Master bandoneón player, composer and band leader, Hector Del Curto has music in his blood. Born in the birthplace of tango, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Del Curto followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather playing the featured melody instrument of the elegant tango music and dance tradition. A relative of the concertina, the bandoneón was brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants in the 19th century and, in the hands of the great Argentine composer and player Astor Piazzola in the mid-20th century, the instrument also came to be a revered classical instrument. Like Piazzola (with whom he has performed and recorded), Del Curto explores the expressive possibilities of the instrument as well as the richness of its lilting tonality and definitively slow, seductive rhythm.

At the age of 17, Del Curto had already shown himself to be an exceptional player and joined the renowned Osvaldo Pugliese Orchestra, considered the last of the original tango orchestras of Buenos Aires. Since then, Del Curto has appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall and with the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC and alongside legendary tango pianist Pablo Zeigler. Del Curto will appear at the festival with his tango quartet featuring celebrated musicians Gustavo Casenave on piano, Pedro Giraudo on bass and Jisoo Ok on cello.