Flamenco guitarist to heat up Three Stages

Paco Pena’s Dancers

Beginning their current tour in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Paco Peña and his sextet brings the true spirit of flamenco to audiences all over the world.

As guitarist, composer, dramatist and mentor, Peña’s imagination, dedication and skill constantly renew this archetypal Spanish art form. As the leader of an immensely talented ensemble — in dance, voice and music —  he has assembled a stellar lineup for his Folsom debut.

Readers of Guitar magazine judged Paco Peña “Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year” for five consecutive years.

Peña’s program, entitled “Flamenco Vivo,” is a musical journey that displays the highest level of modern flamenco, highlighting the rhythmic complexities of its latest variations of dance, song and guitar.

“Flamenco Vivo” also looks back to the most primitive and pure forms of this captivating art and pays respect to the legacy of this tradition.

Born in the Andalucian city of Cordoba, Peña began learning guitar from his brother at the age of 6 and made his first professional appearance at the age of 12. In the late 1960s he left Spain for London, where his recitals of flamenco music captured the public imagination.

Venues for his solo performances have included the intimate Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the monumental Royal Albert Hall in London, New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

He has shared the stage with fellow-guitarists, singers and instrumental groups, bridging diverse musical genres, including classical, jazz, blues, country and Latin American.

Peña has performed regularly with his own hand-picked company of dancers, guitarists and singers in a succession of groundbreaking shows.

The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company has taken flamenco into the realm of music-theatre with regular seasons in London  and festival appearances in Edinburgh, Adelaide, Amsterdam, Athens, Israel, Istanbul, Singapore and Hong Kong.