Flamenco festival set to dazzle students

Bright colors, festive music and learning opportunities galore, March 20-22 marks the first VCU Flamenco Festival. The festival will feature three flamenco artists: guitarist Paco de Málaga, guitarist/singer/dancer Marija Temo and dancer Edwin Aparicio. The festival will also offer workshops in guitar, dance and song.

John Patykula, the department of music’s assistant chair and coordinator of the guitar program, helped organize the festival.

“VCU is one of the few music programs in the country that offers flamenco guitar lessons . for credit,” Patykula said. “Two of our music majors are considered professional level flamenco players . one of the reasons too, I was interested in getting this festival started.”

Leah Kruszewski, a classical guitar major, Leah Kruszewski, a classical guitar major, is part of the planning committee and one of the two music majors in the VCU program who plays flamenco guitar. Kruszewski explained that flamenco was a passionate music form, as opposed to other delicate sounds.

“The sounds-they can be very harsh, raw and powerful,” Kruszewski said.

As for the performers, De Málaga started playing professionally at the age of 17 and has performed for two former U.S. presidents. He was also awarded the “Cruz de Oficial de la Orden de Isabel la Católica,” by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Temo has been performing with the Baltimore Symphony and has appeared in more than 16 concerts. Aparicio has danced in various stages across the world including the prestigious Casa Patas in Madrid.

“We heard of all them through the D.C. community . we just knew that they were really good artists due to their reputation.” Kruszewski said.

Patykula said the Flamenco Festival should be nothing short of “dazzling.”

Concerts will be held in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts at 922 Park Ave. Tickets for the performances are $15 for general admissions and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased by contacting the VCU department of music at 828-1166. They can also be purchased 90 minutes before each performance at the VCU Music Box Office.

¿Que es flamenco?

The art of flamenco originates from the southern province of Spain known as Andalusia and incorporates influences from the region’s cosmopolitan culture (Arabic, Sephardic, Gypsy and Andalusian).

Typified through virtuosic guitar passages, melismatic singing, rhythmic clapping and the audible clicks of the dance bearing the same name, flamenco is passionately violent yet soothing.

Originally a poor man’s art form during the era of the European Reconquest, flamenco’s pioneering social classes endured centuries of persecution, no doubt adding to the fiery melancholy aspect of the music.

VCU FLAMENCO FESTIVAL

MARCH 21

11 a.m Temo will host a flamenco workshop. Free. James W. Black Music Recital Hall Center. 1015 Grove Ave.

2 p.m: De Málaga will teach a flamenco guitar master class. Free. James W. Black Music Recital Hall Center. 1015 Grove Ave.

7:30 p.m. Aparicio and company will perform.

MARCH 22

4 p.m. The concert will feature VCU faculty, alumni, the VCU Guitar Ensemble, and the VCU Community Guitar Ensemble. The performance will feature flamenco selections and flamenco-inspired works, including two commissioned for the festival.