Anna Maria Mendieta, harpist, enjoys a busy career as a soloist, orchestral musician, recording artist, and teacher. She is the principal harpist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Sacramento Opera and has played with orchestras and chamber music groups across the country. Ms. Mendieta has performed for Pope Benedict XVI, President Clinton, President Gorbachev, and the King and Queen of Spain; National Hispanic Week in Washington D.C. She has performed with Theater Flamenco and Leading Ladies of Tango. Anna Maria is nationally recognized as a pioneer in performing Argentine Tango music on the harp with praises from The League of American Orchestras as “an exceptional and charismatic soloist.” Her creation of Tango del Cielo is the focus of a documentary film. Anna Maria has appeared on TV, movies, NPR, and the Emmy Awards. She has shared programs with Federica von Stade, performed with Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Barry Manilow who calls her his “favorite harpist”. When she is not pulling strings, Anna Maria is out on the dance-floor.

Jeremy Cohen - Jeremy, along with his Quartet San Francisco, recipients of numerous Grammy nominations, were the winners of the 2004 International Tango Competition in New York, which honored them with concerts in New York and Buenos Aires. Classically-trained, a student of Itzak Perlman and Anne Crowden, Cohen has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras. Cohen was the solo violinist in “Forever Tango” and his orchestral arrangements have been featured by orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony.

Jorge Calandrelli began his career in Argentina and Europe as Pianist, Arranger and Conductor. Calandrelli moved to the United States in 1978, he is one of today's most prolific arrangers and has worked in the Pop, Jazz, Latin, and Classical fields. Most recent is Jorge's involvement on the new album "Cheek to Cheek" with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga where he arranged and conducted all orchestral arrangements, as well as the “Great Performances” live show conducted for PBS at the Lincoln Center in New York just aired on the heels of the album release. He also conducted on the Tour at the Wiltern Theatre in LA, the Hollywood Bowl in LA, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. With the completion of the Duets II album Jorge Calandrelli reaches a milestone celebrating a 30-year association with Tony Bennett.

Six time Grammy winner, two Oscar Nominations and 28 Grammy nominations, ASMAC honored Jorge Calandrelli with the 2014 Golden Score Award for Arranging, the highest award given to an arranger in the USA.

Buenos Aires-born,Grammy winning pianist, composer and arranger has been one of the most important figures in Argentine New Tango, the vibrant musical hybrid of traditional tango, American jazz, and European art music. After performing in tango grand-maestro Astor Piazzolla’s legendary quintet for over a decade, and appearing on iconic Piazzolla recordings including Tango: Zero Hour, La Camorra and Central Park Concert, Ziegler has led his own groups for over 25 years, refining and re-imagining the bounds of the modern tango tradition. Recent seasons have seen Ziegler performing at major venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Muziekgebouw, Ravinia Festival SF JAZZ, Montreal Jazz Festival, the Ottawa International Jazz Fest, Tokyo Jazz Festival, La Jolla Summer Fest, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Blue Note and many others. Ziegler’s most recent release, 2017's Jazz Tango won the 60th Grammy® for Best Latin Jazz Album with his trio, Hector Del Curto and Claudio Ragazzi. 2013's the LATIN Grammy-nominated Amsterdam Meets New Tango, sees his quartet paired with the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest, playing his most famous compositions re-arranged for jazz orchestra. Ziegler’s 2005 release, Bajo Cero, won the LATIN Grammy for Best Tango Album, and in 2008, his album Buenos Aires Report was nominated for the same honor. Ziegler released his first Solo Piano album by Steinway and Sons in 2018. Pablo Ziegler is a Steinway Artist and Honorary Citizen of New Orleans.

