Piazzolla at 100

Leonardo Suarez Paz has big plans for the world of arts and culture, and he plans to bring each of us closer to the heartbeat of our collective humanity with Piazzolla 100. An interdisciplinary performing arts project of grandiose scale, Piazzolla will celebrate the centenary of tango’s legendary composer Astor Piazzolla in 2021 by showcasing a groundbreaking Nuevo Tango style. But what is so unique about this new style of tango? For one, Nuevo Tango draws on the common roots of Tango, Jazz and Classical Music, relying on the technical developments made possible in each of these genres by the interactions of African and European cultures in the Americas. 

Young Astor Piazzolla

Astor Piazzolla was born in Argentina, but grew up in New York, and Leonardo Suarez Paz wants to honor the legacy of the revolutionary composer in the Big Apple as a testament to the complexities his musical idol and mentor brought to the genre. If not for the innovations of Piazzolla, the tango might never have been pushed to its limits to truly evolve as an art form and challenge the sociocultural constructs of Latin America as a whole.

Piazzolla at 100 is a project that thrives on its artistic and sociocultural mission: to represent the culture of Tango in all its forms of expression and to emphasize liberty as an evolving concept that was instrumental in birthing the genre of dance in the first place. The project aims to foster educational outreach through a focus on bridging the people and cultures of North and South America, while emphasizing the high quality of art which can be produced through dedicated and giving collaboration between people from all walks of life. Piazzolla at 100 strives to afford greater opportunities for different generations of artists across genres and disciplines and represents an integral effort to renew the concept of cultural unity and inclusion for the world of dance and art at large. 

Piazzolla at 100’s will take place as a Festival in 2021 in New York, and the action will be spread out over multuiple venues and with a variety of programs. These include a chamber music program, a symphonic program, art exhibits, film screenings, master classes, and so much more. This Festival to top all festivals will bring together top artists from all disciplines who “form a part of Tango culture’s renewal” and will emphasize the importance of women and their role in the evolution of Nuevo Tango post-Piazzolla. 

The festival’s Artsitic Director Leonardo Suarez Paz belongs to a long line of tango innovators and artistic creators. This legacy begins with Gabino Ezeiza, who mentored Leonardo’s father Fernando Suarez Paz (an artist instrumental in the co-creation of Nuevo Tango alongside Piazzolla). Learning all he could from both his father and Piazzolla, Leonardo formed part of the most distinguished tango orchestras in the world (those of Mariano Mores, Horacio Salgan, Atilio Stampone, Osvaldo Berlingieri and the shows Tangox2 and Perfumes de Tango). The Artistic Director of Piazzolla at 100 is referred to by many as a “virtuoso extraordinaire”, whose art transcends both culture and genre. We at the SSO are excited about so many musical projects that are taking wing in the New Year, but Piazzolla at 100 is definitely one we will be following with extra enthusiasm!

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