Tango-Stories

Born in 1983 in Formosa, Argentina, Rodrigo Bauzá studied violin in Uruguay and Argentina with Jorge Risi and Ljerko Spiller, as well as with Alberto Lysy at the Menuhin Academy in Switzerland. He continued his studies at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig, completing his diploma and concert examination under Professor Mariana Sirbu.

Rodrigo Bauzá was a member of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra for several years, where he worked with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Daniel Harding, and Gustavo Dudamel. Since 2014, he has been a member of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

His chamber music partners include Christian Zacharias, Caroline Widmann, Jean-François Heisser, and Marie-Elisabeth Hecker. From 2008 to 2013, he was a member of the Cuarteto Arriaga, performing in Asia, Europe, and South America. With the Cuarteto Arriaga, he appeared at venues such as London’s Wigmore Hall, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Les Folles Journées in Nantes and Tokyo, and the Quincena Musical de San Sebastián. They were invited by Gidon Kremer to the “Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus” and performed multiple times at the Palacio Real in Madrid on the famous Stradivari instruments owned by the Spanish royal family.

Rodrigo Bauzá is a highly versatile musician who is also passionate about jazz, Argentine folk music, and tango. His journey in music began as a child, inspired by the popular songs of his homeland and improvisation, which he continued to explore upon arriving in Europe. While at the Leipzig Conservatory, he studied jazz, including lessons with pianist Richie Beirach. As a jazz violinist, he performs in various ensembles with artists such as Diego Piñera, Peter Ehwald, and Christian Ugurel. In Argentina, he has collaborated with prominent figures in the pop music scene, including singers Juan Quintero and Liliana Herrero and clarinetist Marcelo Moguilevsky.

In 2013, he founded the Cuareim Quartet, a string quartet focused on original compositions and jazz arrangements. The Cuareim Quartet recorded its first CD in 2015, featuring Marcelo Moguilevsky.

Born in 1975 in Hameln, Andreas Kipp began cello lessons at the age of six with Frauke Rottler. He continued his musical education with Christiane Aydintan before pursuing studies with Michael Sanderling at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. After earning his diploma in Berlin, Andreas Kipp furthered his training with postgraduate studies in Frankfurt am Main. From 1995 to 1999, he was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Chamber Orchestra.

Starting in 1998, Andreas Kipp joined the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, initially as an intern and later as an academy member. He has also performed as a substitute with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, and Konzerthausorchester Berlin, where he held a temporary contract from 2006 to 2009.

Since 1994, Andreas Kipp has been active in chamber music as a member of the cello quartet “Berliner Cellharmoniker.” The ensemble has won prestigious awards, including the Charles Hennen Chamber Music Competition (Netherlands) and the Violoncello Ensemble Competition in Beauvais (France). They have also received the Special Prize of the City of Beauvais, the EMCY Special Prize “Dancing Angel,” and the European Cultural Foundation’s “Pro Europa” Award.

The Berliner Cellharmoniker’s dedication to their craft is evident through performances on renowned stages and at prominent music festivals, such as the Rheingau and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festivals. The ensemble has also toured across Europe, Asia, and Africa and produced several recordings, showcasing their dynamic engagement as a cross-over group.

Nhassim Gazale was born in 1983 in Concepción, Chile, and began studying double bass at the age of fourteen.

He was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas before starting his career with the orchestra of his hometown.

In 2009, he successfully applied to the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and began studying with Prof. Esko Laine. In 2013, he transitioned to the class of Prof. Janne Saksala.

He spent one year as an academy student with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and became a permanent member of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin starting with the 2011/12 season. In December 2014, he joined the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Duke Ellington allegedly once stated: “There are simply two kinds of music: good music and the other kind.” Jarkko Riihimäki has always been passionate about many kinds of music.The son of two choir conductors, he grew up in a musical household.

Growing up, he spent a lot of time wherever his parents were working. Whether in music schools, choir rehearsals, or churches; you name it, Jarkko was there soaking it all in. ”Of course it was all about playing with other kids”, he says, “but I guess something of that music in the background must have stayed. I remember that certain pieces always made me emotional. Also the sound of the organ gave me chills — sitting next to my father playing it was the coolest thing. Made me kind of proud as well.”

Jarkko started learning instruments at an early age. He started cello when he was 5 and piano a year later. “Many of even my closest friends now don’t know that I played the cello. And for 11 years! I guess I was a very bad student; playing around with the neighbourhood kids was much more important than practicing. But the absolute highlight was playing Dvorak’s 9th symphony in a youth orchestra. For me, having played the cello is pretty much the core for becoming a music arranger, especially when writing for the orchestra. So despite the lack of motivation from time to time, I’m very thankful for those years; they gave me a lot.”

Playing piano was more of a natural thing for him. “Already as a child I would spend hours at the piano, just trying to learn things I had heard. A pop song, something we sang in the school, or even the tunes from tv shows. That might sound like a joke, but trying to learn those TV theme songs was actually not unlike arranging. For some kids I might have been a little weird, going around with a Sony Walkman on and listening to Mozart. But then again, an hour later it was Wham or Michael Jackson. It was only later that I started seeing a connection between different styles. Going from pop music to listening to jazz was a natural path. And the more I learned the harmonic progressions of jazz, the better I began to understand harmonic structures in orchestral music.”

While studying at the renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Jarkko’s main interest were in the area of German and French art song (Lied and mélodie). “I took all the classes I could and participated in numerous masterclasses. I also accompanied my fellow students’ lessons, which was really the best way to gather repertoire.” Later this experience would become essential when working at the College of Music Berlin (UDK). Also playing with singers feels very natural for him. “As a pianist one has to understand how a singer breathes, and softly manipulate the music towards the end of a phrase so that it sounds organic and natural. Breathing together is, of course, the key to any kind of music.”

