The Soul of Tango

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Founded in 2013 by violinist Rebekah Wolkstein, Payadora has grown over thirteen years into one of Canada's most beloved chamber ensembles — a band that inhabits the tango tradition deeply enough to make it their own. The ensemble has always reflected the multicultural fabric of Toronto's music scene, with past and current members bringing roots spanning Argentina, Serbia, Hungary, Uruguay, and Malta. What began as a close study of the Argentine and Uruguayan repertoire has matured into something more personal — music born out of deep respect for the tradition and enriched by the skills and lived experience of the Canadian artists who play it. Uruguayan vocalist Elbio Fernández — El Gigante Pequeño del Tango (The Little Giant of Tango) — brings his lifetime of experience in this music to every performance.

The Soul of Tango is the latest chapter in a body of work known for its ambition and range, and this time the canvas is a full orchestra. The program weaves tango classics by composers including Piazzolla, Mores, and Gardel together with folkloric Argentine styles and original compositions drawing on the ensemble's training in classical and jazz and the multicultural breadth of Toronto's music scene — a program with far more range, colour, and surprise than audiences expect. The writing is deeply collaborative, with members orchestrating one another's works as readily as their own, including Grammy-winning arranger and orchestrator Drew Jurecka and award-winning music director Mark Camilleri.

For presenting orchestras, this is a rare find: the box-office appeal of a beloved popular genre, music that rewards the serious listener, and programming that is genuinely new — not a tribute act, but a living contribution to a tradition they love.