Paco Pena to Bring FLAMENCURA to Mayo Center This November

By: Oct. 14, 2015
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Paco Pena, five time winner of "Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year" by Guitar Magazine, performs at Mayo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 8 pm. Tickets are $29-69.

His program, "Flamencura," explores the elusive state at the core of the art of flamenco, and the powerful effect is has on both those who perform and watch it. Flamenco dancers will accompany him onstage.

Paco Peña embodies both authenticity and innovation in flamenco. 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, Paco 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.

In 1995 The New York Times declared that: "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 Guitar magazine judged Paco Peña Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year for five consecutive years.

Since 1970 Paco 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 (Royal Festival Hall, Sadler's Wells Theatre and Barbican) and festival appearances in Edinburgh, Adelaide , Amsterdam , Athens , Israel , Istanbul , Singapore and Hong Kong .

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 honor bestowed by King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2015-2016 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Visit www.mayoarts.org for tickets and more information.



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