Vincent Russo is a composer, conductor, arranger and music producer living in San Francisco. His compositions and arrangements have been performed around the US and abroad. As a composer and producer of music for media, Mr. Russo composes in a wide array of styles including orchestral, jazz, rock, ethnic and electronic. Having over a hundred pieces published for television and cinema, his music can be heard internationally on television programs on networks such as HBO, E! Entertainment and Access Hollywood. Mr. Russo has had numerous commissions for concert music from soloists, chamber ensembles and major orchestras across the country. He has arranged many children’s songs for educational concerts and has a large catalogue of arrangements for pop orchestra programs including several for Broadway Music

Productions in New York City. He served as Associate Conductor of the Canton Symphony from 1993 - 2003 and has guest conducted orchestras around the US

Russell Bond grew up in the recording studio with a job in a recording studio from age 19 and has since spent the vast majority of his life within the sacred walls where technology and artistry meet. Since then, he has set a high benchmark for guiding hundreds of musicians in crafting their music in the recording studio world. He was one of the founders of The Music Annex Studios in Menlo Park, CA., the facility that gave way to a number of key milestones as an early adopter of Pro Tools, the industry’s standard digital recording platform. Russell had the privilege of being a key player in crafting the signature sound for Windham Hill Records, recording most of the labels primary artists; Will Ackerman, Alex DeGrassi, Michael Hedges, George Winston and Liz Story, to name just a few. Working in close tandem with Stevan Pasero of the SUGO Music label, Russell also recorded and produced much of the SUGO label catalog encompassing a multitude of specialty musical artists, and was the first label to establish a sales market outside of the traditional record store paradigm.
Having also built and designed several studios, he established Digital Audio Productions and designed, owned and operated the first commercial studio of it’s kind, a “boardless”facility that relied solely on the Digidesign Pro Tools TDM platform. Many such studios since followed suit. Today, Russell is fortunate to live and continue to work in the mountains of Santa Cruz, CA.

Leslie Ann Jones grew up immersed in the Los Angeles area TV and music scene. Her father performed with his band, Spike Jones and his City Slickers, with her mother Helen Grayco lending her singing talents. Leslie was given a Sears Silvertone electric guitar at age 14 and has continued making music since. She is a multiple Grammy Award-winning recording engineer who has recorded albums for everyone from Rosemary Clooney to Kronos Quartet.

Joining Skywalker Sound in 1997 as the Director of Music Recording and Scoring, Leslie records orchestral scores, mixes film and video elements and records and produces music albums. Leslie also serves on numerous advisory boards including G.A.,N.G, the Game Audio Network Guild’s Board of Directors.

Matthew Szemela is a violinist who crosses musical genres with ease. Praised by the New York Times for his “outrageous fiddling,” he has performed as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician in several renowned concert halls in NYC (Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully, Merkin Recital Hall), the Kennedy Center (DC), and abroad (Japan, China, Korea, Belgium, Australia, Italy). Matthew served as concertmaster of the Hustla Symphony Orchestra for Jay-Z’s Concert at Radio City Music Hall (NYC), collaborating with and the Illadelphonics, and Beyonce. Matthew has also had the pleasure of collaborating with Sting, Garth Brooks, Susan Sarandon, Johnny Mathis, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, Placido Domingo, and Olivia Newton John. He later joined the multi- Grammy-nominated Quartet San Francisco with whom he maintained a busy domestic and international touring schedule. He continues to concertize and tour with many well known celebrity groups.

Thomas Yee, violinist, is known for being a dynamic and versatile musician active as a soloist, collaborator, teacher, and orchestral performer. Mr. Yee is the Associate Concertmaster with the Monterey Symphony and a member of the Santa Rosa, Marin, and Santa Barbara Symphonies. Thomas tours with guitarist Jose Rodriguez as Duo Revirado playing classical, folk, Latin, jazz, and new music. They released a CD of Spanish/Tango music titled “Historia”. Thomas also performs as a husband/wife duo with pianist Jieun Yee, who is an accomplished pianist and teacher. His passion is to communicate to the audience through performing and inspire future generations through teaching. Thomas plays on an Italian violin by Leandro Bisiach from Milan made in 1896 and a contemporary bow by Robert Morrow of Seattle, WA.

