Bio

Tango Spleen Orquesta is a leading ensemble on the international tango scene, acclaimed and awarded as one of the most outstanding interpreters of the genre. A meeting of musicians from diverse latitudes, their goal is to engage audiences with a sincere, boundaryless tango, captivating dancers and spectators in the most prestigious venues worldwide.

History
Founded in 2008 in Italy by Argentine musician Mariano Speranza, Tango Spleen Orquesta has become a well-established ensemble that, over the years, has welcomed numerous artists and become a key reference in the style and language of tango. Through its constant artistic dedication, the orchestra has achieved significant international milestones. The current lineup includes Mariano Speranza (Argentina) on piano, vocals, and direction, Elena Luppi (Italy) on viola, Francesco Bruno (Italy) on bandoneon, Inesa Baltatescu (Moldova) on violin, and Vanessa Matamoros (Venezuela) on double bass.

Achievements
Tango Spleen Orquesta, winner of the 2010 Suoni senza confini music competition with Mariano Speranza’s original composition Milonga Schupi, achieved the First Prize in the World Ensemble category at the 2024 PIF Castelfidardo (International Accordion Prize).

With hundreds of performances in over twenty-five countries, the ensemble has established itself on the international stage. Among the most notable performances are those in the United States (Broad Stage in Santa Monica), Germany (Staatsoper Hannover), Moldova (Philharmonie Theater in Chișinău), Russia (Novaya Opera in Moscow), Ukraine (National Academic Operetta Theater in Kyiv), France (Théatre de Verdure, Aix-les-Bains), Monaco (Théatre des Variétés), as well as in some of Italy’s most prestigious theaters, such as Teatro Duse in Bologna, Teatro Verdi in Florence, Teatro Comunale in Modena, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Teatro Comunale in Bolzano, and Teatro Manzoni in Milan, among others.

Tango Spleen Orquesta is one of the most sought-after orchestras in international Tango Festivals, where their music thrills hundreds of dancers from all over the world. Since their debut at the Festival Mundial del Tango La Falda in Argentina (2011), the group has been invited to the most important festivals of the genre, including Tarbes en Tango, Tangopostale Toulouse, La Locura Innsbruck, Caras de Tango Torino, Bordeaux Cité Tango Festival, Trieste Tango Festival, Albi Tango Festival, Trani Tango International, and many more.

The ensemble has also been featured in numerous concert series, including La Società dei Concerti in Milan, Valtidone Festival, Acquedotte in Cremona, Festival LatinoAmericando, Suoni entro le Mura in Treviso, La Casa del Jazz in Rome, and De Doelen Theater in Rotterdam.

Collaborations
Thanks to the artistic sensitivity, the high-level musical training of its members, and the brilliant arrangements by Mariano Speranza, Tango Spleen Orquesta has fostered prestigious international collaborations in the world of music and dance. These include bandoneonist Daniel Binelli, dancer and choreographer Miguel Ángel Zotto, tenor Marcelo Álvarez, and world tango champions Agostina Tarchini, Bruna Estelita, Julián Sanchez, and Chizuko Kuwamoto.

The orchestra has also established a long-lasting artistic partnership with the tango companies Naturalis Labor, led by Luciano Padovani, and Tango Rouge Company, led by Yanina Quiñones and Neri Piliu.

Spleen

“Spleen is a profound sensation. It resembles the nostalgia you feel when you are away from your homeland, your loved ones, and your habits. Spleen is melancholy; it is the perception of a lack. But Spleen is also awareness, representing that force which, arising from an inexpressible sense of emptiness, animates the authenticity of expression. Spleen is the starting point, as well as the place where a vital impulse resides, from which the necessity to create emerges.”
– Mariano Speranza