PRESS RELEASE
- Pro Arte Musical, Inc.
- Comunicaciones y Desarrollo
- Phone: (787) 722-3366 / (787) 436-3655
- Email: proarte@proartemusical.com
Contemporary tango at the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall
Pro Arte Musical presents composer and bandoneonist JP Jofre in concert, alongside maestro Guillermo Figueroa and renowned international musicians.
San Juan, Puerto Rico / February 2026 – Pro Arte Musical presents Argentine composer and bandoneonist JP Jofre on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., at the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall of the Santurce Fine Arts Center. The evening will feature a special collaboration with maestro Guillermo Figueroa on violin, in a musical encounter of great expressive power and extraordinary lyricism.
With a career on the rise, JP Jofre embodies the renewal of contemporary tango with a global aesthetic that connects diverse audiences around the world, integrating Latin American roots with the sophistication of the international musical avant-garde.
Nominated multiple times for Grammy and Latin Grammy awards, and recognized for his ability to fuse technical virtuosity with profound expressiveness, Jofre—together with his JP Jofre Quintet, composed of an ensemble of outstanding international musicians—will present a program that embodies his vision of contemporary tango, or New Tango, where the emotional intensity of this musical tradition dialogues with the sophistication of the language of contemporary chamber music.
Internationally recognized as one of the most outstanding composers and performers of his generation, he fuses the passion of tango with contemporary languages and a refined aesthetic that has positioned him as one of the most innovative figures of the bandoneon in the 21st century.
Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion, known artistically as JP Jofre, was born in San Juan, Argentina, in 1983 and currently resides in New York. He has taken his art to prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Music Center, and the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky theaters in Russia, as well as important venues in Asia and Europe. He has composed more than forty chamber works and several orchestral concertos, including his acclaimed Double Concerto for violin and bandoneon, recorded with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Michael Guttman, praised by BBC Magazine as “a captivating work of great melodic beauty.”
The evening’s program will include original compositions that have consolidated his musical language and international reputation, including Universe, The Fifth Season, La Scaloneta, After the Rain, and Tango Movements. Particularly noteworthy are Manifiesto, a work in which the composer reimagines the tango tradition from a contemporary perspective; La Scaloneta, inspired by the collective energy and spirit of Argentine soccer; and The Fifth Season, conceived in Manhattan during the 2020 lockdown, a creation of great expressive force that explores new sounds and textures for violin, piano, and bandoneon, reflecting the aesthetic evolution of tango in the 21st century.
The concert in Puerto Rico promises an evening of artistic excellence alongside maestro Guillermo Figueroa, who joins the JP Jofre Quintet as guest violinist, completing an extraordinary ensemble composed of Sara Sant’Ambrogio (cello), Ron Wasserman (double bass), and Albert Cano Smit (piano), bringing Jofre’s compositions to life with energy, sophistication, and musical sensitivity.
“Tango is a living language that continues to evolve, and this concert represents precisely that dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity that defines my work as a composer. I am grateful to be able to return, ten years after my last performance on the island, to share my latest music with the Puerto Rican audience, and I sincerely hope that it will be a deeply meaningful and transformative experience,” said JP Jofre.
Karen Schneck Malaret, executive director of Pro Arte Musical, emphasized:
“JP Jofre represents a new generation of artists who are expanding the boundaries of tango and concert music with an innovative and universal vision. This concert will offer the audience a vibrant artistic experience, full of emotion and first-rate musical creativity.” Tickets for the concert are available at Ticketera, TicketCenter, and at the box office Centro de Bellas Artes of the Santurce.
Guest musicians, members of the JP Jofre Quintet:
Guillermo Figueroa, violin – Considered one of the most versatile and respected Puerto Rican musicians of his generation, he has developed a distinguished international career as a conductor, violinist, and violist, and is currently Music Director of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and the Lynn Philharmonia. He was Music Director of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, with which he gained international recognition in performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and in Spain. He has collaborated with legendary figures such as Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn, and Plácido Domingo. As a violinist, his recording of Ernesto Cordero’s concertos was nominated for a Latin Grammy, and he was the founding concertmaster of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with which he made more than fifty recordings for Deutsche Grammophon.
Sara Sant’Ambrogio, cello – Sara Sant’Ambrogio has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in Europe, Asia, and America, appearing in such iconic venues as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Vienna’s Musikverein. A Grammy Award winner and founding member of the prestigious Eroica Trio, she has collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, and Rufus Wainwright, spanning genres from classical music to rock and pop. Trained at the Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School, where she made her Lincoln Center debut after winning the institution’s general competition, her career has been widely recognized by international critics.
Ron Wasserman, double bass – Principal double bassist with the New York City Ballet Orchestra since 1988, Ron Wasserman has developed an exceptional career as a performer, composer, and music producer, with more than 5,000 performances in multiple genres. He is the founder of the big band, The New York Jazzharmonic, a project dedicated to the creation and premiere of new works that integrate jazz, classical music, and dance.
Albert Cano Smit, piano – A prominent Spanish-Dutch pianist and winner of the First Prize at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he has developed a solid international career as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed with orchestras such as the Seattle Symphony, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and has given recitals at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Renowned for the poetic intensity of his performances, he is considered one of the most promising pianistic voices of his generation.