Montango - The Performers

Tom Montgomery (Bandoneon )

Tom is the leader and founder of MonTango. Though Tom began his career as a jazz pianist in the Bay Area, his love of the music of Astor Piazzolla has led him to the bandoneon. His music so impressed rock legend Steve Miller, that Miller flew the group to his Sun Valley recording studio to record their first CD. The musicians in MonTango include the best of the San Francisco Bay Area as well as visiting luminaries. Below are the musicians who work and record with MonTango:

Thaddeus Pinkston (Piano)

Thaddeus has been playing piano since the age of 4 and studied music at San Jose State and Santa Clara University. Thaddeus has toured with The Fifth Dimension, played Fats Waller in the touring company of “Ain’t Misbehavin’'” and accompanied Berkeley Rep’s “Anthony and Cleopatra”. He is one of the Bay Area’s leading accompanists, and recently orchestrated the music for Lisa Vroman of “Phantom of the Opera” fame for her new Broadway CD.

Tom Reynolds (Guitar)

Tom, co-founder of MonTango, studied guitar at the Berklee School of Music in Boston with Mick Goodrich and performed in Max Roach's jazz ensemble while at the University of Massachusett. Tom also studied with the great Charlie Banacos in Boston. He has performed in many Bay Area venues and he performs regularly in his hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas, where he is also a fourth–generation cattle rancher. Tom’s talents reflect a myriad of musical styles and traditions and his interests in music include membership on the Board of the Fort Worth Symphony.

Vanessa Montgomery (Violin)

Vanessa was raised in the Bay Area and has been with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra and has been concert master for the Humboldt County Community Orchestra. She has traveled to Europe to perform in various venues and performs locally in string quartets. Vanessa has also visited Buenos Aires and plans to visit there again in the near future.

Matt Montgomery (Guitar, Piano, Violin)

Matt, a Bay Area native, has a strong background in classical music. He has been a member of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra as a violinist and is currently a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, playing viola and recently toured Russia and Ireland with them. Matt performs on guitar for a local contemporary band and on bass with jazz ensembles and Big Bands. Matt studies at Cal Arts in Southern California and is also a pianist and composer.

Don Maus (Bass)

A Bay Area native who currently resides in Montana, Don studied bass here in San Francisco with John Mosher. He has been performing professionally for most of his life and performs currently in many different venues in Montana. Don also enjoys life as an outdoorsman, and conservationist, sitting on the board of the Teller Wildlife Refuge near his home in Hamilton.

Michael Knapp (Bass)

Michael is a native of Colorado and studied bass at the Naropa Institute in Boulder. He has been the principal bassist in symphony orchestras in Vallejo, Rohnert Park and performs on both cello and bass in other local orchestras. Currently Michael teaches cello and bass and he is currently living in West Marin.

Georgia Montgomery (Vocalist)

Georgia is a native of San Francisco and performed for many years at the Top of the Markat Tokyo's Imperial Hotel and the Sheraton Palace with jazz ensembles. She and husband Tom recorded a jazz album in the 1980's in addition to their recent tango CD. They perform together here in the Bay Area and in Europe. Georgia has become intrigued and charmed by the music of Piazzolla, as well as other Argentine tango composers and studies Spanish language and the music of tango with enthusiasm.

Count Glover ( Dancer)

Count, named after the famous bandleader, Count Basie, is a native of Chicago. He has been dancing since the age of two. Tango dancing is now his passion and he has studied with Pampa Cortes, formerly of the famous dance troupe in the Broadway hit “Forever Tango”. Count was recently named #! Tango Dancer of the West Coast and is soon to be the guest of the Argentine government in Buenos Aires to study and perform.

Christy Cote (Dancer)

Christy is one of San Francisco’s best known Argentian Tango teachers. She has been featured locally on KTVU’s “Segment 2Reports” and KPIX’s “Evening Magazine”. She also co-hosts the Bay Area’s longest running milonga - the Mariposa Argentine Tango Club at the Verdi Club in SF.

Chelsea Eng (Dancer)

A regular with MonTango, Chelsea has been an in-demand performer in the Bay Area for many years. Her style and technique has won her acclaim throughout the Tango community. She is featured in MonTango's In Concert Video, available soon through our website and at upcoming concert venues.