Pepe Romero - A Living Legend Performs February 22
U.S. Classic Guitar President William Jenks is proud to present the next thrilling concert in the Portland International Guitar Series XIV featuring living legend Pepe Romero, in a solo concert on Friday, February 22nd, 2019 at 8:00 PM, at The Eliot Center Main Sanctuary, located at 1211 SW Main St. in downtown Portland. This exciting concert will feature his 75th Anniversary – Jubilee program which includes masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega, Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, and from his own father the patriarch of the family Celedonio Romero (1913-1996). A master class will precede this much-anticipated concert at 7 PM on Thursday, February 21st, in the historic Eliot Chapel located at 1011 SW 12th Ave. in downtown Portland.
It is no exaggeration to say that Pepe Romero is a living legend in the worlds of both classical and flamenco music. Now turning seventy-five years old, Romero is the second son of the famed Spanish guitarist and composer Celedonia Romero, with whom he was a founding member of the beloved quartet, the Romeros—affectionately known as the "Royal Family of the Guitar." To achieve musical excellence in that context alone would have been notable for most guitarists. But Pepe Romero has gone even farther than world-class ensemble playing, mastering his instrument as a soloist as well, thanks to an astonishing technique, a wide-ranging sensibility, and a seemingly unerring musical taste. Given his larger-than-life reputation, this concert is simply not to be missed.
Over the course of a long career, Romero's contributions to the art of the guitar have been inestimable. Since his public debut at age seven, he has performed regularly, giving literally thousands of concerts, before all sorts of audiences—from avid fans; to eager students; to popes, presidents, kings, and queens. He has been a special guest at all of the prominent classical music festivals—Salzburg, Tanglewood, and Wolf Trap, for example, have all presented him to great acclaim. He has performed with the most renowned ensembles of our time, including the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, the Boston Pops, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the London Symphony, the American Sinfonietta, and many others, too numerous to name here. Naturally, he is highly respected and sought after by the world's greatest conductors as well; it is not unusual to find him performing with the likes of Sir Neville Marriner, Eugene Ormandy, Arthur Fiedler, Andre Kostelanetz, and Leonard Slatkin.
Romero's unique musicianship has inspired the creation of wonderful new pieces by such famed composers as Joaquín Rodrigo and Federico Moreno Torroba, as well as by his esteemed father. As a music scholar as well as a performer, Romero rounds out his repertoire by championing the work of lesser-known composers from the history of the guitar, including Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani. Many of his best-loved performances are to be found in his extensive discography, which includes more than eighty recordings. His most recent offering, a Naxos release that featured Ernesto Cordero's new work Concerto Festivo, was nominated for a Latin Grammy.
In addition to his outstanding concert career, Romero is a gifted and dedicated teacher, sought by many for the great wisdom of his experience. His pedagogical credentials include tenures at the University of Southern California, the University of California at San Diego, Southern Methodist University, and the University of San Diego. Master classes like the one he will present for U.S. Classic Guitar have previously been featured by the prestigious Salzburg Summer Academy, the Córdoba Guitar Festival, and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. He has received numerous honors and awards for his contributions as both a teacher and a performer, including a Distinguished Artist in Residence appointment at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, a knighthood from King Juan Carlos I of Spain, and the President's Merit Award—presented to all of the Romeros by the Recording Academy, in honor of significant contributions to music.