A graduate of San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Joseph Christianson has performed in venues throughout the United States and across the globe, including a 2012 production of La Boheme at the Muscat Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, under Lorin Maazel’s baton. Joseph has toured and taught chamber music workshops with Quartet San Francisco. He was a longstanding member of Lazuli String Quartet. He has worked with members of the Kronos Quartet, Takacs Quartet, and Danish Quartet. Joseph has played with conductors including Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, and Scott Yoo. In 2017 he performed with violinists Andrew Wan and Stefan Hersh in a video of Peter Norman’s virtuoso ensemble piece Gran Turismo, produced and published by the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Joseph has been awarded fellowships at Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Castleton Festival, Mendocino Music Festival, and the Rubin Institute of Music Criticism. During his studies at Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, his mentors have included Nina Bodnar, Herbert Greenberg, Axel Strauss, and Bettina Mussumeli.

Violinist Ingrid Tracy brings together diverse musical worlds with beauty, depth and authenticity. A violinist since the age of three, her musical journey spans classical, tango, jazz, contemporary and Celtic fiddle traditions. As the newest member of Anna Maria Mendieta’s internationally acclaimed “Tango Del Cielo”, she embraces the passionate essence of Argentine Tango. A devoted tanguera herself, Ingrid brings genuine understanding of tango’s intimate dialogue to her violin performances, blending classical precision with heartfelt improvisation. Ingrid is also a member of the Sacramento Philharmonic regularly performing classical and operatic works while her performances with contemporary folk-rock band “Proxy Moon” showcase her versatility across genres.

Joseph Hébert, cellist, is well known in San Francisco Bay Area ensembles as an exceptional artist in all areas of classical, improvisational, and world styles of music. As a composer and improvisational jazz musician, he has performed in Japan, Europe, and Hawaii, with instrumentalists from all over the world, as well as with collaborations of theater, dance, and choral groups. Mr. Hébert is the Assistant Principal cellist with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, and has performed for movie sound tracks with the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. He studied music at Stanford University, California State University Hayward, and UC Berkeley, where for 15 years, he was on the music faculty directing chamber ensembles, the orchestra, and vocal ensembles in the Young Musicians Program. Joe is happy to announce the release of his CD called “Sanctuary”.

Grammy nominated Sascha Jacobsen has performed with the Kronos Quartet, Rita Moreno, Hugh Jackman, Martin Short, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, and Tango Masters Raul Jaurena, Pepe Motta, Pablo Estigarribia, and Maria Volonte, Flamenco greats Chuscales, Jose Luis Rodriguez, and Juanito Pascual and many others. He is the founder of the Musical Art Quintet, which performs his original works. Strad Magazine say his musicis "...Stylish and Vigorous...beautifully arranged" and the East Bay Express declared: "Classical Music is sexy again". Sascha's passion for music and dance has led him to collaborate with Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco and Tango Fatal with choreographer Jorge Torres (Forever Tango). Sascha also performs with Argentine tango group, Trio Garufa, and can be be found dancing Tango when not performing music.

Antonio Davidson-Gomez, percussionist, is an educator and percussionist focused on a musical dialogue among cultures. He has studied, performed and recorded in various genres with an emphasis in Afro-Latin, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and liturgical music. With a special interest in sacred music, he has developed several programs including More Than One Road Home, a multicultural liturgical arts intensive, as well as Call of the Drum: Percussion in Sacred Traditions and Mary Across Cultures. A veteran teacher of California’s K-12 classrooms (bilingual kindergarten & high school social studies, music, and Spanish), Tony coordinates bilingual programs for public television in Seattle where he worked on Latin Music USA and produced Students of Change: Los del ’68. He wrote the curricula for the national touring exhibition, America Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music.

With successful tours of South America and Europe, as well as special performances for Pope Benedict XVI, Tiano Vas has delighted audiences with his music combining folk & classical styles. His albums Tiano Vas, El Latido, and Diez, as well as his popular music videos highlight his Latin Rock influences. In 2011, Tiano was invited to perform for the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid. He was the only Argentine in history to be a part of this unique musical project concluding with an exclusive audience and concert for Pope Benedict XVI.

Suzanne Mendieta, dancer – A classically trained dancer in both ballet and flamenco, she has been a member of many dance companies, including: Theatre Flamenco, Rosa Montoya’s Bailes Flamenco, San Francisco Dance Theater, and the Arabesque Dance Company. She has been a featured flamenco dancer for the San Francisco Opera’s productions of “La Traviata” since 1991. Additional appearances include soloist with the Santa Clara Ballet, Pacific Dance Theater, and Michael Smuin’s Ballet/SF; as well as a featured dancer performing in China, St. Martin, the Dutch Antilles, and in Seville, Spain for the 1992 World Expo. Suzanne appeared in the film “A Walk in the Clouds” and in the television series “Nash Bridges“. However, her greatest accomplishments are her five children.

