Paco Peña: Esencias, The Music of Flamenco

In his only New York City appearance of the season, legendary Flamenco guitarist Paco Peña and special guests will highlight the power of the guitar alone to reveal the essence of this passionate art form.

Mr. Peña is a virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience beyond the frets of mortal man. He combines rapid-fire flourishes with a colorist’s sense of shading; this listener cannot recall hearing any guitarist with a more assured mastery of his instrument. It should come as no surprise that readers of America’s Guitar Magazine judged Paco Peña Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year for five consecutive years.

—The New York Times

Paco Peña earned a Kennedy Center Gold Medal in the Arts for his lifelong commitment to the mastery and innovation of the art of Flamenco. Peña embodies both authenticity and innovation in Fñamenco. As guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor, he has transformed perceptions of this archetypal Spanish art form.

Born in the Andalucian city of Córdoba, Peña began learning guitar from his brother at the age of six 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. Paco Peña is based in London, but still spends a significant part of the year in his native Andalucía. In 1997 he was proud to be named Oficial de la Cruz de la Orden Del Merito Civil, an honour bestowed by King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Named Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year 5 years in a row by Guitar Magazine, Paco has brought his flamenco around the world from The Royal Albert Hall to New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Free pre-concert talk, one hour before every performance with your ticket, led by Benjamin Verdery, Art of the Guitar artistic director and chair of the Guitar Department of the Yale School of Music.