The music of pianist/composer Juan Maria Solare hovers between the serious and the light, the traditional and the avant-garde. Solare was educated at the Conservatorio Nacional in his native Buenos Aires, then studied in Germany with composers such as Lachenmann and Kagel. He teaches in Breman -- where he leads one of Europe's very few university-level courses in tango music -- and conducts the Jacobs Chamber Orchestra, the Bremer Orchester Gemeinschaft, and the university's Ensemble Kagel. Some of his works are for acoustic instruments and others use modern techniques such as overdubbing. This is a direct reflection the broadness of the composers that have influenced him, which include Franz Liszt, Astor Piazzolla, John Cage, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Solare has performed in several cities in Europe and Argentina, and his music has also been performed and recorded by several artists. ~ Patsy Morita