Community Music Center: Argentine Tango Workshop

SF Tango Academy (SFTA) is offering an intensive workshop over the Labor Day weekend to help bandoneon, string, and piano musicians learn to play tango authentically. We are bringing world class professors from the most prestigious tango orchestra school in the world, La Orquesta Escuela de Tango, Emilio Balcarce, from Buenos Aires to the heart of San Francisco to teach the specific roles each of the instruments plays in the ensemble. The workshop will end with a concert where you will play alongside your renowned maestros and members of the SF Tango Orchestra. You will learn to play well loved orchestral works as well as contemporary tango as it’s being played in Buenos Aires today, including new works by the maestros. Some pieces will be geared toward professional musicians, others will be accessible to amateurs. The workshop will prepare you to participate in an Orquesta Típica, and selected musicians will be offered opportunities to play with the newly formed SF Tango Orchestra. Friday, September 4 to Monday, September 7, 2026 Tuition & registration: Early Bird: $850 (save $100 through July 15) Private lessons available before and after workshop hours Apply by August 21 — slots often fill sooner, so register early Limited partial financial aid may be available to qualified applicants CMC faculty and students can request a discount at info@sftangoacademy.com Spaces are limited, and the maestros are only here for this special workshop & concerts! See the full schedule, learn more and register here FACULTY: Of note, award-winning bandoneonist, composer, and arranger Ramiro Boero, together with his duo partner, pianist and SFTA Founder and Director Sumi Lee, will lead the workshop faculty. Bandoneóns are what makes music sound like tango, and through a series of workshops over several years Maestro Boero has developed a cadre of bandoneonists that few locations outside Argentina can offer, a unique feature of SFTA workshops. Latin Grammy winning violinist Guillermo Rubino and acclaimed bassist Pablo Lanouguere will teach specialized techniques and driving rhythms to the string players. SCHEDULE: Friday: 3pm – 9pm Saturday: 10:00am – 6pm Sunday: 10:00am – 6pm Monday: 11:00am – 5pm Monday: 3:30pm (TBD) Performance in a concert and milonga for friends, family and the public alongside your maestros and participants of the SF Tango Academy. Tickets will be avaliable for purchase in August; proceeds will be used to help defray the costs of travel and financial aid.