Alexandria’s QuinTango will embark on a two-week European tour this month, performing six concerts across the Netherlands and Lithuania as part of their “Northern Nights & Tango Delights” tour.
The five-member tango ensemble will perform two local concerts before departing Aug. 17 for what marks their 12th international tour. QuinTango will play Friday at the Summer Passport Music Festival at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, followed by a free performance Saturday at Lorton Workhouse Center as part of Fairfax County’s Mount Vernon Nights series.
More than 20 fans will join the musicians in Europe for the tour, which founder and director Joan Singer describes as an “artist-as-diplomat program” that brings together local audiences and travelers for cultural exchange after each performance.
“Music provides the safe space — and tango’s emotional intimacy brings us together,” Singer said. “Tango is a universal language — toddlers to seniors get it.”
One European concert is already sold out: a collaboration with carillonneur Richard de Waardt at Rotterdam City Hall, featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla performed alongside church bells.
In Lithuania, the band will perform at a historic synagogue in Kalvarija near the Polish border. The concert will feature music rescued from the Vilna ghetto, arranged as tangos by the group, as well as pre-war European tangos and original compositions. The synagogue, currently being restored, was destroyed along with the town’s 8,600 Jews during World War II.
The tour will conclude with three performances in Vilnius at the Samuel Bak Gaon Jewish Museum, the Jewish Community Center, and an outdoor milonga for local tango enthusiasts.
QuinTango’s European lineup includes Ali Cook on bass and vocals, Holly Nelson on violin, Emmanuel Trifilio on bandoneon, Singer on violin, and new pianist Hai Jin, who will make her debut with the group at Friday’s Creative Cauldron performance.
The Friday concert will also feature performances by tango dancers Victor Rua and Rachael Small. Tickets are $25-$30 for in-person attendance and $15 for livestream viewing.
QuinTango has performed internationally in Uruguay, Italy, Mexico, and Costa Rica, while also working locally with Alexandria City Public Schools students and community groups.
