jueves, 22 de febrero de 2024

The Paco de Lucía Legacy Festival in New York


The Paco de Lucía Legacy Foundation has organised a flamenco summit in New York, from the 20th to 24th February, to pay tribute to the guitar maestro where top flamenco singers, dancers, guitarists and other Latin & jazz music stars, have offered concerts in the Carnegie Hall, in the Town Hall and in other venues. The Instituto Cervantes NYC has also collaborated in the Paco de Lucía Legacy Festival with the presentation of Paco de Lucía's Biography and the Puro Flamenco concert, and the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute has also helped to publicize the initiative. 

Alison Stewart, host of All Of It on WNYC, interviewed the artistic director of the festival, Julio Martí, in the segment The Paco de Lucía Legacy Festival Comes to New York, they talked about Paco de Lucía, the history of flamenco etc. whereas budding guitarist Yerai Cortés played a few melodies. Mr. Martí's Spanish accent might make it easier for Spanish learners to understand  this 19 minute interview which, therefore, can be accessible to B2 students even without the support of the script. The vocabulary is quite basic, but you will come across some interesting words like: to kick off, to blend, to perform, a venue, legacy, a god, to accompany, a hit, to approach, incredible,a gypsy, a Jew, a Muslim, a mixture, a lineup, a grand finale, a marvel.

Photojournalist Gabriele Holtermann reported on the concert and opening cocktail hour at the Carnegie Hall for AM New York Metro with the article Carnegie Hall honors the life and legacy of flamenco artist Paco de Lucía and published some photos of the social event. This article is also suitable for B2 students who can find American words and expressions like: to kick off, legacy, to feature, to honor, undeniably, to fuse, stage, to give [his brother] a shot, to surround, to joke [about], humble, a [character] trade, [to be] grateful, [his main] goal, amazing, touching, to pass away, an award, to mourn, to be overwhelmed, super [full of anguish], cheerful, upcoming [events],[de Lucía's] kids, to attend.

Below you can watch a video of Spanish flautist and saxophonist Jorge Pardo's performance in the Carnegie Hall.


And this is the grand finale of the flamenco fiesta to celebrate Paco de Lucía: