The Brisbane Tango Orchestra (BTO) is an ensemble which Chloe Ann Williamson (Double Bassist and Artistic Director) started as a way to bring the thrilling repertoire written for tango orchestra to Queensland audiences. In 2021, despite the constraints of the pandemic, a pilot project was created uniting three smaller Brisbane-based tango ensembles to form the basis for a local tango orchestra. The sold out performance “The Piazzolla Effect”, a tango concert to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s birth, was hosted at Brisbane’s Old Museum Building and delighted both tango dancers and music lovers. In 2022, the opportunity to perform at the inaugural Moonlight Tango Winter Festival gave Chloe the opportunity to restructure the ensemble, now featuring eight virtuosic musicians who perform across a variety of styles of music. The instrumentation of the Brisbane Tango Orchestra reflects the early days of tango orchestras, with percussive sounds from piano and double bass, a big string sound from three violins and a cello and the haunting beauty of a wind section featuring flute and clarinet/bass clarinet.