The Apollo Chamber Players share, “Welcome to Piazzolla Centennial! What makes a truly great teacher, one that inspires students so fully that it changes the course of their lives? Tonight we explore this compelling question as we celebrate a hundred years of Argentinian tango master Astor Piazzolla, the eightieth birthday of renowned composer Adolphus Hailstork, and the arresting genius (and fiftieth birthday) of bandoneonist and composer Hector Del Curto.”

Program Notes by Hector Del Curto: “Trace of Time” is a single movement piece which cycles through some of the most culturally relevant rhythms from the Rio de La Plata: the tango, the milonga and the waltz. It also follows traces le by the composers and musicians I greatly admire, such as Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzolla, and the former pianist of the latter, Pablo Ziegler with whom I have been sharing the road of music for the past 30 years.

“Trace of Time” was commissioned by Apollo Chamber Players in 2021 during the pandemic which for many people including myself, seemed to have stopped time on March 12, 2020. This piece perhaps will serve me as a trace to find myself in the future when recollecting this challenging time for human history.

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 bandoneon 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 performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Hilton Head Symphony 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 Hector Del Curto Tango Quintet. Both are featured on his self- produced albums, “Eternal Piazzolla” and “Eternal Tango”, which were produced 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”.

For further information: hectordelcurto@gmail.com