Hard Tango Chamber Band
The JP Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band, based in NYC, was started in 2008 by bandoneonist and composer Juan Pablo (J.P.) Jofre. The quintet focuses on Jofre’s original works as well as authentic interpretations of legendary composer Astor Piazzolla. Argentinian expatriate JP Jofre, highlighted several times by the New York Times, and praised by Lincoln Center, who called him “one of today’s leading tango artists,” has seen his reputation grow by leaps and bounds. After its debut performance at the Public Theatre in NYC in 2008, the group has appeared at Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Celebrities Series of Boston, and Seattle Town Hall, Seoul Art Center, Argentina, Panama World Music Festiva, Pro Arte in Puerto Rico and Tokyo-Japana among many others. Along with Jofre, the band comprises violinist Eric Silberger, cellist Amy Kang, double bassist Christopher Johnson, and pianist Pablo Cafici with guests Ron Wasserman and Siyi Fang.
J.P. Jofre (Bandoneon and Composer) Recipient of the National Prize of the Arts grant in Argentina, Mr. Jofre has taken his form of contemporary tango to some of the most important venues in Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean as soloist and composer. He has collaborated with many renowned musicians and orchestras in a wide range of musical styles, including 16-time Grammy Winner Paquito D’Rivera, pianist Kathryn Stott, Gloria Estefan, Symphony Silicon Valley, Santa Rosa Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Argentina, Sacramento Philharmonic, Philippe Quint, Fernando Otero, Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Napa Symphony, Michael Guttman and Fred Sturm among others. Mr. Jofre has received commissions and been part of prestigious festivals including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Umbria Jazz Festival, Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Seattle Town Hall’s Global Rhythms, Borislav Strulev’s Belgorod Music Festival, Sudtirol Jazz Festival, American Virtuosi, Nina Beilina and Bachanalia Taiwan. For the world premiere of his Bandoneon Concerto, the Mercury News wrote: “…he is an electrifying composer-bandoneon player.” In 2012, Jofre was invited by the Free University of Bolzano and SudTirol Festival (Italy) to perform for the homage to Argentinean Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel. He proudly uses the New AA by Bandonion Fabrik Klingenthal and is excited to present his newly released album “Manifiesto”.
Eric Silberger (violin) Virtuoso violinist Eric Silberger is a prize winner of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in 2011. His performances have been described by critics as “spine-tingling..astonishing” (The Guardian), “dazzling virtuoso playing” (The Washington Post), “bold, technically solid, charismatic” (Indianapolis Star), “impeccable level of playing, a wonderful musician” (Heather Kurzbauer, The Strad), and “so electrifying” (DC Theatre Scene).
PABLO CAFICI (piano) Pablo Cafici began playing guitar and piano at the age of 9 in Mendoza, Argentina. At 15 he formed “Exegesis” his first band. Later on, he attended to the “Escuela de Musica, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo” studying the classical piano career. he has don several tours around South America, Europe and USA. Although his formation was in classical music, Cafici always played and produced several bands of musical genres in Argentina and later over the world.
Amy Kang (cello) constantly seeks to explore the expansive range of the cello in a broad spectrum of genres. Equally at home in both the concert hall and downtown rock venues, Amy performs as a classical chamber musician as well as with hip hop artists, jazz ensembles, and singer-songwriters. She has become involved in contemporary Latin American music in particular, and is currently the cellist in the JP Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band. Recent performances in 2016 have brought her around the world to Poland, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Japan. Amy has performed with highly regarded musicians such as Kathryn Stott, Kenneth Cooper, Fernando Otero, and Paquito D’Rivera.
A graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in English Literature, Amy was a recipient of the Rapaport and Dolan Prizes, which allowed her to study with Fred Sherry. Amy is also a serious visual artist and studied painting at Columbia as well as the L’Ecole Marchutz in Aix-en-Provence. Her current project involves transcribing the Bach Cello Suites into a series of paintings through a system of color-pitch correlation.
Chris Johnson (double bass)
Mr. Johnson won his first orchestral job in 2007 with the New Haven Symphony. He was the principal bass from 2008-2011 in the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and co-principal of The New York Chamber Virtuosi in 2010. Chris has also filled in as a substitute bassist in Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony in Miami as well as the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. The summer of 2010 Chris attended the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. The year of 2013 he won a position in the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and 1st place in the International Society of Bassist (ISB) Orchestral Competition.
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