Spāņu Fiesta

Would like to be in sunny Spain in no time? Easy! 

We will immerse ourselves in the world of Spanish vocal and instrumental music, accompanied by the beats of castanets and heels in a whirlwind of incredible Spanish rhythms! You will hear arrangements of old Spanish folk songs, romances, and arias from famous zarzuelas, and discover what the Spanish people sang and sing about, what makes them cry, and what brings them joy.

Special guest of the evening: flamenco guitarist Grigori Rubanov

Let's light it up in Spanish style! 

Participants:
Elena Bebekh, soprano. 
-Winner of the vocal competition “Sõprus 2020,” dedicated to Georg Ots, in category 23+, Tallinn, 2020.
-“International Forum of Opera Music” in Moscow, 2015.
-“Musica Classica” classical music festival-competition, in Ruza, 2011.
She performed the role of Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) in V.l. Ignatov’s children’s opera “Winter Tale” in 2022/23 seasons.
She has actively performed in concerts, organised concert and educational events, and works as a vocal and English language teacher as well as a marketer, web designer and promoter.

Pianist is talented Mari Visnapuumägi,

graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EMTA) with a master's degree in vocal chamber music and accompaniment, earning Cum Laude in 2018 under the guidance of Professor Helin Kapten. She also received a master's degree in piano performance in 2016 under Lauri Väinmaa.

As an accompanist, she worked at EMTA in 2017 in Raivo and Mihkel Peäske’s flute classes, at Hanna-Liina Võsa Music School from 2016-2021, and has been working at Pärnu Järvi Academy since  2018, and as a choir accompanist and orchestra pianist at the German-Scandinavian Music Week in Scheersberg since 2016. She is also involved in the organizational team of the Pärnu Music Festival and the Estonian Festival Orchestra.

Mari is also active as a teacher in both classical piano and free accompaniment, and since 2022 she has run her own piano studio in the Old Town.

Claudia Shevtchenko - our truly ardent flamenco dancer. She will demontrsate ardent flamenco dancing! Claudia graduated in 1986 from Tallinn Pedagogical University (Faculty of Culture and Education) with a degree in stage direction, earning the qualification of a cultural educator and amateur theatre director. Her instructors included Inna Taarna, Rudolf Allabert, Härmo Saarm, among others.

From 1988 to 1991, she studied dance leadership and choreography at the Further Education School for Cultural Workers.

Claudia has studied flamenco in Granada, Seville, Helsinki, Jerez, and other cities.

In 1990, Claudia Shevtchenko introduced flamenco dance to Estonia and became the first flamenco dance teacher in the country.

In 2004, she won the Grand Prix in the solo dance category in the Show Dance competition.

From 2005 to 2007, she created and performed in the concert production “Inspired by Carmen” alongside soprano Helen Lokuta (soloist of the Estonian National Opera) and pianist Ralf Taal. Claudia served as the choreographer and also performed as a dancer.

She has taught flamenco in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Belgium, and has performed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Siberia, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, and Cyprus.

Grigori Rubanov is a talented flamenco guitarist from a musical family who, with his technical skill and soulful performance, sometimes surpasses even some Spanish guitarists. His father played the trombone in the Narva Symphony Orchestra and in various jazz ensembles, while his mother was a well-known jazz singer.

Grigori graduated from the Narva Music School with a degree in guitar and studied flamenco guitar in Spain with various teachers. He has collaborated with well-known Estonian and Spanish musicians and has also performed several times as a guest musician with the Narva Symphony Orchestra.

At the concert, he will perform his own flamenco compositions, arrangements, as well as traditional flamenco music.

We shall repeat the concert in Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in Riga on 16 May at 17

MORE INFO ON THE EVENT (PROGRAMME, PHOTOS, FEEDBACK, VIDEOS etc) you can find here: https://music4u.promo4u.ee/#fiesta