Roberto Pansera

Roberto Pansera (20 May 1932 – 6 May 2005), whose full name was Roberto Vicente Pansera, was a bandoneonist, organist, orchestra conductor, and arranger dedicated to the tango genre.

He had a solid musical education and participated in various orchestras, achieving his most brilliant period as an arranger and bandoneonist in Osvaldo Fresedo’s orchestra.

Early years His parents were Vicente Pansera and Elisa Carmen Petraso. He was born in Mar del Plata and raised in the neighborhoods of Constitución and Barracas in Buenos Aires, as his family moved to the city when he was 4 years old.

Professional career In 1944, with his father's formal permission, he made his debut in Cristóbal Herreros' sextet, alongside José Libertella (1933–2004).

In 1945, Domingo Federico connected him with Juan Carlos Cobián, who included him in his ensemble.

One night, the American Dizzy Gillespie—one of the greatest trumpet players in the world—unexpectedly showed up at the Buenos Aires nightclub where Pansera was performing. He was invited to take the stage and put on a small concert, improvising on his trumpet over the pieces the orchestra was playing. Among the works performed—which included Adiós muchachos and Capricho de amor by Pérez Prechi—was also Preludio No. 3 by Pansera, which caught Gillespie’s attention and led him to invite the composer to travel to the United States.

In 1954, he composed the music for the film Se necesita un hombre con cara de infeliz, directed by Homero Cárpena.

While performing with his tango ensemble at the Esquina Tango venue in the San Telmo neighborhood, Pansera suffered a heart attack and, despite receiving medical care at the Güemes Sanatorium where he was quickly taken, he died hours later on March 6, 2005. His remains were buried in the La Chacarita Cemetery in the Sadaic mausoleum, an organization of which Pansera was elected president in 1982.