VCU to Host Third Flamenco Festival

By Tom Gresham

VCU Flamenco Festival III will bring a group of leading flamenco artists to the Richmond community on March 23 through March 25, renewing a series known for generating crowd-pleasing performances.

The festival will feature three concerts and a flamenco guitar workshop. Concerts will be held in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall at the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave. This marks the third Flamenco Festival staged through the Department of Music in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. John Patykula, assistant chair of the Department of Music and coordinator of the guitar program, and Leah Kruszewski, a 2010 VCU music graduate and flamenco performer, organized the festival.

“People go away very happy from these concerts,” Patykula said. “Flamenco is an exciting art form that combines music and dance. We’re glad to be able to bring it to VCU and the Richmond community.”

Scheduled concerts this year include:

• “Flamenco Completo” with flamenco guitarist Marija Temo and flamenco dancer Ulrika Frank, March 23, 7:30 p.m. A collaborative showcase of flamenco, classical and contemporary styles in guitar, singing and dance performed by the dynamic duo of Temo and Frank.
• “Flamenco Fiesta,” with flamenco guitarist Miguelito, dancers and a singer, March 24, 7:30 p.m. Miguelito, who performs five nights a week in the Washington, D.C., area, is considered one of the foremost flamenco guitarists in the United States.
• “Flamenco Finale,” with Richmond-based flamenco ensembles Suenos Gitanos and Flamenco del Sur, March 25, 4 p.m. Suenos Gitanos features guitarists Denver Walker and Leah Kruszewski, trumpet player Mary Lawrence Hicks and percussionists CJ Alicea and CJ Wolfe. Flamenco del Sur is the joint effort of Andy Brockman (cajon), Derek Englert (bass) and Clarke Hedgepath (guitar).

Tickets for each concert are $15 for general admission and $10 for students.

As part of the festival, Miguelito will conduct a flamenco guitar master class on March 24 at 2 p.m. in the James W. Black Music Center Recital Hall, 1015 Grove Ave. Admission is free for the master class.

For tickets and additional information about Flamenco Festival III, email musictix@vcu.edu or call the VCU Department of Music Box Office at 804-828-6776.