Name: 2026 Premiere of the new Cristal Tango Quintet at EMPANADA MILONGA Berkeley
Start: 2026-01-11T14:30:00-08:00
End: 2026-01-11T18:30:00-08:00
Location: St. Clement's Episcopal Church, Berkeley

2026 Premiere of the new Cristal Tango Quintet at EMPANADA MILONGA Berkeley

This is our 12th year of everyone's favorite afternoon milonga in the Bay Area. Always the best and friendliest dancers, welcome to all, and this month featuring the new Cristal Tango Quintet.
Always delicious complimentary refreshments, including Argentine and California wines and Susan's fantastic Argentine empanadas. Our special guest DJ this month is the venerable Bendrew Jong, the founder of Empanada Milonga.
The dance hall is a classic Berkeley craftsman building with wonderful oak floors and sunlight-filled windows opening to gardens in the safest part of Berkeley by the Claremont Hotel.
We've been operating for 12 years under the non-profit.
Reserve seats and discount tix at: www.OrquestaZ.com
Meanwhile, here's information about CRISTAL TANGO QUINTET
Cristal was formed in 2025 in the San Francisco Bay Area, bringing Argentine tango to life with the warmth of an Argentine singer at its heart. The ensemble performs with dancers and listeners in mind, keeping the music warm, lively, and full of heart.
Crystie Shum
Born in Hong Kong, Crystie Shum began piano lessons at four. In 2017, she fell in love with Argentine tango. Since then, she has been receiving coaching from maestros such as Hector Del Curto, Pablo Estigarribia, Nicolas Ledesma, Adrian Enriquez, Cesar Salgan, etc. She performed at the Stowe Tango Music Festival in 2022 and 2023 with special guests, Victor Lavallen and Guillermo Rubino. She also performed in Buenos Aires, Tijuana, and multiple cities in Japan. She is actively performing in Alex Roitman Tango Ensemble based in Florida and Orquesta Tarareando directed by Sasha Zeyliger based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also started her own group, Cristal in 2025. Besides music, Crystie is a social worker with three dogs, a parrot, a tortoise, and an iguana.
Claudio Ortega
Claudio Ortega - born and raised in Buenos Aires, has been bringing the soul of tango to life in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2005, when he founded his ensemble, Trío Corazón al Sur. His heartfelt performances have been captivating audiences ever since. Over the years, Claudio has shared the stage with some of the most respected names in tango, including Alex Roitman Tango Ensemble, guitarist Hugo Wainzinger, Trío Garufa, Trío Tangazo, Scott O'Day Trio, Sexteto Cristal, Charles Gorkzynsky's West Coast Ensemble, and pianist and arranger Yazmina Raies. From the Argentine Tango USA Championship in San Francisco to the Los Angeles Ford Amphitheater, Pacifica’s Mildred Owen Concert Hall, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and countless intimate milongas, Claudio’s voice has filled venues large and small with warmth and emotion. Known for his velvety tone and passionate delivery, Claudio brings every lyric to life, weaving the poetry of tango into an unforgettable experience.
Keiko Cadby
A mixed native to Northern California and Southern Japan, Keiko Cadby began playing violin at five (5) years old, performed Carnegie Hall New York by 11, and continued her studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where she was first introduced to Argentine tango through the music chair Antonio Lysy (late son of the legendary Argentine violinist Alberto Lysy). Over the last decade, she has performed internationally with countless tango performers and ensembles, including GRAMMY winners Hector Del Curto and Pablo Estigarribia and numerous other nominees, the West Coast Tango Ensemble, and the Stowe Tango Music Festival orchestra.
Pablo Vanwoerkom
Pablo Vanwoerkom began studying bandoneon in 2020, inspired by Winnie Cheung. Since then, he has learned from wonderful teachers and mentors including Aude Bresson, Alexander Zeyliger, Melissa Bowman, Alex Roitman, and most recently, Rodrigo Avalos. He has also participated in workshops across the United States, learning from renowned Argentine tango masters such as Hector del Curto, Pablo Jaurena, and Julián Peralta.
Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson studied classical double bass at Cal State Northridge and later at The Boston Conservatory. He played with many orchestral and chamber music groups in Los Angeles, Mexico, and Boston. In 2009, Mr. Johnson moved to Buenos Aires to study tango bass with Juan Pablo Navarro. In the Bay Area, he plays with Seth Asarnow y su sexteto típico and continues to explore musical possibilities across genres.