FLAMENCO FESTIVAL’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Miguel Poveda’s Heartfelt Homage to NYC

After two long years of delay due to the pandemic, April 6th marked a triumphant return of Flamenco Festival’s presence in the US! Its 20th Anniversary was inaugurated in NYC by none other than singer Miguel Poveda, who closed the concert with a heartfelt homage to the city via his flamenco-ized version of Frank Sinatra’s iconic “New York, New York.” He sung it fully in Spanish, with his own unique lyrics, melismas (vocal runs used in flamenco), compás (flamenco rhythms) set by palmas, and all. Projected behind him were stunning clips of the city taken by his team in the days leading up to the performance.

The singer’s expression of love for NYC was hardly limited to the finale. Poveda shared how he especially admires the city for the magnitude of its diversity, made up of such a vast array of cultures and identities. Poveda’s most recent album, titled Diverso (2021), takes on exactly that topic, one that is slowly being breached more and more in the world of flamenco.

In the spirit of the city’s diversity (as emphasized by Poveda), the singer dedicated a song during his concert to fighting for a world in which people may love who they choose to love. Poveda himself is openly gay, a challenge in and of itself in an art form he has described as historically conservative and machista.

Poveda also shared how one of his greatest artistic inspirations, Federico Garcia Lorca (fellow Spaniard and avid supporter of flamenco) was similarly deeply moved by NYC and incorporated it into his work (Lorca lived here for a year, out of which came one of his most acclaimed works “Poet in New York.”)

While Poveda has visited NYC a number of times, this marked his first solo concert in the city, and he celebrated with a permanent tattoo of the famed skyline. It seems that NYC is sticking with Poveda, so surely this won’t be the last we see of him. And to top it off, this year’s Flamenco Festival has only just begun! Enhorabuena!

Read more about Flamenco Festival’s 20th Anniversary in NYC here.