About
Iguazú Quintet was founded in early 2016 within the walls of the Royal Conservatory of Mons (ARTS2) as what first appeared to be a fairly traditional chamber music project. Having been passionately devoted for several years to the music of Astor Piazzolla, guitarist Wynand Mawet chose to explore this repertoire through the traditional ensemble created by the Argentine master himself: the Tango Nuevo Quintet.
He then surrounded himself with fellow conservatory students, brought together by a shared passion for music that is both modern and deeply shaped by cultural cross-pollination.
With backgrounds spanning classical music, jazz, pop, and world music, the members of Iguazú Quintet explore Tango Nuevo through the lens of Astor Piazzolla’s later years and his Conjunto Electronico, with its more jazz-infused and electric sound world. In this way, they offer a younger take on the Argentine master’s music, unafraid to make his works their own and to weave improvisation into them.
Following the creation of their first album, Amancay – Tribute to Astor Piazzolla, recorded at Dada Studios in August 2019, Iguazú Quintet decided to take an important turn in its choice of repertoire, moving somewhat away from Astor Piazzolla in order to explore more modern facets of his musical legacy.
By getting in touch with renowned Tango Nuevo composers such as Rodolfo Mederos and Tomás Gubitsch, while also calling on young Belgian composers such as pianist and accordionist Jimmy Bonesso to expand the repertoire, the ensemble broadened its artistic horizon. Always committed to preserving the harmonic and polyphonic richness of the style, the members of Iguazú Quintet reshape Tango Nuevo works through their own vision of arrangement and orchestration, while consistently leaving room for improvisation.
Through all of these explorations, Iguazú Quintet has become a musical experience between two worlds: a “chamber jazz” ensemble expressing a passionate love for Tango Nuevo, offering musicians and listeners from all backgrounds a concert full of surprises: A New Age of Tango.
Marion Borgel
Marion Borgel began her musical studies at the Conservatory of Grenoble and trained with Jean Lenert in Paris, where she earned her advanced violin diploma from the Schola Cantorum in 2010.
It was there that she also began studying the viola under the guidance of Pierre Lenert, principal violist of the Paris Opera. She then continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Shirly Laub’s class, where she obtained her Specialized Master’s degree in violin with distinction in 2015, followed the next year by a Teaching Master’s degree with distinction from the Royal Conservatory of Mons.
Marion Borgel gained orchestral experience at an early stage by performing with various ensembles such as the Orchestre Scherzando, the Orchestre des Jeunes de Montpellier, the Schola Chamber Orchestra, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestra of the Musiq3 Radio Festival, among others.
In June 2016, she became a member of Ensemble Fractales and committed herself to contemporary creation on both violin and viola. As an active chamber musician, she is regularly invited to perform on violin and viola with various ensembles in Belgium.
Pauline Oreins
Pauline Oreins is a Belgian accordionist, pianist, composer, and multidisciplinary artist. She divides her life between Brussels and Geneva, drawing from both cities a wide range of complementary inspirations.
Passionate about the blending of artistic forms, chamber music, and the artistic and human encounters that arise from them, she regularly collaborates with other disciplines such as theatre, cinema, dance, circus, and photography.
She began studying music at the age of five and trained at the Haute École de Musique de Genève (Switzerland), the Royal Conservatory of Mons (Arts2, Belgium), and IMEP in Namur (Belgium), where she earned master’s degrees in piano, chromatic accordion, and chamber music.
In 2021, she released her first composition album, a multidisciplinary concept created in duo with violist Carmen Martinez.
She regularly composes for film and the performing arts, and has also directed two short films (PRELUDES, Des cendres sur la falaise).
She is also a member of the multidisciplinary artistic collective Khaos.corp.
Wynand Mawet
Wynand Mawet is a Belgian guitarist with a deep passion for world music, jazz, and multidisciplinary creation.
He began learning classical guitar at the age of six, and after studying with Belgian guitarist Adrien Brogna, he started training in 2012 with the Brazilian master Odair Assad at the Royal Conservatory of Mons. He then continued his studies in classical guitar and chamber music at the Luca School of Arts in Leuven with Raphaella Smits.
Over the years, he has founded and taken part in numerous projects in gypsy jazz, South American music, and multidisciplinary creation, while also continuing his work as a soloist on both classical and jazz guitar. During these years of collaboration, he recorded two albums: one with Duo Nyzos, and the other with Iguazú Quintet.
Alongside his work as a musician, he also moved into directing, creating music videos for various Belgian bands and musicians. He also co-founded Murmures ASBL with other Belgian artists, in order to provide a support and production structure for Belgian artistic creation.
Hakim Talbi
Coming from a family of musicians, Hakim Talbi entered the Royal Conservatory of Mons (Arts²) in 2014, where he studied classical piano in Rosella Clini’s class, while teaching himself jazz from that time onward.
A musician with a diverse background, his experience across various musical genres — including classical music, jazz, popular music, and world music — has made him a versatile performer, highly active on Belgian stages through several groups and projects (Tarno Gadjé, Jazzmine, Lowdon Millionaires, etc.).
Since 2014, he has also worked as accompanist for two choirs and has had many opportunities to collaborate with singers.
Hakim Talbi began playing double bass in 2015 and started performing with different ensembles, mainly in jazz, on both piano and double bass. He is also deeply passionate about contemporary music and has taken part in the creation of several works by composers from Claude Ledoux’s class. This passion also led him, among other things, to compose two pieces for an immersive therapeutic space.
Nicolas Sanna
Born in 1994 in Baudour, Belgium, Nicolas Sanna developed an interest in music from a very young age. He began learning classical guitar at the age of seven, and a few years later took up piano, followed by jazz and bass.
After completing his secondary education, he entered the Royal Conservatory of Mons (Arts²) in 2012, where he began studying classical guitar with the Brazilian master Odair Assad.
Eclectic in his interests, he also developed a strong connection to popular music and world music. As a bassist, he joined Tangela Quartet, a group founded by Arnaud Hermand and Vincent Cuignet, with whom he won the silver medal at the international Accordé’Opale competition in 2017.
Active in classical music as well as in pop, rock, and interdisciplinary projects, Nicolas Sanna has joined various groups over the years (Moon on Earth, Chinooks, la Suptil’Compagnie, Arthur Meunier, etc.), performing as a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and singer.
