Flamenco Arts Festival to take place in May in Santa Barbara

By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Flamenco Arts Festival returns to tradition for its 24th anniversary and brings worldrenowned flamenco artists from Spain and the U.S. to Santa Barbara.

The festival will kick off with a music concert May 6 with maestro Jose Luis de la Paz followed by two workshops on May 7.

“Jose Luis de la Paz en Concierto” with Adolfo Herrera, percussion; Magela Herrera, flute; and Ana Bermudez, cello, will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 6 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St.

On May 7 at 11 a.m. Santa Barbara Dance Arts will offer “Intro to Flamenco Guitar Workshop with Jose Luis de la Paz.

“ It is limited to 15 participants and costs $15 and $20.

“Intro to Flamenco Cajón Workshop with Adolfo Herrera” will also begin at 11 a.m. May 7 at Santa Barbara Dance Arts, 531 E. Cota St. It is limited to 20 participants, ages 10 to adult, and costs $15 and $20.

“After a challenging pandemic and a very long hiatus, the Flamenco Arts Festival is proud to return to tradition with live programming and celebrate 24 years since the founding of the FAF,” said Vibiana, president of the Flamenco Arts Festival.

“We are also bringing back another tradition with flamenco performances at the Lobero during Fiesta week on Aug. 4 with Alfonso Losa Flamenco.

“We are returning with our tradition of annual programming and continuing our efforts to build our music program to include flamenco music concerts and masterclasses.”

Since its inception, the FAF has provided accessible and affordable flamenco training to professionals, students and aficionados alike through its Access to the Arts initiative.

Jose Luis de la Paz is a guitarist from Spain who is based in the U.S.

He performed for the FAF in 2003 as the musical director for Doña Cristina Hoyos, a legend in the flamenco world, and is making his West Coast premiere with his own ensemble of three musicians for an evening of original compositions.

“The unique versatility of José Luis de La Paz allows him to navigate the dazzling ocean of flamenco, from the accompaniment of singers and dancers to songwriting and solo performance. He was the musical director and composer for Ballet Cristina Hoyos (the star of Carlos Saura’s films) for 10 years and his collaborations with Siudy Garrido, José Mercé, Concha Buika, Belén Maya, Farruquito, Antonio Canales, Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic speak eloquently of his distinguished artistic personality and career,” said Vibiana.

José Luis de La Paz is currently the musical director and collaborator for the Siudy Garrido Dance Company. In 2015, he collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Maestro

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

Calendar

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

TODAY

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Entangled:

Responding to Environmental Crisis,” runs through March 25 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The museum is open from 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays and college holidays. For more information, call 805-565-6162 or visit westmont. edu/museum.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Storytelling:

Native People Through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis” is on display through April 30 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information, visit sbnature.org.

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “SURREAL

WOMEN: Surrealist Art by American Women” is on display through April 24 at Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, 11 E. Anapamu St. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, www.sullivangoss.com.

1 to 3 p.m. : “Holly Hungett: Natural Interpretations” will open with a reception with the artist at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara’s gallery, 229 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. The exhibit will run through May 20. The gallery is open 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and weekdays by appointment. For more information, call the foundation at 805-965-6307 or go to www.afsb. org.

4 p.m. Actor Max McLean will perform “C.S. Lewis on Stage: Further Up & Further In” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb.org.

Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence

Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free.

Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical. org.

7:30 p.m . Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza,” an acclaimed musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo, in Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to centerstagetheater.org.

MARCH 26

2:30 p.m. Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists will perform “The Light in the Piazza,” an acclaimed musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas, at Center Stage Theater, upstairs at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to centerstagetheater.org.