Fabrizio Colombo 7teto & Sandra Rumolino (FRA)

Fabrizio Colombo, Argentine bandoneonist and composer, is no stranger to the Music House audience, having performed four times in the Concert Hall in the four sold-out John Malkovich – Anastasya Terenkova musical literary events (The Infamous Ramirez Hoffman), based on the work of Roberto Bolaño, as the bandoneonist of the three-member band. Now he returns with his own program, with the album Siempre París – or Always Paris – paying tribute to his current residence. Colombo knows well that tango music is inseparable from the poetry of lyrics, so singer Sandra Rumolino joined the septet that created the album and also performs it live. Thus, together with eight, they invite the audience to dream to the magical sound of the bandoneon.

Fabrizio Colombo was born into a family of musicians in the Mendoza wine region of Argentina. His father was a violinist, so he too began playing the violin, but his heart was drawn to the bandoneon – the instrument his grandfather also played. The instrument literally became an extension of himself. He studied for years under the guidance of the great master Néstor Marconi, then graduated from the Mendoza Academy of Music, where he also mastered the piano – which opened the way for him to become a composer. His career began in Argentina: he made three albums at home, including a trio album (bandoneon–piano–double bass, 2020), then a duo album with guitarist Luca Pinto, and finally realized his big dream: to create a septet. The concept was to expand Astor Piazzolla's famous quintet (violin, bandoneon, piano, guitar, double bass) with a second violin and a cello.
This brilliant idea allowed him to further develop his orchestration work: by finely crafting timbres, textures, and nuances, he brought tango closer to classical music—but also to jazz, as it allows musicians great freedom in their improvisations. (He makes no secret of his deep admiration for the work of composer Pat Metheny.)

He arrived in Paris in early 2023, where he knew no one and had to build his new life and career from scratch. Thanks to his perseverance, talent, and passion, he quickly integrated into the community, but his kindness, empathy, and openness also played an equally important role, allowing him to form close ties with the Argentine music community in Paris. Among others, he met vibraphonist Lucas Dorado, with whom he recorded the album El Sueño; renowned percussionist Minino Garay; singer Sandra Rumolino; and double bassist Lucas Frontini, with whom he recorded a duo album entitled L’Art du Duo.

After settling into Parisian musical life, Fabrizio became obsessed with forming a new septet of French musicians. He already had a repertoire and new orchestration ideas, including fresh arrangements of old tangos and new compositions. He found such outstanding artists as violinist Anne Le Pape and cellist Verónica Votti (from Les Fleurs Noires), pianist Emilie Aridon-Kociolek, violinist Mathias Naon (from Trio Tasis), as well as his former colleagues, double bassist Lucas Frontini and guitarist Adrien Merahi.
Colombo knows that tango music is inseparable from the poetry of the lyrics, so singer Sandra Rumolino also joined the septet. This is how the eight-member ensemble came into being, with a perfect gender balance: four men and four women. With this exceptional lineup, they entered the studio in Bois-Colombes in February 2025 to record the eight tracks of the album Siempre París—four instrumental pieces and four songs, masterfully alternating between the two.

Eszter Vörös moderates a short conversation with Fabrizio. The conversation is in English.