2025-2026 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Following a two-week tango tour in Argentina, Camarada kicks off their 31st season with Submerged, a celebratory concert at UC San Diego’s Park & Market inspired by water, color, and the world beyond. This program includes works by Miguel del Águila, Aaron Alter, Joaquín Turina, and Camarada Composer-in-Residence Andrés Martín, with a focus on our binational region. Both Martín and del Águila will be present to introduce their respective compositions. Camarada is also proud to continue its tradition of supporting visual artists through commissioned work, and this performance will feature the unveiling of a new commissioned piece by celebrated Mexican artist Hugo Crosthwaite, the recent winner of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.

The holiday season begins with A Winter’s Light at Mingei International Museum, where Camarada continues its tenure as Artists-in-Residence. This concert will feature the world premiere of Ether, which is written by rising composer Oliviana Marie, a member of the LA Philharmonic’s Composer Fellowship Program and a recent graduate of USC Thornton School of Music. Ether is one of the 2025-26 commissioned works of Camarada’s Composers Circle. The concert will also include pieces by Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Jennifer Higdon, as well as the beautiful Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan-Williams.

Returning by popular demand after two years of sold-out shows is Charlie Brown Jingles & Jazz at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Quickly becoming a San Diego holiday tradition, this concert features Peter Sprague’s toe-tapping arrangements of A Charlie Brown Christmas, with dazzling vocals by Allison Adams Tucker. Camarada will also be at The Conrad for their first performance of 2026, Creativity & Madness. Baroque music lovers will delight in hearing popular pieces by Marin Marais, Haydn, and Paganini, alongside the contemporary voices of Nathan Daughtrey and a Composers Circle commission by Jordan Kuspa, brought together by the narration of Robert John Hughes.

Camarada has long been celebrated for its expertise in tango. The 2025-2026 season will include a third South American tour for The Tango Camarada 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 2nd Annual International Art of Tango Festival. Two concerts, Tango Íntimo II at UC San Diego Park & Market and The Art of Tango II at The Conrad, will be included as part of the festival, featuring the acclaimed bandoneonist Pablo Jaurena, award-winning tango dancers Carolina Jaurena and Anton Domansky, and a Composers Circle commission by Andrés Martín. Tango historian Ignacio Varchausky will also narrate Tango Íntimo II, giving audiences a peek into the storied history of the fiery art form.

In the spring, Camarada presents Sonic Realms at Mingei International Museum, curating music at the crossroads of imagination and culture with pieces by Andy Akiho, Ivan Enrique Rodriguez, Florence Price, Ivan Trevino, and Franghiz Ali-Zadeh. Capping off the year is a bossa nova season finale, Jobim: Portrait in Black & White. Showcasing classic Jobim with a Peter Sprague twist, this concert at The Conrad features the return of Peter Sprague and his exceptional ensemble, joined by guest vocalist Allison Adams Tucker.