Auditorium Theatre 2021-2022, Issue 4, Ballet Hispanico

20 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE :: BALLET HISPÁNICO Live Musicians Héctor Del Curto ( Bandoneon ) Praised by the New York Times as a “splendid player,” Grammy-winning musician, composer, recording artist and educator Héctor Del Curto is one of the world’s most sought-after bandoneonists. He has performed with many renowned artists across musical genres, and appeared with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Del Curto’s recent engagements include a recorded performance of Piazzolla’s bandoneón concerto Aconcagua with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Thomas Wilkins, a performance of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and a performance with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, which included Del Curto’s composition, Paris to Cannes . His 2021–2022 season highlights include a performance with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and a world premiere performance of his newly commissioned work for Apollo Chamber Players. Buenos Aires-born Del Curto is a fourth-generation bandoneonist who won the title “Best Bandoneon Player Under 25” in Argentina at age 17, and was subsequently invited to join the orchestra of the legendary Osvaldo Pugliese, the “Last Giant of Tango.” In 1998, Mr. Del Curto became music director of Forever Tango , a Broadway hit that continues to tour the world. Soon after, he founded the Eternal Tango Orchestra, a ten-piece ensemble that debuted at New York’s Lincoln Center, as well as the Héctor Del Curto Tango Quintet. Both are featured on his self-produced albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango , which were profiled by BBC News and Public Radio International. Mr. Del Curto has appeared on recordings with such artists as Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D’Rivera, Tito Puente, and Plácido Domingo. As part of the Pablo Ziegler Trio, he received a 2018 Grammy award for Jazz Tango . Dedicated to the education, outreach, and the preservation of tango, Mr. Del Curto co-founded the Stowe Tango Music Festival in 2014, and continues to serve as its artistic director. The premier tango music festival in the United States, it draws the most talented tango musicians and dancers, as well as fans, from all over the globe. He also produced the festival’s awarding-winning album: Live at the 2016 Stowe Tango Music Festival. Ahmed Alom Vega ( Pianist ) Cuban-born pianist Ahmed Alom pursued his classical piano performance studies at the Manhattan School of Music, as a scholarship student of the Viola B. Marcus Foundation and Flavio Varani Fund for Pianists, under the guidance of Dr. Solomon Mikowsky. Ahmed has won prizes at the Cuevas International Piano Competition in Mexico, the Bradshaw and Buono Competition and the Slatkin/ Composers Competition at Manhattan School of Music, both in New York. He was also a finalist of the 66th Chopin Kosciuszko Foundation Competition, recipient of the Munz Foundation Competition, and 1st Prize at the Young Musicians Competition in New York. As a Jazz and Latin Jazz pianist, he has performed with Paquito de Rivera, the MSM Afro Cuban Jazz Band, and Pedrito Martinez Group. In 2018, he joined Latin Grammy Winner Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet. His discography includes appearances in Edwin Perez’s Street Corner Chronicles , Rudyck Vidal Latin Jazz Trio’s Abriendo Ciclos , and the latest album by Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet Impulso Tanguero. His most recent project included the premiere of Dafnis Prieto’s TENTACIÓN, written for People of Earth band, and premiered with the Louisville Symphony Orchestra.