ISMAEL FERNÁNDEZ (Singer)

Described by The Washington Post as the “most charismatic performer” and a “connection to the Gypsy source,” Ismael Fernández is a Gitano born in Seville who grew up performing in flamenco festivals throughout the world with his internationally renowned family, “La Familia Fernández.” His career began in Spain’s premier flamenco tablaos such as El Cordobes in Barcelona, La Carboneria in Seville, the famous flamenco cuevas (caves) of Granada, and he regularly performed in the celebrated Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla with his family. In 2004, Ismael won the National Contest of Cordoba, singing for the famed dancer Soraya Clavijo and was a finalist in the Festival De Cante De La Union. Throughout his career, Ismael has worked with flamenco legends such as Antonio Canales, Farruquito, Marina Heredia, El Torombo, the prestigious Orchestra director Gustavo Dudamel, and Rafaela Carrasco to name a few. Ismael has also been a featured company member of internationally acclaimed dancer Maria Pages, performing at The Joyce Theater (New York), Sadler Wells Theatre (London), Esplanade Theatre (Singapore), Orchard Hall and Bunka Mura (Japan), Teatro La Zarzuela (Madrid), Teatro Real (Madrid), and the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona).

Currently residing in NYC with his wife Sonia Olla, Ismael offers cante classes at Flamenco Vivo and continues to perform at internationally acclaimed venues such as New York City Center, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington DC), Carnegie Hall (NY), and Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA). Ismael has made several radio and television appearances, most notably “NYC Arts” (PBS), Tele5, Radio, Nacional de España, Cadena Ser, Punto Radio, and Onda Cero. Ismael and Sonia both collaborated with pop-icon Madonna for her Rebel Heart Tour (2015-2016), and samples of Ismael’s voice are featured during “La Isla Bonita.” He performed as a tribute to Alejandro Sanz at the Latin Grammys in 2017 and lent vocals to Ricky Martin’s show All In! for the number “Lola Lola.”

In 2019, Ismael debuted songs from his upcoming album “Trato,” at Joe’s Pub as part of the Flamenco Festival New York. Four singles are now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

NINO DE LOS REYES (Dancer)

Nino is the first dancer to be recognized with a Grammy award for the best Latin jazz album “Antidote” collaborating in the album with music legend Chick Corea.  The son of well-known flamenco artists father, Ramon de los Reyes and mother  Clara Ramona, Nino began his career at the age of nine with the “Campanas Flamencas” show directed by Paco Sanchez, founder of the renowned company “Cumbre Flamenca” here, he shared the  stage with: Joaquin Grilo, Milagros Mengibar, La Tati, Antonio Reyes and his brother Isaac de los Reyes. At the same time, he began joining dance companies such as Eduardo Serrano “El Guito”, Carmen Cortes and Javier Baron among others.  He has performed along side Enrique Morente, Pepe Habichuela, Josemi Carmona, Juan José Suárez “Paquete”, José María Bandera, Niño Josele, Jesús de Rosario, Juan Carmona, Ramón el Portugués, Miguel el Rubio, Montse Cortes, José Soto “Sorderita”, Rafael de Utrera, Jorge Pardo, Carles Benavent, among  many other  well known professionals.  In 2010, Nino won three awards in the “Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco de Madrid” competition for his spectacle “Origen”:  First place in the solo choreography category  “Joven promesa del flamenco” award and  Best musical composition composed by Paco Cruz.

Recently Nino was invited to join the “Beyond the Memory” show, a tribute to Paco de Lucia, where he had the opportunity to share the scenario with the renowned members of his band. Also, he was a guest in the Mediaset show, “Flamencos en el Berlin”, collaborating with the greatest representatives of flamenco dance to date: Antonio Canales, Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya “Farruquito”, Antonio Fernández Montoya “Farru”, José Maya, Paloma Fantova and Belen Lopez.  Currently he is collaborating with various recordings related to pop and jazz genres. Such as “Stranger to Stranger” album from worldwide Singer Paul Simon, with whom he performed in the “Barclays center” in Madrid.  In addition, Chick Corea, jazz’s legendary figure, invited him to participate in his 75TH birthday presentation in the Blue Note club and  at  Madison Square Garden in New York.  He collaborated in the latest album recording “Antidote” by Chick Corea and The Spanish Heart Band. With The Spanish Heart Band he has performed in the most important music festivals such as Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and Love Supreme. Nino has created four unique spectacles: ORIGEN, INSIDE, TIERRA and his latest creation UNO MÁS DE LA BANDA.

SONIA OLLA (Dancer)

Hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality,” Sonia Olla was born and raised in Barcelona, where she earned a degree in Spanish Dance and Flamenco at the esteemed Instituto de Teatro y Danza. She has performed as company dancer soloist with flamenco greats such as Antonio Canales, Eva la Yerbabuena, Rafaela Carrasco, Merche Esmeralda, María Pagés, and La Farruca, among others. A dancer, director, and choreographer of international prestige, Sonia currently resides in New York performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Le Poisson Rouge, the Rose Nagelburg Theatre, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Instituto Cervantes, and various Flamenco Festivals.

