The Terrified Tango Orchestra

Step 1: Drag a piano off the streets and have it repaired.

Step 2: Put it in the window with some charts.

Step 3: Wait for an unsuspecting victim to come in and read the charts. :)

Jesse Makela has been a joy to work with! She comes with energy, enthusiasm, and an appreciation for all the styles.

We rehearsed and edited the latter half of winter, and with the addition of a new venue space, we launched in the summer of 2025.

Step 4: I’ve been including a third voice in most of my arrangements as I work on them, in hopes of luring another victim to join us. As time has gone on I’ve found that I’m particularly drawn to arrangements using two treble parts (for example Hector Varela’s vocal duets), and on a whim this winter I adapted a handful of charts to use two clarinets. I asked my long-time orchestra colleague Warren Barnes to come down and play these for a gig, and we all loved it! SO… I spent the next couple of months adding more.

We now have a full program of tangos, valses, milongas, and alternatives for the full trio.

Step 5? Oh believe me, I have a plan for what’s next. :)