Richard Scofano

A master of the bandoneón, Richard Scofano was born in Paso de los Libres, Argentina, and is the descendant of three generations of bandoneonists. Beyond his renowned virtuosity, musicality and sensibility, Scofano is also an accomplished composer, arranger, and musical director. He began his studies at age five, with his father, Ricardo Scofano, himself a landmark in the Argentine musical genre of the Chamamé. Richard grew up in the center of the folk traditions and culture of Northeast Argentina in a home constantly filled with musicians and singers and, nowadays, his artistry is a testimony to his mastering of the genre, to his musical craft, and to his ability to combine both through an exceptional creative genius. Scofano always nurtured interest for the music of neighboring Brazil, and is passionate about the study of concert music. With forty years of professional work, Scofano has taken his music literally throughout the world and is held in high esteem by fellow musicians and audiences alike. Richard has played throughout South America, North America, Europe, Japan, China and Australia. In 2014/15 he toured China as music director of the show Identidad, which included some of his music in the program. In 2015 he composed the music for ‘Carmen de Buenos Aires’, an adaptation of the script of the opera Carmen for a tango/flamenco version premiered in Boston in November of that year. Still in 2015 he created a duo with pianist Alfredo Minetti and they toured extensively throughout the US and Puerto Rico, as well as Argentina and Brazil. In October of 2016, he premiered his ‘Iberá’ (concert for bandoneon and orchestra) with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago under the direction of Mina Zikri. This concert has been performed in the US, in Argentina (including the prestigious Sala Ballena Azul, at the CCK in Buenos Aires), as well as in Brazil. The year of 2016 also marked the release of his CD ‘Estaciones’ with his original compositions. In this recording Scofano debuted his original contribution to his native genre. In 2017 he was invited to perform a concert with his music by the Jacobs School of Music, in Bloomington, IN. In 2018 he was invited by Yamandú Costa to perform with him at the Guitar Salon International, in Santa Monica, CA. He performed again with Yamandu in 2019, in New York at the Sony Hall Concert; in Montreal, Canada, at the Montreal Jazz Festival; and at the Vail Jazz Festival, in Vail, Colorado; and once again in 2022 to perform at Yamandu’s American tour. In 2020 he received a commission by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) and wrote a symphonic poem entitled La Tierra Sin Mal (for bandoneon and orchestra), inspired on a Guarani legend, which he premiered with ROCO, on September of that same year. He’s done numerous TV and Radio appearances, interviews and shows. And his music has been featured in radios, including on Performance Today, conducted by Fred Child. He has participated as producer, arranger and/or performer in many recordings. In September 2022 he performed his concert for bandoneon and orchestra (IBERA) and his symphonic poem (LA TIERRA SIN MAL) with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (OSB) under the direction of Lanfranco Marcelleti. In November of the same year he performed his symphonic poem and Astor Piazzolla’s “Concerto for Bandoneon” (Aconcagua) with New Mexico Philarmonic under the direction of Roberto Minczuk. Richard performed again his compositions in duo with Alfredo Minetti in June of 2023 at Chicago’s PianoForte, as the duo traveled to Brazil for a series of concerts in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, one of which was the renowned SESC Instrumental, at their Consolação theater, in the city of São Paulo. Another worth mentioning performance of this tour was in August, when Scofano performed with Minetti and guests at the legendary Sala Cecília Meireles, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. In November of 2023 Richard performed his symphonic poem with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Michael Butterman (Boulder, CO). And in the same month he performed with the legendary guitarist Sergio Assad at The Bolton Guitar Studies Program and Tucson Guitar Society, at the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ). In January of 2024 Scofano performed with guitarist Yamandu Costa at the 33rd Fiesta Nacional del Chamamé, in Corrientes, Argentina. And later in the month he performed his La Tierra Sin Mal with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Butterman (Shreveport, LA). In March of 2024 Richard performed again with Sergio Assad at the Auditorio de la Deputación de Alicante, Alicante, Spain, before heading to Portugal where he recorded some of his new compositions in Montemor-o-Novo, a city near Portugal’s capital of Lisbon.