tango dance music and regularly plays for dancers at milongas and events around Brisbane. She's very excited to be a part of Moonlight Tango’s Winter Tango Festival..
Michael Patterson
Michael Patterson is a performer, composer and teacher of strings. Along with his qualifications (BMus, AMusA, LMusA, Grad Dip Teaching & Learning, and M.Phil(Music), Michael has a broad range of experience across a variety of extended styles including Balkan music, Gypsy Jazz, Flamenco, Pop and Rock. Highlights include: Soloist, core member and Guest Artistic Director of Camerata - Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra; Violinist in Black Square String Quartet; Commissioned Composer for Camerata, String Sirens, Angel Strings, St Peters Lutheran College and Clayfield College; Violist and violinist with The Queensland Symphony Orchestra; Guest violist with Topology 2007- 2015; Gypsy and Balkan-folk violinist with Doch and Doch Gypsy Orchestra including at The Powerhouse 2007, The Festival of Colour in Wanaka NZ 2007, WOMAD 2006, Cygnet Folk Festival Tasmania 2006, Commonwealth Games Melbourne 2006, The Big Day Out 2005, Woodford Folk Festival 2002-2007; Violinist with gypsy jazz band Laique
Eugenie Costello
Eugenie studied Violin and Piano at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Since then Eugenie has been working as a professional freelance violinist and violin teacher. She has extensive orchestral and chamber ensemble experience, having performed with ensembles such as, Chamber Ensemble Queensland, Southern Cross Soloists, The English National Ballet Orchestra, Philharmonia Australia, Tulipwood, Collusion Chamber ensemble and the Australian Session Orchestra. Eugenie has also performed in String Quartets and String Sections with International Artists, Hans Zimmer, Harry Connick, Diana Krall, and Eminem, to name a few, and Australian artists such as John Farnham, Archie Roach 'Into the Blood Stream', Hugh Jackman in 'Boy from Oz', Tommy Emmanuel, Kate Miller-Heidke and regularly performs with Katie Noonan. As well as classical and new music, Eugenie very much enjoys playing a wide variety of world music, and Jazz. She has performed with ensembles and dance productions such as Flamenco Fire, Tango Paradiso, The Australian Arabic Orchestra, and Jazz ensembles Trichotomy with String Quartet and Wild Silk Strings Project. Eugenie has over 30 years experience in the music industry and is constantly kept busy with gigs, concerts, recordings, and teaching.
Oh Cello
Daniel Curro
He studied the cello first with Helen Holt and later with Matthew Farrell, Roseanne Hunt and Howard Penny. Dan's musical interests are eclectic and his activities diverse. At the Queensland Conservatorium he studied contemporary improvisation under John Rogers and Ken Edie. He has recorded two albums with his contemporary vocal group, Plub and reviewers described him as a "star performer" for a concert he gave with avante-garde/electronic musician Oxford Parker, in which he improvised on 6-string fretless bass guitar and completed Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System, projected onto a screen for the audience in approximately six minutes. Sought after as a Baroque cellist, he has played in many specialist groups including the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Badinerie Players. Dan has also worked extensively with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra and The Queensland Orchestra. In 2007 Dan was contracted to play full-time with The Queensland Orchestra (now the Queensland Symphony Orchestra) and in that year also made his debut as principal cellist with that orchestra. In 2009, Dan elected to return to his freelance former lifestyle and in that year performed in the Australian premiere of Louis Andriessen’s string quartet “Facing Death” at the Australian National Academy of Music. Since then, Dan has performed in many and varied musical configurations and situations, in an abundance of musical styles including baroque/classical, latin, jazz, hip hop, contemporary and what has become his main passion, the historically informed performance of 19th century western art music. Lately, Dan has been doing quite a bit of playing with Black Square Quartet, performing a lot of new music, written by local composers such as Thomas Green and Richard Grantham
Piano Piano
Cara Tran
Brisbane-based pianist Cara Tran leads a versatile career that has taken her from concert halls to festival stages nationally and internationally. She is the pianist of indie chamber septet Nonsemble, dancehall tango ensemble Mendoza Tango Quartet and contemporary tango trio, Tango Enigmatico. With these ensembles, she has performed at festivals such as Brisbane Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Extended Play and Jungle Love. In 2018, Cara attended Tango for Musicians at Reed College in Portland (OR), USA with the support of a PPCA Grant that was awarded to the Mendoza Tango Quartet. As an orchestral pianist, she has performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Institute Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, with whom she toured to China in 2017. Through Musica Viva in Schools, she toured a scripted show through regional Australia with Ensemble Entourage. Cara completed a Bachelor in Music Performance with First Class Honours under the tutelage of Dr. Max Olding at the University of Queensland in 2014. Whilst completing her undergraduate studies, she was the recipient of the Donald Tugby Prize in Music Performance (2012). Cara is thrilled to be playing with the Brisbane Tango Orchestra after the wonderful pilot project in 2021!
Flute
Lucia Gonzalez
A freelance flutist and piccolist. Along with her qualifications, (Bachelor of Music with Honours from Australian National University and Master of Music Studies from Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium), she has a broad range of orchestral experience. Most notably, Lucia is a casual musician with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Whilst in Brisbane she has performed in the Brisbane Tango Orchestra, Queensland Pops Orchestra and in Opera Australia’s ‘Opera on the Beach’ at Bleach Festival. She is currently Principal Piccolo in the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2011 Lucia won first place with her trio in the Friends of the Australian National University Chamber Music Competition. Lucia has performed in Master Classes with internationally renowned piccoloists and flutists such as Nicola Mazzanti, Marta Rossi, Gudrun Hinze, Thies Roorda, Rien de Reed, Wally Hasse, Michael Cox, Professor Michael Hasel. During her studies, Lucia underwent intensive private lessons with Thies Roorda, Professor Michael Hasel and Michael Cox. As a Uruguayan/Australian Lucia is excited to be a part of the Brisbane Tango Orchestra not only to showcase her cultural heritage, but to also have the privilege of working alongside highly regarded local musicians who can bring their expertise and passion for tango music to Brisbane audiences
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Hugo Anaya
Hugo is a Brisbane based clarinettist studying at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University under the tutelage of Paul Dean. Since his first encounter with the clarinet at age 11, Hugo has taken part in numerous ensembles gaining a wealth of experience. Hugo’s affiliation with the Queensland Youth Orchestras began in 2016 where he began playing in the Wind Ensemble, directed by David Law. Since then he has also performed with the Wind Symphony, QYO2, and toured with the flagship ensemble, QYS in their Regional Queensland tour. He has held the coveted position of Principal Bass Clarinet in the Queensland Youth Symphony for several years. Hugo began competing at a young age and most notably has received several awards in the Queensland Clarinet and Saxophone Society Competition. Hugo plays clarinet regularly with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Queensland Conservatorium Ensembles and has taken part in several projects with ADY Ensemble over the past two years. Passionate about the bass clarinet, Hugo is excited to be able to incorporate it in to his performances with the Brisbane Tango Orchestra.
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