Together with the Flamenco singer Ismael Fernández, her partner on and off the stage, Sonia has created a wide range of shows such as Tablao Sevilla, Entretiempo, Por Los Caminos and Tiempo al Aire. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New Yorker, as well as Spanish newspapers such as ABC, El País, La Vanguardia. Sonia has also made television and radio appearances on Tele 5, Cadena Cope, Radio Nacional de España, Punto Radio, Onda Cero, Cadena Ser, as well as the renowned Internet show “Flamenco TV.” 

Sonia collaborated with the pop-icon Madonna to choreograph the worldwide Rebel Heart Tour (2015-2016), and in 2017 worked with Ricky Martin providing Flamenco choreography for “Lola Lola” in his show All In!. Sonia and Ismael are recipients of the CUNY CDI Residency, and have performed their own shows on tour in Asia along with New York Clubs including The Triad Theater and Joe’s Pub. Recently Sonia and Ismael’s company performed as part of Mark Morris’ Shared Space, CDI’s 5 th Anniversary Fest and in the International Dance Festival in Havana, Cuba. Sonia danced as part of Ismael’s album debut “Trato” in the 2019 New York Flamenco Festival, and the pair headlined the 2019 Edmonton Flamenco Festival.

JOSÉ CARMONA “RAPICO” (Dancer)

Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Rapico believes dancing is his best way of expressing himself. Since he was a baby, his grandmother would help him fall asleep by singing to him por soleá— so his love of flamenco was born from the cradle, and at a mere three years old he stepped on to his first stage. Rapico continued to study under master teachers such as Amapola, José Luis Ponce, Concha del Mar, Antonio Canales, Farruquito, José Maya, and Alfonso Losa. He also trained with high caliber dancers like Pedro Córdoba, David Paniagua, Nino de los Reyes, Antonio Reyes, Kélian Jiménez, Manuela Carrasco, and maestro Manolete.

In 2001, Rapico moved to Granada to expand his career and debuted as part of La Cueva de Los Tarantos, one of the famous flamenco caves of Granada. He continued to live there for seven years, performing regularly at tablaos, clubs, and theaters in the province and had the honor of performing as a Principal Dancer and soloist with the great master Luis de Luis at tablao La Reina Mora. Throughout his professional career, Rapico has danced in the most emblematic tablaos of Spain, such as: El Corral de la Morería, Villa Rosa, Cardamomo, Casa Patas, Tablao Las Carboneras, El Cordobés, Los Tarantos, Corral de la Pacheca, Los Porches, and Candela— where he was awarded the prize for best bailaor together with famed dancer Paloma Fantova (2013). 

Rapico’s passion for flamenco is relentless, and he has created several of his own shows— the latest of which, entitled Rapikeando, premiered with great success at the Teatro Real in Madrid in June this past year. Rapico is currently touring with Spanish singing sensation Rosario Flores, daughter of flamenco icons Lola Flores and El Pescaílla.

CALVIN HAZEN (Guitarist)

Calvin has recently relocated to the United States after 20 years of living and working as a professional guitarist in Madrid, Spain. During this time, he performed at some of the most famous Flamenco Tablaos in Spain, including El  Corral de la Morería, Casa Patas, Las Carboneras, Las Tablas, and El Teatro Arenal. Here he had the honor of sharing the stage with such illustrious artists as JESUS CARMONA, MANUEL LIÑAN, CARMEN “LA TALEGONA”, JOAQUIN RUIZ and JERONIMO MAYA to name but a few.

He has performed at some of the most prestigious theatres in the U.S. as well as internationally including RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL and LINCOLN CENTER in New York City, TEATRO NACIONAL in Mexico City and TEATRO MADRID in Spain where his performances have enjoyed enthusiastic critical acclaim.

THE VILLAGE VOICE hailed his “…excellent guitar playing…”, and THE NEW YORK TIMES called his music “…a pleasure throughout.”

THE WASHINGTON POST raved “…by that point in the evening, one was apt to credit the hand of God for the miracle of perfect accompaniment that manifested onstage…layered over the drumming, hand-clapping, strumming and searing caterwauling, each pause just as empty and silent as the rhythms were full.”

Television appearances include THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, GOOD MORNING AMERICA and THE REGIS AND KATHY LEE SHOW. He has worked as musical director and composer for numerous companies including Suite Española, Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo and Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco. He is a regular performer and instructor for Festival Flamenco, Albuquerque.

Recording credits include collaborations on “Transit” and “Transit II” with recording artist Jon Gagan, as well as working as composer and co-producer on“El Pintor”, in Madrid, Spain and “Ni Mucho Ni Poco” in N.M. Most recently, he was asked to collaborate with Spanish pop icon PABLO ALBORAN on the recording of “Terral”, the 5-time platinum-selling record which enjoyed 11 straight weeks as Spain’s number 1 selling record. Most recently he has worked as an instructor and accompanist/composer in the Theatre and Dance Department at UNM.