Roberto Siri

Roberto Osvaldo Sirimarco, known as Roberto Siri, was an Argentine pianist, bandoneonist, and orchestra director born March 19, 1939, in Buenos Aires, and died December 20, 2025. He began piano studies at age five and bandoneón at nine under Eladio Blanco, earning certification as a music professor at fifteen. His professional career commenced in 1954 on Radio Mitre with his own quartet; by 1956, he was performing on Radio Argentina and earned the title “youngest director in America.”

From 1957 to 1982, Siri maintained an extensive collaboration with renowned vocalist Raúl Berón, initially leading a sextet before expanding to a full orchestra in the 1970s. Following Berón’s death, Siri founded a youth orchestra (1982–1990s) that launched numerous musicians’ careers through television programs including Domingos de todos and Grandes valores del tango. He received the Gardel de Oro award in 1986 and the Premio Revelación at the International Popular Music Festival in 1989. In 2005, Siri formed the quartet Los Muchachos de Antes, which achieved notable commercial success. He was a professor at the Academia Nacional del Tango and remained active as a composer and bandleader until his death.

Sources note: Birth date discrepancy: Todotango sources and one biographical search result indicate March 19, 1939, while the post currently lists March 16, 1939. The tango.info entry confirms March 16, 1939. Multiple credible sources show both dates; further primary source verification may be needed to resolve this conflict definitively.