Sinfonia: Folk Tunes and Folk Tales

Lorena Guillén, voice and artistic director
Alejandro Rutty, piano and bass 
Jacqui Carrasco, violin
Guy Capuzzo, guitar
Adam Ricci, piano
Erik Schmidt, percussion

With its mesmerizing style and sound, the award-winning Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble has captivated audiences with soulful arrangements of Argentine tango standards and original compositions that create a dynamic tango and pan-Latin fusion since 2015. The musicians in the group each have rich and extensive experience in Argentine tango, jazz, classical and contemporary music, and other world and popular music styles, all of which can be heard on their two albums, Exótica Flor (2023) and The Other Side of My Heart (2018), both available on all streaming platforms.

“Not Your Average Folk Contest 2021″ Grand Prize Winner (NC Folk Festival) and “World Music” category winner of Music-At-the-Museum Contest 2021 (NC Museum of Art), the Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble has been featured on TV performances for NC PBS channel and Fox8News as well as live radio programs such as WUNC’s “The State of Things” with Frank Stasio (NPR affiliate in Chapel Hill, NC), KUNM’s “Corazón Tanguero” with Cristina Baccin (NPR affiliate in Albuquerque, NM), WFDD “Triad Arts” (Winston Salem, NC), “Musicaldo” (KGLP 91.7, Gallup, NM), and Radio DAMus (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Over the years, the ensemble has presented its music at various venues: Kleinhans Music Hall (Buffalo, NY), MusicBox Theater and Folk Research Center (Saint Lucia, West Indies), Frick Museum Summer Concerts (PA), Center Stage Series at the Sangre de Cristo Auditorium (CO), Winston-Salem’s FIESTA Festival, Music Carolina SummerFest, NC Museum of Art, Greensboro’s NC Folk Festival, Creative Greensboro Concert Series, Blowing Rock Art & History Museum Summer Concert Series,  Western Piedmont Symphony Concert Series, and Los Angeles’ Alvas Showroom (Los Angeles, CA). 

This September 2023, the LGTE will embark on their first concert tour to Argentina, with shows at various venues and a featured presentation at the Familia Club Atlético Fernández Fierro Tango Festival.

The group frequently collaborates with regional Latino organizations, tango-dance organizations and youth orchestras and choirs. The Other Side of My Heart reflects that commitment: an oral-history multi-media piece based on interviews with Latina immigrants to NC. In the Embrace of Tango Project explored the crossed-path between Argentine tango and Jewish-diaspora culture and involved workshops with the Triangle-Jewish-Chorale, the UNCG University Chorale, and Durham-Tango-Dance.

Many of these creative initiatives have been generously funded by grants from the following organizations, which have supported the group’s creation of original works, audio recording, video recording, and implementation of workshops: ArtsGreensboro “Regional Artist Project,” NC arts Council, New-Music USA, and “EDI Grant” from the UNCG College of Visual and performing Arts.

The vibrant UNCG Orchestra program has long been recognized for performance excellence, adventurous programming, and high artistic standards. A diversity of offerings allow students the opportunity to perform repertoire for ensembles ranging from the largest cornerstone and contemporary works for full orchestra, to intimate pieces for chamber orchestra, to string orchestra.

Students in the UNCG Orchestra program are dedicated to the performance, study and cultivation of orchestral music of the highest quality. The UNCG Orchestras offer outstanding performances throughout the year and enhance the institutional spirit and community of UNCG. We seek to promote music education in the state of North Carolina and in our region by supporting secondary school orchestra programs and other organizations through our outreach activities and other annual events on campus.