Are you perhaps considering booking a flamenco guitarist in Hampshire?

If so, I can help.

I play flamenco guitar in Hampshire in all the major towns and villages.

Some of my clients ask for a rather formal performance of Spanish flamenco pieces.

Conversely, other clients fee that more relaxed background Spanish guitar would suit their event best.

Because of this I do not offer a one size fits all approach.

I like to talk with your interest in Spanish music for your event.

My idea is to choose pieces from my repertoire that will work well with the atmosphere that you want to create.

You can see that I have inserted a video at the top of this post.
The piece is called Colombiana.

Please note it is just one example of my playing.

It is from a live concert at the Buckingham Festival.
It is quite a lively piece with a distinct South American feel.
Several flamenco pieces have developed from musical styles from the Americas.
It is of course just one brief example of my playing.

My sound clips and videos give more examples of flamenco styles.
There are many other pieces and these also include quiet, gentle compositions.

Spanish Guitar for a Birthday Party

I am going to use words like gentle and delicate to describe this event.
And this is immediately important.

I got a very clear feeling of the mood for this party and that influenced me in deciding which pieces to play.
They were a small group of people, all close family and some of a mature age.

The location was Esseborne Manor which is close to Andover.
There was a main dining room and a relaxing garden.

The family had organised a slow relaxed afternoon tea party.

From our correspondence I knew that they wanted flamenco.
They had listened carefully to the pieces here on my website and watched the videos.
So, without any doubt flamenco was important to them.

However, I felt that some Spanish classical pieces would also be welcomed.
Thus, in addition to the flamenco styles I played Recuerdos de La Alhambra, La Paloma, Sound of Bells, Asturias, a few short interludes and the very well known Romance Anonimo.

Victoria Park, Southampton

The gentleman who contacted me was organising a birthday party for his wife.
They both loved flamenco and felt that my playing would give a perfect accompaniment to the party.

At Victoria Park people can hire an area of the park which is for their exclusive use.
It was a gorgeous summer day and the whole family was present.
The parents and other guests asked me if I knew certain pieces.
Happily, yes I did.

While it is true that I am absolutely a flamenco guitarist I also play a very few classical pieces by Spanish composers.
I very much enjoyed playing for such a well informed audience.

Wedding Basingstoke Flamenco Guitarist

This was a quite unexpected booking.

The couple getting married and all of their guests were from an Eastern European country.
Surely, I thought, they would be happiest with music from their own country.
While I was not deliberately narrow minded it was nonetheless a learning experience for me.

Here is what happened.
They loved flamenco.

They had seen maestro flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía live in concert.
So they had both knowledge and high expectations.
I was very careful to explain that in my opinion no one can match the virtuoso standard of Paco.
Furthermore, in fact my own style in a little more traditional.
Paco de Lucía broke the boundaries of flamenco.

Meeting online to discuss flamenco music

At this point I nearly lost the booking.
In fact, I would rather not play than play the wrong music for the client’s preference.

We met online to discuss matters in greater details.
All my misgivings disappeared.

While it is true that they were familiar with maestro de Lucía in fact what they really wanted was the authentic Flamenco spirit.
I played them examples of my compositions and works by the other great Paco Peña.
Immediately they said yes and I was overjoyed.

You see, it was not just a matter of recognising a given composition.
In fact, they loved the sound and mood of flamenco as an art form.

Flamenco Guitarist Winchester Hampshire

The event was a celebration of Spain and South America.

I presented a programme of Spanish flamenco solos.
Some of these with a distinct South American flavour.
Indeed, it is probable that they originated in places like Cuba and Colombia.
Additionally, I contracted a Mexican singer and accompanied her.

Originally, the organisers planned to book myself and separately a South American group.
However, they did not want popularised Latin style music.
Rather they wanted a more traditional music of the Americas.

At first, I was clear that I could not help them with that.
I could play several flamenco pieces of South American origin but felt that would not cover the whole spectrum.

The solution came about when I met a fantastic singer from Mexico.
She had an interest in Mexican and other South American styles.

Consequently, together we gave a performance that satisfied all of my client’s requirements.