Charles Olivier, Bandoneon

Charles Olivier is currently director of the Texas Tech University Tango Orchestra and the co-director of the Lubbock ISD All-District Tango Orchestra, a group unlike any other in the United States whose purpose is to educate high school students from the city of Lubbock, TX, about tango music, culture, and performance. Charles’ extensive work with the group was recognized by Texas Tech University with the President’s Excellence in Diversity and Equity Award.

As a performer, he is a founding member of Tango Llaneros. Charles has also attended the Reed College Tango Institute, Cuarteto Tanguero Summer Workshop, and has been a key speaker about tango for the Osher Life Long Learning Institute.

Charles attended Texas Tech University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, Certificate of World Music in Tango Performance, and recently his Masters in Ethnomusicology. 

Catherine Olivier, Violin

Alongside Charles, Catherine Olivier is currently the co-director of the Lubbock ISD All-District Tango Orchestra, the Head Orchestra Director at Hutchinson Middle School, Orchestra, and a Private Teacher for violin in Lubbock, TX.

As a performer, Catherine is one of the founding members of   Tango Llaneros and has performed many tango works, including Piazzolla's "Maria de Buenos Aires" and his Tango Ballet.  She has attended the Cuarteto Tanguero Summer Workshop and continues to seek out learning opportunities in tango education.  

Catherine attended Texas Tech University where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, Certificate of World Music Performance in Tango, and a Masters in Music Education at Texas Tech University.

Jesus Fuentes, piano

Dr. Jesus Fuentes is an active pianist, arranger, composer, and educator.  Jesus is an Assistant Professor of Music at Coastal Carolina University, where he teaches group piano, jazz piano and directs the CCU jazz combo. Jesus holds a DMA in Jazz performance with a cognate in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a MM in Jazz Performance from Texas Tech University and a BM in Commercial Music from the University of Texas at El Paso. Jesus is a member of Jazz Education Network and his quartet was invited to perform at their 2021 annual conference in Dallas, Texas. 
While Jesus is mainly a Jazz and Tango pianist, he has studied and regularly performs a variety of genres including Classical, Latin, and most commercial music styles. As a Jazz pianist he has played with world renowned artists such as Tom Harrell, Allen Vizzutti, Jaleel Shaw, Jiggs Wigham, and The Glenn Miller Orchestra, as well as performed in the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, and the CU Jazz Festival. In other genres, Jesus has accompanied artists such as Joe Ely, Mac Davis, Ian Moore, and Il Divo

ZACH GONZALEZ, BASS

Zach Gonzalez is currently a middle school orchestra director in the Dallas area. In his teaching Zach works with the students to instill a love of music,leadership skills, professional skills, on top of pushing his students to strive for the highest in performance standards.

Zach Gonzalez is a graduate of Texas Tech University where he received his bachelor's in music education and performance on double bass. During his time at Tech Zach also taught private lessons and performed in many of the orchestras in the surrounding area.