Raul Jaurena, bandoneón Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Mr. Jaurena studied bandoneon with his father from a very early age, performing with a children’s tango orchestra at the age of eight.  When only 15 years old, he became a member of the popular Donato Raciatti Orchestra of Uruguay.  He graduated with honors from the National Conservatory of Uruguay, where he composed his own work for bandoneon for the Symphony of Montevideo.  Mr. Jaurena has accompanied some of tango’s most prominent singers, notably Roberto Goyeneche, Edmundo Rivero, Agustin Irusta, among others.  He spent many years performing throughout Latin America, specifically in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico.  In Brazil, he recorded for RCA Victor, and in Mexico he performed for Televisa. In Venezuela, he performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and presented his own work, Motivos de Tango, with the National Philharmonic of Venezuela.  In Brazil and France he recorded for films.  In the United States since 1988, Mr. Jaurena has led his own group in performances at the Lincoln Center, American Music Theater Festival, and the Ethnic and Folk Music Festival in Washington, DC.  He has performed with Astor Piazzolla’s Sextet at the Montreal Jazz Festival and on his own with the Faculty of Music at the University of Montreal. For the past five years, he has performed at the Stanford University Tango Workshop, a popular event for tango dancers throughout the United States.  In 1995, Mr. Jaurena released a recording, Cabarute, with the New York Tango Trio and, in 1997, as the Music Director of Tango Mundo, he performed in Berlin.  Currently, he is the Director of the acclaimed tango group, New York Buenos Aires Connection, which toured Europe and Russia in 1996 with the Irene Hultman Dance Company.  He has recorded with Brazilian singer Ana Caram for Chesky Records and with Paquito d’Rivera for Messidor Records. With the rise of the bandoneon on the concert and recording scene and the renewed interest in the tango-based music of Piazzolla, Jaurena’s talent has become eagerly sought after.  He recently performed with Yo-Yo Ma in Boston, with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and with the Hollywood Bowl Philharmonic among others.  This is Jaurena’s 10th performance with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra

Octavio Brunetti, piano   Octavio Brunetti was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1975. He started his musical studies at the Municipal Music School in Rosario and graduated from both The National School of Music and the Pedagogical Institute of  Music, preparing him to become a piano teacher. He also studied piano and chamber music in Buenos Aires with Alicia Belleville. In 2004, he won the New York City International Tango Competition Award for Best Solo Pianist and Best Duo (Brunetti – Monk).   From 2001 – 200, he was the pianist and conductor of the Provincial Orchestra of Popular Music in Cordoba, Argentina. In 2003, when the famous bandoneón player, Osvaldo Piro, became the conductor, Octavio remained as the assistant conductor and principal arranger.  He has recorded tangos, among which the most notable are “Inquietudes” (Omar Torres Quintet), “Saludos” (Domingo Federico’s Orchestra), and “Tierra y Asfalto” (Brunetti – Carballo). In 2000, he was the pianist with the World Tango Orchestra, conducted by Rodolfo Mederos. He has played at such notable venues, such as the Teatro Colon (Mozarteum Series 1995), Teatro San Martin in Cordoba, “El Circulo” theater in Rosario, Auditorio Astengo in Rosario, Lincoln Center in New York City, at the Tango and Malambo Festival in Santa Barbara,California, the Granada Festival in Spain, the World Music Festival in Providence, Rhode Island, and the Boston Tango Festival.  He has toured in Germany, Holland, Switzerland.