Octavio Brunetti facts for kids

Octavio Brunetti (born May 12, 1975 – died August 29, 2014) was a talented pianist, arranger, and composer from Argentina. He was famous for playing tango and was one of the most popular tango pianists of his time. His work on the album Te amo tango helped it win a Latin Grammy Award in 2007.

About Octavio Brunetti

Octavio Brunetti was born in Rosario, Argentina, on May 12, 1975. From a young age, he studied classical piano. Even before finishing music school, he was already performing in concerts. This is where he discovered his love for tango music, which is a special type of music from his home country.

He quickly began playing with many important musicians. These included famous singers like Alberto Castillo and Eladia Blázquez. He also shared the stage with other great artists. His amazing talent earned him many awards. He performed in famous theaters like the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He was still very young when he achieved all this success.

Early Career and Groups

In 1991, Octavio started the Tango Rosario Symphony Orchestra. He also joined the Omar Torres Quintet. With this group, he made his first tango recording called Inquietudes. In 1997, he left the Quintet. He then joined the Domingo Federico Tango Orchestra. With them, he traveled across Argentina and Europe. They also recorded a CD.

Soon after, Brunetti created his own quintet. This group played new versions of old and new tangos. They also performed his own original songs. During this time, he continued to play classical music. He often performed in a piano duo with his sister, Laura. In 2002, he became the conductor of the Orchestra of Popular Music in Córdoba.

Moving to the United States

In 2004, Brunetti moved to the U.S. to study at the Berklee College of Music. While there, he won two top awards. He was named Best Solo Pianist at the New York City International Tango Competition. He also won Best Duo with saxophonist Bernardo Monk.

In 2005, he moved to New York City. There, he met bandoneón player Raúl Jaurena. They recorded the CD Te amo tango. This album won a Grammy Award for Best Tango Album in 2007. He also played with other famous bandoneón players.

Forming New Ensembles

Octavio Brunetti started his own tango quintet in 2005. It was called the Octavio Brunetti Quintet. In 2008, he formed the Urban Tango Trio. This group included Machiko Ozawa on violin and Pedro Giraudo on bass. In 2012, he created another trio called Los Varones del Tango. Sergio Reyes played violin and Pedro Giraudo played bass in this group.

Collaborations and Performances

Brunetti performed with many famous musicians. These included world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. He also played with Cuban jazz saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera. He performed with violinist Cho-Liang Lin as well.

He took part in many music festivals. These festivals were held across the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. He performed in famous places like Symphony Space and the Blue Note. He also played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Japan.

From 2005, he was the main piano soloist for the Pan American Symphony Orchestra (PASO). With PASO, he performed at many important venues. These included the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2009 and 2011, he toured Peru with PASO. They even performed for the President of Peru. In 2012, he joined PASO at a music festival in Lebanon.

In January 2013, Brunetti performed with PASO again. This was for the Latino Inaugural Celebration at the Kennedy Center. It honored President Obama's election victory. He played alongside famous Hispanic artists like Rita Moreno and Jose Feliciano.

Notable Works and Later Performances

In September 2013, Octavio Brunetti's special arrangement was performed. It was a piece by Astor Piazzolla called La serie del Ángel. The New York Philharmonic had asked him to create this arrangement. It was performed at the Philharmonic’s Opening Gala. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed it, and it was recorded by Sony BMG Classical.

Other well-known recordings include the Grammy-winning Te amo tango. He also recorded the Grammy-nominated Piazzolla: desde estudios a tangos. This was with violinist Elmira Darvarova. He also played on the soundtracks for Francis Ford Coppola’s films Tetro and Twixt.

In April 2014, he performed with PASO and the Choral Arts Society. This was at the Kennedy Center. In July 2014, Brunetti performed with his own group. It was called the Octavio Brunetti Tango Orchestra. They played at the Midsummer Night Swing Festival in New York.

His Passing

On August 3, 2014, Octavio Brunetti became ill. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Doctors could not find the cause of his illness. Octavio Brunetti sadly passed away on August 29, 2014.

Discography

This is a list of some of the albums and recordings Octavio Brunetti was part of:

• Inquietudes with the Omar Torres Quintet and Octet (1996)
• Orquesta Juvenil de Tango de la U.N.R. with Domingo Federico (1997)
• Tierra y Asfalto (duo with guitarist Román Carballo, 2003)
• Te amo tango with bandoneonist Raúl Jaurena (2006)
• Soledad by Astor Piazzolla with cellist Yo-Yo Ma (2007)
• Tetro by Osvaldo Golijov (soundtrack, 2009)
• Tango Conversations with guitarist Adam Tully (2009)
• Oscar e Familia with saxophonist Oscar Feldman et al. (2010)
• El Violin Latino with violinist Gregor Huebner (2010)
• Tango & Obsession with violinist Nick Danielson (2010)
• Urban Tango Trio with violinist Machiko Ozawa and bassist Pedro Giraudo (2010)
• Twixt by Osvaldo Golijov (soundtrack, 2011)
• Adiós Nonino and other great Tangos by Piazzolla with violinist Elmira Darvarova (2011)
• Marioneta with singer Noelia Moncada (2011)
• Tango Distinto by Astor Piazzolla with trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos (2011)
• Masters of Bandoneon with Leonardo Suarez Paz’s Cuartetango String Quartet (2012)
• Hard Tango with J. P. Jofre Quintet (2012)
• Piazzolla: desde estudios a tangos with violinist Elmira Darvarova (2014)
• Tango For Import with Importango (2015)
• Adiós Nonino and other great Tangos by Piazzolla with violinist Elmira Darvarova (2016)

Awards

• 2004: Best Solo Pianist of the New York City International Tango Competition
• 2004: Best Duo of the New York City International Tango Competition (with saxophonist Bernardo Monk)
• 2007: Grammy Award: Best Tango Album (Te amo tango)