Fanny Ara, Flamenco Dancer - Considered on of the foremost flamenco dancers in the USA, Ms. Ara began studying ballet and Contemporary dance at age three in France. In 1991, she began training in Spanish classical dance in Madrid. While in Spain, Ms. Ara studied at the prestigious academy of Mario Maya. Since then she has become established in the US as one of the foremost Flamenco dancers and was nominated as the “Most Outstanding Individual Dancer” (2006) from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards. In June 2007, she presented her program "Magia Flamenca" in Washington DC to critical acclaim. Fanny Ara was a finalist for NBC's 2017 "World of Dance".

Marcelo Molina, dancer – the twice winner of the USA National Argentine Tango Championship, is in popular demand as an Argentine Tango performer, choreographer and instructor of all levels. Born and raised in Córdoba, Argentina, he began his dance studies in 1997 and developed different dance styles such as Caribbean Rhythms, Folklore, Latin-American, and especially Argentine Tango. Marcelo has been a part of dance productions worldwide such as El Viejo Almacen Tango House in Buenos Aires (2007-08), Tango on Broadway (2005), and Golden Tango Spectacle Bolivia Tour (2010). In 2008, he won the Argentine Tango Córdoba City Championship, a branch of the World Tango Championship. In 2011 and 2013 Marcelo Molina won 1st place at the USA Argentine Tango Championship in the Stage Category for the Official World Argentine Tango Championship in Buenos Aires.

Count Glover is a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer of Argentine Tango. He has studied with some of the worlds most renowned tango maestros. He is a well rounded, versatile dancer and performer, with a Tap and Ballet background that began at the age of two with his grandmother dance company in Chicago. Count is also a well received social dancer of tango and is adept at all forms of tango and considered one of the best dancers of Argentine Tango in San Francisco. Count has performed in the Bay area and around the U.S. in many stage performances, he was a featured artist at the restaurant Destinos in San Francisco and also a principal dancer for the MonTango Orchestra based in the Bay area since 2000. Count has also been featured on the KRON Channel 4 program “Latin Eyes” and various documentaries about tango, and most recently in Buenos Aires with popular tango band Tanghetto.

Sandor & Parissa, tango dancers – are internationally acclaimed performers, choreographers, and highly distinguished instructors. Sandor, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was a principal dancer in the Broadway/London hit show Forever Tango, nominated for the Tony Award Best Choreography. Parissa has coached several celebrities, including Antonio Banderas for the movie Take the Lead. Sandor & Parissa are often featured on ABCs Dancing with the Stars. They have also choreographed for Olympic & World Champion ice dancers.

Maxi Copello & Raquel Makow
Maxi Copello was born "breathing" Tango, watching each of his father, Carlos Copello's tango shows with awe and admiration and secretly taking classes of his own developing himself as a fine dancer. His partner, Raquel Makow, began dancing at the age of ten. Pursuing ballroom (a sport she found essential), she won the 2011 National Portuguese Championship and toured the world, winning titles in the Czech Republic and Canada. However, it was at the age of 15 that she discovered her true passion: Tango. After Raquel abandoned her ballroom career to explore Tango in Buenos Aires, Maxi Copello and she met each other for the first time at the famous milonga Salón Canning. On the dance floor, they found their soulmate in tango, and from then on would tour professionally to convey their love of Tango.

Bill is a multi-talented actor and film producer in Los Angeles. He works with WSR Creative, a film production company. As an actor, he has performed in theaters around the country in roles ranging from Hamlet to Quasimodo. His appearances include Days of Our Lives, and feature films: award-winning Soldier of God, Dead Border, as a vampire hunter, the animated feature, Race, and the web series, “Mob Boss Associate”, which he co-created. He recently completed several tours starring as Ricky Ricardo in the highly successful “I Love Lucy – Live On Stage” in LA, Chicago, Boston, and abroad.