For Dancers
About Tango Music
Golden Age Starter Kit
For Musicians
Community Tango Orchestra
Sheet Music Downloads
Hear the Orchestra
April 21 - Terrapin Tango Festival
Orchestra Director
Brett Lemley
Rehearsal Coordinator/Bookings
Tom Kenney
Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Special thanks to L&L Music/Wind Shop for providing instruments and to Sheridan School for providing rehearsal space
Tango Mercurio Community Orchestra
Mercurio initiated the Community Orchestra project in DC in the Fall of 2009 with a series of "Tango Jams" for amateur and professional musicians, many of them tango dancers. Led by artist-in-residence Korey Ireland, and with support from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, these informal gatherings soon became weekly rehearsals. The group learned full arrangements and played for the first time for dancers at the 2010 Fishnet Fete. Since then, the orchestra has also appeared at Glen Echo Ballroom, Colvin Run Dance Hall, the Terrapin Tango Festival, and the Por Que No Tango Festival. After Korey, the orchestra has also had the great fortune to feature guest bandoneonistas Emmanuel Trifilio and Ben Bogart. Our local director is Brett Lemley. Tom Kenney coordinates rehearsals and manages the performance schedule.
The goal of the Community Orchestra is to revitalise the folk tradition of tango music as a live accompaniment for social dance. We envision a national network of musicians who can mutually support their pursuit and practice of tango music in collaboration with the growing Argentine tango dance community. We would like to acknowledge Ben Bogart for pioneering the concept of the "Tango Jam," Korey Ireland for inspiring groups of musicians around the world to play tango music for dancers, and Tova and Carlos Moreno for raising the profile of live music for dancing in the US with the "Monster Orchestra" concept at their festival Tango de los Muertos (2005-2009).
Musicians
If you are a musician in the Washington, DC area and would like to get involved in playing tango music for social dancers, please contact Rehearsal Coordinator Tom Kenney at with a brief summary of your experience, your instrument, and your availability to rehearse.
Support the Orchestra
Our primary expenses for this project include the purchase of Tango arrangements, rehearsal space rental, and sound equipment rental and staffing. If you would like to support live Tango music for dancing in Washington, DC, please use the form below and your donation will be marked accordingly in our records. Enter the amount that's right for you. Tango Mercurio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all contributions are fully tax-deductible.
If you prefer to make your donation by check, please write payable to Tango Mercurio and send to 2144 California St. NW #808, Washington, DC 20008.
