Spanish dancers, Phl prodigy, Iraqi oud player, scholars, Raul, Rachel, Yang to perform

“En Danza” brings Spanish contemporary dance and flamenco to Manilans. A contemporary show from one of the most renowned Spanish dance companies, Teresa Nieto & Co., and a flamenco performance of a young promising dancer and choreographer, Eduardo Guerrero, will be presented at the RCBC auditorium on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27, respectively, at 7 p.m.

Teacher and choreographer, Teresa Nieto is also an award-winning dancer, having received the Spanish National Dance Award in 2004 and performing arts awards as Best Female Dancer in 2007 and 2009.

In 1990, she founded her own company, and through 20 years, it has won several awards and world recognition.

The company’s “Al mal tiempo buena cara” show is a compilation of various moments of past programs, special moments encapsulating their work and style. It is the best introduction of its first performance here.

“De Dolores” is a homage to Eduardo Guerrero’s grandmother, the person who noticed his talent at the early age of six.

Despite his age, Guerrero has already performed with some of the biggest names in flamenco.

Violin prodigy Jimmy Tagala Jr., mentored by virtuoso Gilopez Kabayao, will be presented by the G. Kabayao Foundation in an invitational recital on Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. in the Cory Aquino Hall of St. Scholastica’s College. He will be assisted by pianist Corazon P. Kabayao in Chaconne by Vitali, Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in G minor for Violin and Piano, Capriccio for Solo Violin by Jae joon Ryu, Paganini Caprices 1 and 10, Mutya ng Pasig and Paruparung  Bukid arranged by G. Kabayao, Saint-Saens’ Havanaise and Tzigane by Ravel.

Twice first prize NAMCYA winner, Jimmy was last featured with highest critical acclaim as PPO soloist at the 2012 NAMCYA Winner’s Concert, and was the youngest member of the Asian Youth Orchestra in its 2006 Asian tour. The following year, barely 16, he gave his solo debut recital also to resounding critical praise.

Jimmy has been invited to perform in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, NY, SF, Seoul, Madrid and Paris. He is currently pursuing a diploma course in violin at SSC.

On Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., Iraqi Naseer Shamma, renowned oud player, will give a concert at the CCP main theater under the auspices of the CCP, the Iraq Embassy and The Spouses of the Heads of Mission.

The oud is an Arabian folk instrument, an ancestor of the guitar and parent of the European lute. Its name comes from the word al’ud, meaning tree. The oud is central to medieval and modern Islamic music.

Naseer Shamma, born 1963 in south Iraq, studied at Baghdad’s Institute of Music and, in 1987, received a diploma in music, later specializing in the oud. Since starting his profession, Shamma has been composing. Giving concerts around the world has become his main concern. Currently, he is director of the Beit Al-Oud Al-Arabi which he founded in Cairo in 1998.

Shamma combines ancient methods with his own original modern compositions. He is the only one to have constructed from six strings an eight-string oud, expanding the oud’s musical range and giving it a distinct tonality. His innovations include playing the oud with one hand.

The Cairo newspaper Al Ahram has called Shamma “the guardian of sound who has spent his life learning, teaching and travelling, giving endlessly of his imagination to listeners the world over. His technical prowess transforms listening into a mystical experience.”

On December 9 at the Philamlife Theater, the Klassika Music Foundation scholars of George Yang will give a concert of Broadway songs and dances. Enhancing the program will be performances by international pianist Raul Sunico, eminent soprano Rachelle Gerodias (both KMF board members) and tenor Yang, a late bloomer.