Founder of the Tango Trio, cofounder of the Quintet of the Music of the City of Buenos Aires, he has traveled all over the world with his art, appearing in the world’s most important stages with his quintet, sextet, and together with Ricardo Domínguez in their unforgettable duo of guitar and bandoneon. He has also performed as a soloist with prestigious symphony orchestras and in spectacular musicals, including “El Pueblo Joven” by Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Ferrer.
He has played in a diversity of genres:  from tango to rock to folk, and even including reggae.  He has accompanied and recorded with the most distinguished artists in tango: Oscar Alonso, Alberto Castillo, Hugo del Carril, Tania, Edmundo Rivero, Roberto Goyeneche, Susana Rinaldi, Raúl Lavié, Chico Novarro, Eladia Blázquez, Adriana Varela, Horacio Molina, Tito Reyes, and José Ángel Trelles.
In folk, he recorded with Mercedes Sosa, Domingo Cura, Kelo Palacios, Chango Nieto, Zamba Quipildor, Peteco Carabajal, Los Nocheros, El Chango Farías Gómez, as well as with grand singers such as León Gieco, Litto Nebbia and Facundo Cabral. He also collaborated with directors and arrangers Oscar Cardozo Ocampo, Lalo Schiffrin, Mariano Mores.
For Argentine cinema, he recorded the music for the movies “El verano del potro,” “Amigo mío,” “Tango Feroz,” “Convivencia,” “Una sombra ya pronto serás,”  “El lado oscuro del corazón,” and “Plata quemada.”
With Leo Sujatovich, he participated in Spain and Argentina in the premiere of  “Tango Brujo” with Julio Bocca and the music of Manuel de Falla.
As a teacher he has worked in the Institute Manuel de Falla, in the Department of Tango and Folk Music, in addition to his private classes for foreign students. He has taught workshops for the instrument and genre in Israel, Spain and the United States.
In his vast career, it is notable that he was the director of Sexteto Mayor; the director in the USA of “Forever Tango”; director of the Buenos Aires Tango Company in Japan; and currently is one of the directors of the “Selección Nacional de Tango,” winners of the Carlos Gardel Prize in 2006.
He has participated as Special Guest in the shows of Susana Rinaldi, Mercedes Sosa, Luis Miguel, Raimundo Fagner, Joaquín Sabina, Mariano Mores, and Lalo Schiffrin.
Currently, in addition to dedicating himself to composing and producing CDs for new talent, he is proud to present his trio formed with two young talented musicians, the pianist Abel Rogantini and the double bass player Juan Pablo Navarro.
His last recording, “Tarde de Julio” (“Afternoon in July”), released by Melopea in November, 2007, is shared for the first time with a singer, the beautiful Mariel Dupetit, a collaboration which created a work of high artistic value in the fusion of classics, contemporary music and premieres. The work shows a fine equilibrium between the instrumental tracks and those with lyrics. In the latter, the voice of the singer is outstanding and moving.
Walter Rios is a faithful representative of the innovative school of contemporary tango, as much in the way he plays the bandoneon as in the way of conceiving the music of our city.  So it goes. This is our modest homage to this great maestro.

by Ricardo García Blaya for www.todotango.com