2026-2027 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Following its fourth annual Tango tour in Argentina, Camarada opens the 2026-2027 season on October 3 and 4 with Poetics of the Arrabal, a binational collaboration with Tijuana’s Ópera Explicitá. Featuring singers Gabriela Bojórquez and Martín de León, this concert not only crosses international borders but also genre lines, blending opera and tango in a thrilling evening of colliding artistic worlds. As part of their collaboration, Camarada and Ópera Explicitá will perform Poetics of the Arrabal in both Tijuana and San Diego, with one showing at Tijuana’s La Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture) and a second showing at the San Diego Museum of Art.

In their second year as Resident Artists at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, Camarada is presenting a record five programs and six performances in La Jolla’s premiere concert hall. The first of these programs, a solo double bass concert performed by Camarada Composer-in-Residence Andrés Martín, premieres on November 14 in the JAI. Named Time Traveler, this showcase of Martín’s virtuosity on the double bass is a rare treat for classical music fans and performance art fans alike, with a captivating light display and a program narrative curated by the performer/composer. 

Camarada’s residency continues as well at Mingei International Museum. Evenings at Mingei include admission to the museum’s exhibitions prior to the concert, as well as a partnership with Mingei’s Michelin-recognized ARTIFACT signature restaurant for an add-on prix-fixe meal option, creating a blend of cultural, musical, and culinary experiences that engages all five senses. The first Mingei program of the season, A Starry Night, brings audiences directly into “a night of light, stillness, and sound,” with a world premiere from young composer Oliviana Marie, whose previous commissions Ether and The Four Elements were lauded for their rich textures and immersive natures. Tenor Aaron Humble also joins Camarada for the first time.

Camarada was founded with a desire to invite new listeners into the classical music space by collaborating directly with San Diego’s lauded cultural institutions, and this season’s brand-new collaboration with the San Diego Museum of Art exemplifies this mission. Kicking off this four-concert series is Poetics of the Arrabal with Tijuana’s Ópera Explicitá.  Following this, Camarada will present an afternoon performance of holiday cheer and jazz standards for families of all ages with Let It Snow on December 12. This festive escape from the everyday bustle features San Diego jazz legend Peter Sprague and vocalist Allison Adams Tucker in a kid-friendly program amongst the museum’s vast collection of works. 

For those who wish to celebrate the holiday season with a night on the town, Camarada returns to the Conrad on December 19 and 20 with their now-famous Charlie Brown Jingles & JAZZ program. This San Diego holiday tradition is back for a fourth year of anticipated sold-out crowds, featuring Peter Sprague’s arrangements of A Charlie Brown Christmas performed by the Peter Sprague Consort, Allison Adams Tucker, and Camarda Artistic Director and flutist, Beth Ross Buckley.

The new year marks an unprecedented season of world premieres, commissioned works, and artistic unveilings for Camarada. On January 15, Camarada presents Living Legacy at the San Diego Museum of Art, featuring the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Andrés Martín—generously sponsored by Zoraida and Gary Payne and dedicated to the Museum's centennial celebration—alongside the unveiling of a stop-motion work by acclaimed Mexican artist Hugo Crosthwaite. The renowned Orquesta de Baja California joins the Camarada Tango Quartet in this landmark binational collaboration, celebrating artistic innovation and the enduring cultural ties between the United States and Mexico. On January 23, Camarada returns to The Conrad with Where Beauty Persists, highlighted by the world premiere of a new commission by South Korean composer Texu Kim, sponsored by Camarada's Composers Circle—a dedicated group of patrons who support the creation of new music through annual commissions.

Camarada has long been celebrated for its expertise in tango. The 2026-2027 season will include a fourth South American tour for The Camarada Tango Quartet. But audiences don’t have to cross the equator to experience the thrill of tango—Camarada is bringing its signature sound to San Diego in February for its 3rd Annual International Art of Tango Festival. Two concerts, Tango Íntimo III at UC San Diego Park & Market and The Art of Tango III at The Conrad, will be included as part of the festival, featuring the acclaimed bandoneonist Pablo Jaurena, the famous tango historian and double bassist Ignacio Varchausky, award-winning tango dancers Carolina Jaurena and Guillermo Merlo, and a Composers Circle commission by Andrés Martín. Tango historian and bassist Ignacio Varchausky will also present What is Tango? at Mingei International Museum, a lecture-demonstration about the history of tango music and dance with an optional tango dance workshop. Camarada will also present The Art of Tango III at Tijuana’s Centro Cultural Tijuana in their third cross-border venture of the season. 

In the spring, Camarada presents Love, Light, & Longing - from Bach to Expressionism at the San Diego Museum of Art, an intimate evening of reflective music in the museum galleries. Internationally renowned soprano Tasha Koontz joins the ensemble for a series of songs by composer Hugo Wolf. Capping off the year is a finale featuring the Peter Sprague Consort, The Wild Blue. This final journey into the skies and beyond features Sprague’s music reimagined for flute, string trio and jazz ensemble in a thrilling season finale.