Three-day flamenco festival to feature music from home and abroad

Samantha McCartney
Staff Writer

The cultural diversity at VCU is apparent, no matter where you may be on campus, but this Friday through Sunday, students and Richmonders alike will get to experience a little bit of Spanish culture at theVCU Flamenco Festival III.

Festival co-organizer and VCU Music alumni Leah Kruszewski described flamenco – the Spanish art of cante (singing), baile (dance) and guitar – as “colorful, passionate dancing with intense footwork and a stoic demeanor; passionate, harsh and emotive singing, and fiery and intricate guitar accompaniment.”

Along with Kruszewski, assistant chairperson and coordinator of the guitar program professor John Patykula is responsible for the organization of VCU Flamenco III. The event is going on its third year in Richmond.

“The first two festivals were very popular with the VCU community and the Richmond community,” said Patykula, who is not only a teacher to guitar majors, but is also an internationally known guitarist himself.

VCU Flamenco Festival is a three-day event, with performances by well-known flamenco guitarists, dancers and singers. Each performance will take place in Vlahcevic Concert Hall in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts with the first two events, Flamenco Complete and Flamenco Fiesta, happening at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s concert, Flamenco Finale, will remain at the Singleton Center but will instead happen at 4 p.m. and will feature Leah Kruszewski’s band Sueños Gitanos, as well as Flamenco de Sur, another Richmond-based ensemble.

Kruszewski said that the performances on Sunday will combine flamenco ideas and traditions with jazz and Latin influences, which will give audiences “a more modern take” on the influence of other genres on contemporary flamenco music.

The Friday and Saturday evening concerts of the Flamenco Festival will contain all three elements of flamenco and capture the essence of “flamenco puro” (pure, authentic flamenco).

Friday’s event will include a collaborative performance by guitarist Marija Temo and dancer Ulrika Frankwhich which will showcase as classical and contemporary styles in guitar and flamenco dancing. On Saturday, guitarist Miguelito is scheduled to perform. Very popular in the flamenco scene in D.C., Miguelito is coming to perform at the festival again after the crowd-pleasing performance he gave at last year’s festival. Prior to his show, Miguelito will give a free flamenco-guitar master class on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the James W. Black Music Center Recital Hall.

For tickets and additional information, go to musictix@vcu or call the VCU Department of Music Box at (804) 828-6776.