Tangoheart was founded in 1999 by the artistic director Bertram Levy, who has spent more than a decade collecting and transcribing the classic orchestrations of tango.
The Tangoheart Sextet is one of two dozen tango sextets in the world and is dedicated to performing the music of Astor Piazzolla and the classic orchestrations of the golden age of tango.

The sexteto tipico is the highest form of ensemble playing in tango and it also contains all the musical elements of the great orchestras of the 1940's.
Tangoheart Sextet is one of the few sextets outside of Argentina to contain the bandoneon, the essential instrument of the tango.
Tangoheart has been introducing the extraordinary music of the tango to Northwest audiences for 5 years.

The sextet is composed of Bertram Levy bandoneon, Tracy Hoveskeland cello, Claude Ginsburg first violin, Anthea Lawrence second violin, Andy Carr piano, and Spencer Hoveskeland bass.

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Musicians:

Bertram Levy met Astor Piazzolla, author of the modern tango, in 1989 and was so moved by Piazzolla's music that he abandoned all his other musical endeavors to study the tango. At that time, Bertram was an internationally recognized virtuoso folk musician, having been featured in over a dozen albums including the Smithsonian CD compilation, "American Folk Music", and highlighted in several national broadcasts of "The Prairie Home Companion" show with Garrison Keillor.
In 1991 Bertram made his first trip to Buenos Aires, acquired a bandoneon, and began his studies with Miguel Varvello.
From 1999 to 2002 he studied bandoneon in Paris with maestro Cesar Stroscio.
He founded the Tangoheart Sextet in 1999.
Bertram has performed with the San Francisco based Latin American Chamber Music Society and with Tango Retro.
In addition he has conducted tango workshops in the United States and Canada, and has toured both in Argentina and USA with the Argentine Duo Gomez-Mendez.
He is presently musical director of the show "Tangoheart" and lives in Buenos Aires where he studies classical bandoneon at the Conservatorio Manuel de Falla with Rodolfo Daluisio, and orchestration with Gabriel Senanes.

Traci Hoveskeland (Cello) received her degree in the cello from Western Washington University in 1993.
Since her graduation, she has worked regularly in many Northwest classical ensembles including the orchestras of the Paramount and Fifth Avenue theaters.
She performed on the stage of Carnegie Hall in 1989 and last year for President Clinton.
This summer she will be a member of the faculty quintet at the Cebreros Festival of Strings in Spain. She performs frequently with her bassist husband in the Bottomline Duo, whose repertoire draws from classical, jazz, and latin music.

Claude Ginsburg (violin) Brings to Tangoheart a broad background in many musical genres.Initially trained in classical technique, Claude's career has has been a cultural journey from acid rock to British Isle dance music, from jazz and fusion to tango.
As well as playing in Tangoheart, he is the lead violinist in the highly successful contradance ensemble KGB and appears with the Djangomatics.
Claude has toured extensively in the United States, Europe and Japan.
He has been actively involved in tango and the music of Piazzolla since his visit to Buenos Aires in 1991.

Anthea Lawrence (violin) is both a classical violinist and Celtic fiddler.
From a family of musicians, she began her studies at the age of 8 years.
She is based in Olympia where she was a founding member of the Olympia Chamber Orchestra and has specialized in 20th century music.
She performs regularly throughout the Northwest with Fiddlehead, an Irish music ensemble, of which she is founder and leader.
Anthea teaches violin and has conducted summer workshop programs for Centrum Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp.

Andy Carr (piano) has been a highly sought after pianist for the Seattle jazz and swing dance scene since 1979, as well as accompanist for many vocalists, choral groups and musical theaters.
He accompanied the Shoreline-based “Choir of The Sound” from 1994 through 1998.
His recent show credits include “West Side Story” with the Eastside Musical Theater. Currently he is accompanist for Blue Street Voices and leads a jazz trio accompanying singer Dianne Trani.

Spencer Hoveskeland (bass) graduated with a degree in music from Western Washington University in 1994.
He was the principal bassist with the WWU symphony and the Whatcom Symphony from 1991 to 1995.
His honors include first place winner in the Cays Young Artist concerto competition in 1999, finalist in the 2000 Ladies’ Music Club of Seattle Solo competition, and guest artist at the Fairbanks Music Festival in 1996.
He received a full scholarship to the Port Townsend Jazz Festival in 1993 and 1994. He has performed with the Bolshoi Ballet, Broadway at the Paramount, and the LA Philharmonic Quintet.
Spencer is a popular bassist with many Seattle groups, such as Jazzbow, Swingcats, Shawn’s Kugel, and Guaneri Underground.
He performs regularly with his cellist wife in the Bottomline Duo, whose repertoire draws from classical, jazz and latin music.

Tango Dancers
Eva Lucero, dancer, started dancing at the age of 7 and she completed her studies in the Colon theater in Buenos Aires.
She also studied modern dance in the chool of the San Martin theater.
Her most important teachers were Atilio Sanchez, Alejandro Toto, Liliana Belfiore and Aichi Akamine.
She learned tango dancing with the most famous milongueros of Buenos Aires in the milongas

Patricio Touceda, dancer,studied tango for 15 years with the best tango masters, especially with Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves, Pepito Avellaneda, Mingo Pugliese and Gustavo Naviera. He also studied argentinian folkloric dances for 7 years, ballet and modern jazz with Margarita Fernandez.
Since they came to the USA in July 2002, they have performed in Swango with the Helen Hayes theatre company in New York, Michelle Badion’s Tango cabaret in Seattle WA., Romulo Larrea’s Tangos..... For la Milonga at the Meany Hall in Seattle WA and at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA.


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