The project brings naming and singing together in a tradition that traces its roots through American songs such as guajiras, milongas, and vidalitas, reimagined with a flamenco sensibility. The edition that emerges honors this lineage and positions itself as a comprehensive exploration titled The World of Flamenco and Its Forms: The Memory That Unites Us. This tribute is presented in Alicante and unfolds as six days of study and performance at the University of Alicante City Center in Alicante. The schedule begins on 17 October and ends on 23 November, inviting flamenco enthusiasts to engage deeply with the art form.
Josefa Samper, a frequent traveler and keen observer, recently reflected on a trip to Argentina. There, listening to a milonga stirred memories of summers spent listening to flamenco in Andalusia. That encounter inspired the forthcoming series and honors the memory of Bernicola’s widow while broadening the dialogue around flamenco and its cross-cultural connections.
Joining the events is a featured image of Faustino Nuñez, a cellist and guitarist whose career embodies the blend of musical disciplines that informs this edition. Nuñez earned a degree and a master’s in Musicology from the University of Vienna, with work that often foregrounds the American influence in flamenco. He notes that flamenco’s core voice was shaped by encounters across Cádiz, Seville, and Huelva, and emphasizes how journeys to and from America carried both cultural exchange and rhythmic storytelling.
The edition embraces a candid, sometimes provocative, spirit. It tests conventional boundaries by revisiting round-trip arguments that have historically sparked debate within flamenco circles. By inviting perspectives from renowned interpreters, scholars, and researchers, the program positions Alicante as a hub where tradition intersects with contemporary inquiry.
Famed figures in flamenco will participate, contributing through performance, analysis, and research. The collaboration promises a rich program that fuses artistic interpretation with scholarly reflection, highlighting how flamenco interacts with other musical traditions and how those interactions shape the art form.
Carmen Linares is highlighted within the UA flamenco series as a leading figure associated with the event, while Faustino Nuñez stands as a model of the link between performance and academic study. Nuñez is a musician who has cultivated a voice that bridges concert music and flamenco practice. His exploration of the Americas and flamenco reinforces the idea that the art travels and evolves with people, places, and instruments.
The October 24 conference, under the banner Nostalgia and Melancholy in Flamenco and Tango, features Pablo Martinez-Samper, a teacher, documentarian, and editor who collaborates with Raquel Alvarez to examine cross-cultural currents. The program also features Curro Piñana, a guitarist and educator in music and performing arts, who returns for a third year to discuss South American songs. The collaboration with guitarist and composer Francis Turner adds another layer, weaving performance and scholarly inquiry to illuminate shared musical roots.
A second prominent figure, singer Raquel Alvarez, joins the lineup along with composer and guitarist Alexander Hurtado, who accompanies Miguel Poveda in discussions of flamenco aesthetics and the specific ways percussion and melody shape the authentic sound of the genre. Hurtado is recognized for leadership in the flamenco scene and for performances at major venues such as Esmuc in Barcelona and other festivals. The Alicante-born artist Raquel Alvarez brings a nuanced perspective as an educational psychologist and guitarist, contributing insights into pedagogy and the emotional resonance of flamenco.
The series will conclude with a discussion led by Christina Cruz, who holds a PhD in Geography and History and serves as a professor of social anthropology. Her focus on Lola flowers, a flamenco stereotype related to Spain and Mexico, challenges caricatures and invites a more layered understanding of cultural exchange within dance and song traditions.
As Jose Martinez Bernicola explained, flamenco functions as a polyhedron where each facet reflects influences from broader European culture and beyond. The current edition emphasizes these intersections, inviting participants to examine how external influences enrich the flamenco canon without diluting its core identity. This approach aims to broaden communication, foster dialogue, and deepen appreciation for the diverse strands that feed flamenco today. The organizers emphasize that this event is not merely about preserving tradition but about exploring living connections across continents and generations, a theme that resonates with scholars and performers alike.
Attribution: University of Alicante.