An open musical mind led Jarkko to play and study many kinds of music. A workshop of the late Horace Boyer in Connecticut was a mind-blowing experience for him at age sixteen. “That definitely gave me a kick to learn about African-American musical traditions. He would even let me play, I still remember that the song was It’s my desire, an original of his. Wow… there was something about this music that gave me the feeling as if I had known it for a very long time.” Only a couple years later he became the pianist of the Helsinki – based choir “His Master’s Noise”, a job he kept for the next six years.

Through these gospel gigs he also got to play with great studio musicians, who taught him the philosophy of band playing. “In a nutshell, it’s actually very simple: just play less. The band has to sound great, not you.” This proved a valuable lesson for him, later on, playing with bands, whether in a studio or on the stage. Working on the groove is not only a never-ending process but a source of satisfaction and excitement. “I could listen hours to a good groove. The first minutes of the bass player Pino Palladino and the drummer Chris “Daddy” Dave in a D’Angelo concert made me cry, it had an unexplainable depth in it.”

As an arranger, Riihimäki feels most at home when working with different musical worlds simultaneously. ”Let’s say there is a production with a pop artist, and s/he sings with a classical orchestra. I am familiar with the pop aesthetics, but I also know how a classically trained musician reads the music. So it’s about making the group of musicians understand each other. When writing for an orchestra I feel like a kid in a candy store, there are so many possibilities!”

Of other forms of art the cinema has probably been the most important source of inspiration for Jarkko. “I just love everything about films. The combination of literature, theater, visual arts and music has always been fascinating for me. As a child E.T. blew my mind, as did Amadeus. While still living in Helsinki, I was an active guest of the Cinema Orion, that showed a wide variety of art films. I still remember a series of early work of Ingmar Bergman, having that kind of a theater in my home town was luxurious. I also love to read, everything from fiction and poetry to scientific books. And naturally there is a direct connection to music: reading Russian literature helps you deepen your understanding of the Russian music, as an example.”

At the end of the day there are also other interests. “I’m a huge fan of high-quality comedy, standup, series or movies – anything. I’ll never forget the live shows of e.g. Eddie Izzard or Ricky Gervais, it can be an unforgettable experience, very much like a good concert. I also love sports, both watching it and doing it myself. A crossfit session or a bike ride rearranges something in my head, it is so much easier to continue working after that. Also cooking a dinner for my friends brings me joy, I’m continuously looking for new influences and recipes.”

Composer and bandoneon player Omar Massa was born in Buenos Aires in 1981 and has been based in Berlin since 2019. Internationally acclaimed as one of the leading artists on Tango Nuevo and the bandoneon, he received several “Opus Klassik”, “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik” and “International Classical Music Awards” nominations in Europe, as Composer of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year.

 He has participated in projects with internationally renowned artists such as Placido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, Daniel Hope, Paquito D’Rivera, Guy Braunstein, Alondra de La Parra, Fatma Said, Pablo Ferrandez, Bruno Delepelaire, Alexis Cardenas, Ute Lemper, Sarah McKenzie, Kai Strobel among others, and participated in recordings for important labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Classical.

In 2023 Omar was awarded with the Bandoneon Prize by the city of Krefeld, Germany (city where the Bandoneon was invented). His tours have been declared of ‘Cultural and Artistic importance to the country of Argentina’ by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Praised in Argentina as “one of the most brilliant bandoneonists of recent years” (Diario de Cuyo, Argentina) Omar debuted at the age of 6 years old playing Piazzolla´s music at Cafe Tortoni, a famous traditional tango house in Buenos Aires and subsequently began studying music at the National Conservatory of Argentina at the age of 12. After being nominated to the most important award in the recording industry in Argentina for his CD “Tribute to Piazzolla”, the family of Astor Piazzolla invited him to play Piazzolla´s bandoneon 25 years after his death – Massa being the only musician allowed to do that.

Devoted as a composer to bring the legacy of Tango Nuevo into the 21st century, Massa composed many works for different ensembles and received several commissions in Europe and America. His “Concerto for Bandoneon and Chamber Orchestra” was premiered at the Berlin Philharmonic and later recorded together with the Berlin Symphony orchestra, conducted by Mark Laycock. His “Stradivarius Duo” was recorded and premiered at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. His “Tango Etude” and “The Light from Andalusia” were premiered at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and “Negro Liso” and “Tango Lullaby” at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. His work “Caminos y Desvios” was premiered at the Konzerthaus in Berlin and “Suite Patagonia” and “Concertango” at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico. His “Interlude for Bandoneon and Strings” was premiered at the National University in Brasilia.

As a soloist Massa has performed with symphony orchestras like the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, the Biel Symphony Orchestra and the Brasov Philharmonic among many others in America and throughout Europe. He performed in several important venues such as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), the Colon Theatre (Buenos Aires), the Berlin Konzerthaus (Germany), the Palace of Fine Arts (Mexico), the George Enescu Festival (Bucharest) , the Berlin Philharmonic (Germany) and Deutsche Grammophon’s Yellow Lounge.

Massa was also the composer and musical director of theater and dance projects, such as the 2014 production of Eugene O’Neill’s play “A Touch of the Poet” directed by Barry Primus (Actors Studio-American Film Institute) with choreography by Julie Arenal (Broadway’s original “Hair” choreographer). In 2023 he also collaborated with New York ballet soloist Unity Phelan, who danced Omar’s music at the PAAX GNP Festival.