Jose Luis de la Paz, a guitarist from Spain who is based in the U.S., will perform during Flamenco Arts Festival in Santa Barbara. He will also teach a workshop.
Flamenco Arts Festival returns to tradition for its 24th anniversary and brings world-renowned flamenco artists from Spain and the U.S. to Santa Barbara.
The festival will kick off with a music concert May 6 with maestro Jose Luis de la Paz followed by two workshops on May 7.
“Jose Luis de la Paz en Concierto” with Adolfo Herrera, percussion; Magela Herrera, flute; and Ana Bermudez, cello, will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 6 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St.
On May 7 at 11 a.m. Santa Barbara Dance Arts will offer “Intro to Flamenco Guitar Workshop with Jose Luis de la Paz. “ It is limited to 15 participants and costs $15 and $20.
“Intro to Flamenco Cajón Workshop with Adolfo Herrera” will also begin at 11 a.m. May 7 at Santa Barbara Dance Arts, 531 E. Cota St. It is limited to 20 participants, ages 10 to adult, and costs $15 and $20.
“After a challenging pandemic and a very long hiatus, the Flamenco Arts Festival is proud to return to tradition with live programming and celebrate 24 years since the founding of the FAF,” said Vibiana, president of the Flamenco Arts Festival.
“We are also bringing back another tradition with flamenco performances at the Lobero during Fiesta week on Aug. 4 with Alfonso Losa Flamenco.
“We are returning with our tradition of annual programming and continuing our efforts to build our music program to include flamenco music concerts and masterclasses.”
Since its inception, the FAF has provided accessible and affordable flamenco training to professionals, students and aficionados alike through its Access to the Arts initiative.
Jose Luis de la Paz is a guitarist from Spain who is based in the U.S. He performed for the FAF in 2003 as the musical director for Doña Cristina Hoyos, a legend in the flamenco world, and is making his West Coast premiere with his own ensemble of three musicians for an evening of original compositions.
“The unique versatility of José Luis de La Paz allows him to navigate the dazzling ocean of flamenco, from the accompaniment of singers and dancers to songwriting and solo performance. He was the musical director and composer for Ballet Cristina Hoyos (the star of Carlos Saura’s films) for 10 years and his collaborations with Siudy Garrido, José Mercé, Concha Buika, Belén Maya, Farruquito, Antonio Canales, Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic speak eloquently of his distinguished artistic personality and career,” said Vibiana.
José Luis de La Paz is currently the musical director and collaborator for the Siudy Garrido Dance Company. In 2015, he collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, under the artistic direction of Siudy Garrido Company, in “El Amor Brujo.”
That same year, he debuted his first symphonic work, “Suite for Flamenco Guitar and Orchestra,” in collaboration with Alex Conde (arrangements) and Berto Boyd (guitar transcriptions). In 2020, he composed the music for “Olé-Olá,” the flamenco musical created by Cristina Hoyos, currently playing at the Teatro Eslava in Madrid.
For FAF 2003, he performed as the musical director for “Ballet Cristina Hoyos” at the Lobero Theatre.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
Tickets for Jose Luis de la Paz are on sale online at newvictheater.com (link to store.ensembletheatre.com/17894). Tickets are $45 and $55 plus fees. Tickets for the cajón and guitar workshops are on sale online at Eventbrite at FAFworkshops523.eventbrite.com. Tickets are $15 and $20 plus fees. For more information, visit flamencoarts.org.
