Siempre Flamenco may be in the shadow of the international, touring Flamenco Festival that comes to the Adrienne Arsht Center each March, but August performances presented by this Miami-based nonprofit promise to be just as exciting.
“Our festival is very unique because our festival is dedicated to the art of Flamenco singing. We bring in well-known artists from Spain with a guest guitarist and a guest flamenco dancer,” said Celia Fonte, who co-founded the nonprofit, Siempre Flamenco, with her husband Paco. “We’re able to curate artists through our personal relationships in the flamenco world … We go to Spain all the time.”
Siempre Flamenco's Festival de Cante Miami has been in the Arsht Center’s intimate Carnival Studio Theatre for the past 10 years and now they are adding Canta la Guitarra.
(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Jose Campos
Cante means sing in Spanish, but this year’s blockbuster headliner, Macarena de Jerez, sings and dances, which is exceedingly unusual. This will be her fifth appearance in Siempre Flamenco’s Festival de Cante Miami. Other vocalists in the festival include José Campos “Morenito Hijo” and Samuel Serrano.
“Morenito Hijo,” 50, born into an important Gypsy family, followed in the footsteps of his famous father, flamenco singer Guillermo Campos Jiménez, better known as “Morenito de Illora.” The son won his first vocal performance award at age 10.
(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Samuel Serrano
Samuel Serrano, 30, is a young, up-and-coming Gypsy singing star with a classic sound who calls renowned guitarist Paco Cepero his artistic godfather.
“We go back to Andalucia every year for the flamenco singing festivals all summer long and all of our singers are big headliners at these festivals,” said Fonte, who also expressed enthusiasm for rising dance sensation José Jiménez “El Bocadillo.”
“We discovered him in a Madrid tablao and thought he was wonderful and would be a great addition to the festival. He has a strong, Gypsy, charismatic style.”
(Courtesy of José Jiménez)
José Jiménez
A dancer herself, Fonte always joins the ensemble. Her husband, Paco, a guitar player who also sings, will perform and headline Canta la Guitarra with guitarists José Cortés “Panzekito” and flamenco guitar legend Paco Cepero, age 82.
“We can hardly believe it ourselves that he’s coming!” Fonte said. “He likes to help and bring up the younger performers so he’s very connected to the others who will be there … he’s also very well known as a composer.”
Cepero’s participation is what inspired the Fonte husband and wife team to add a separate evening to their Siempre Flamenco festival on Thursday, Aug. 22 to features guitarists.
The vocal performances with dance accompaniment take place Friday – Sunday, Aug. 23-25, and while this provides flamenco lovers with a choice of evenings from which to choose, we were told it’s not uncommon for the singers to vary their set list from one evening to the next and because Flamenco is what it is, spontaneity and improvisation is guaranteed.
What you can expect is traditional, raw, Gypsy flamenco in an up-close and personal way, just like you would have experienced it a century ago in Granada or Sevilla, but without the international flight.
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(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Celia Fonta
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(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Paco Fonta
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(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Jose Cortes
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(pacocepero.com)
Paco Cepero
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(Courtesy of Siempre Flamenco)
Macarena de Jerez accompanied by Paco Fonta and Jose Cortes.