Tango Paradiso is one of Canada’s premier tango ensembles. Since forming in 1998 the group has developed a rich, evocative and unique voice. Their fresh  presentation of classic, modern and original repertoire has delighted audiences throughout  Canada and the US.. By adding many fine original compositions to the classic repertoire, they are changing the idiom and creating new possibilities that Astor Piazzolla may never have imagined.

Performing traditional and post modern tango uniquely and passionately, from tango classics to original compositions and arrangements, Tango Paradiso’s sound is fresh and compelling, entrancing audiences and critics alike. The group readily mixes Tango, Jazz and modern Classical music into a potent blend.

Tango Paradiso has performed as a quartet in numerous festivals including the Printemps des Bretelles (Montreal) and the Vancouver International Jazz Festivals and has had the honour of performing with world renowned artists such as Coco Trivisonno (bandoneonist with Forever Tango), the internationally acclaimed ensemble Pink Martini, and legendary jazz vocalist Mark Murphy. In addition to their quartet concerts, Tango Paradiso presents an exciting program with symphony orchestra (see Tango Paradiso Orchestra Show) which has been drawing huge and diverse audiences to its lush repertoire.

Tango Paradiso captures the drama of a musical form that began in the bordellos and bars of Argentina. At the Vancouver International Jazz festival Aaron Cohen of Downbeat Magazine enjoyed their colourful and passionate performance as “Tango Paradiso mixed minimalist arrangements of Astor Piazzola classics along with some fine original compositions.”

Tango Paradiso’s music video “Tangere” [BRAVO] premiered to critical acclaim at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival and the group’s first album “Tango Paradiso” was nominated for a West Coast Music Award. Post Nuevo, their next CD release (SRI Records) featured original music with string orchestra that Tango Paradiso describes as “post nuevo” with a nod to the late great Astor Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango. They mix influences from Tango, Jazz, contemporary serious music and hints of many other styles into a potent blend that has been described as “devastatingly emotional” (Exclaim Magazine). Tango Paradiso’s third CD, “Passion” is scheduled for release on Nov. 15th at The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club. The selections range from romantic classic tangos to Astor Piazzolla's “nuevo tango” to Doug Schmidt’s “post-nuevo” original compositions and will reflect the group's exciting new sound and virtuosic standard of performance.

“Tango Paradiso…strips away the layers of time to recapture the original drama and danger of the tango…creating new steps for the dance in the post modern world…and with the addition of many fine original compositions… are changing the idiom of this music, forging new possibilities that Astor Piazzolla may never have imagined.”
- Calcopyrite World Beat News


Tango Paradiso is:

Amanda Chan - piano
Ms. Chan has achieved recognition in her career as concert pianist, teacher, lecturer, adjudicator and examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She has given concerts in Canada and abroad as a soloist and chamber player with highlights including USA, China, Austria, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Slovakia.

Born and raised in Vancouver, she started her studies with Edward Parker and was highly successful in her competitive career including winning First Place, CIBC National Music Festival, 1991; First Place, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association National Bach Competition 1993; "Best Interpretation of a Canadian Premiere Work", CBC National Young Performers Competition, 1995 and Top Prize, Concours Orchestre Symphonie de Montreal, 1998.

After completing the ARCT diploma and receiving the Gold Medal for achieving the highest mark in Canada in 1987, Ms. Chan was awarded Canada Council Arts grants and numerous top awards as well as receiving full scholarships from universities to attend undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Ms. Chan completed her Bachelor of Music degree at UBC under Kum-Sing Lee and Master degree in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California under John Perry. She was awarded the prestigious "Top Graduate" award at both institutions for finishing head of her graduating class. She continued on with doctoral and post graduate studies at USC and the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto. In the course of her education, she has also studied under Marc Durand, Andre Laplante, Jon Kimura Parker, Robin Wood and Karl-Heinz Kammerling. Since 2002, Ms. Chan has been a sessional lecturer at UBC on the music faculty teaching piano and chamber music.

Jonathan Goldman - bandoneon, accordian, musicologist
After completing studies at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, he studied with the Romanian accordionist Marin Nasturica between 1997 and 2000. He began to take a serious interest in tango in the late 1990s. From 2003 to 2007, he performed, composed and arranged the music of the Montreal-based group Sweatshop Tango Ensemble, producing their début CD “De la Main à la Boca” in 2006. In 2007, they performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In 2006-2007, he performed with Quartango, Canada's legendary tango group, touring with them in Saskatchewan and the North-Eastern United States. He moved to Victoria B.C. in 2007 to join the faculty of the University of Victoria's School of Music as a musicologist. Since then, he has performed Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera suite with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as a CBC-produced Tango concert in Regina Saskatchewan with Linda Lee Thomas and the True Jive Pluckers, a concert which was made into a CD in 2009. Since that time, Jonathan Goldman often performs as a duo with Linda Lee Thomas. 

Michael Vaughan - contrabass
Michael began playing music as a jazz saxophonist in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Eventually he found his true self on the bass, first in several progressive rock groups and eventually as a jazz freelancer and double bassist with the Prince Edward Island Symphony.  In 2004 Michael moved to Vancouver to study under Ken Friedman at the University of British Columbia. Since then he has been performing with the Vancouver Island Symphony and the Kamloops Symphony. He also performs with several other smaller ensembles including the Be Good Tanyas, Romanza, hip-hop group Language Arts and several projects in the jazz idiom. Michael has cultivated an extremely diverse musical background and has performed across Canada and the United States with his assorted projects.  He strives to explore as many facets of music as he possibly can and enjoys bringing elements from many different styles to the table every time he plays.

Henry Lee - viola
Henry has a Masters of Music from the Juilliard School and has appeared at Avery Fischer Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. As a chamber musician Henry has appeared at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Las Vegas Chamber Music Festival and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. Henry Lee has been a soloist with Canadian and American orchestras, and plays with the Vancouver Symphony and the CBC Radio Orchestras. Henry has been the Principle Viola for both the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Ballet BC Orchestras. He has recorded for Archetype, Bose, New World Records and Sony Classical labels. Henry's recording of the chamber music of Earl Kim was ranked number 2 on the New York Times “Best of” list and was chosen for the “Critics’ Choices: Classical Music ” by Gramophone Magazine for its ‘authoritative performance.’ Henry is also a graduate of the American Center for the Alexander Technique in New York City and is the proprietor of Our Town Cafe in Vancouver, BC.