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Winners
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Text: Estela Zatania Antonio Flores Cortés “Rubio de Pruna” wins first prize at Puertollano A young singer from Pruna, province of Seville, has won first prize in the second “Puerta de Alcudia” cante contest held biannually in Puertollano. From more than seventy applicants from different regions and provinces, twelve semi-finalists were chosen, and then, six finalists to vie for the juicy cash prize, currently one of the biggest for flamenco singing. Just an hour and a half from Seville on the high-speed AVE train, Puertollano, in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, isn’t Andalusia, but it has a close involvement with flamenco at the grass-roots level. In addition to being the birthplace of the mother of Miguel Poveda who feels a strong attachment to the town, and having a strong base of flamenco fans, it’s the location of the venerable peña Fosforito that organizes this contest that is quickly becoming one of the most prestigious in the country, thanks to the high level of the participants, the straightforward selection process and the objective of polishing up the image of cante contests. For years these competitions have suffered the plague of professional contestants who have no intention of developing a career, but rather live from contest to contest, easily scooping up prizes thanks to the carefully studied perfection of their interpretations which all too often lack the warmth we relate to this artform. To counteract the phenomenon, the organizers specifically indicated their intent in the contest rules which state: “the jury will place great importance on individual creativity, in the verses as well as the music, always respecting the identity and nature of each form”
The recipe worked. A distinguished jury made up of singer José de la Tomasa, and specialists José María Velázquez Gaztelu, Alfredo Grimaldos and Félix Grande awarded first prize, with 15,000 euros, to Antonio Flores Cortés, “Rubio de Pruna”, whose performance was backed up by the wise accompaniment of Antonio Moya. Upon accepting the prize, the young man commented that it was the first time he’d entered a contest, and movingly dedicated the prize to his late mother. When asked about his plans for the future, he answered with the natural modesty that characterizes him: “I’m going to sit in my house in Pruna and listen to the bean-pot simmering at midday”. Nevertheless, the young singer’s career is off to a good start: at just 25 he is a member of Farruquito’s company with the work “Puro”. Second prize, with the corresponding 5,000 euros went to Joselete de Linares, with José María Molero al toque, and third prize, with 3,000 euros, to Manuela Cordero López with the accompaniment of Antonio Carrión. The special prize for mining cante went to Rafael Carlos Espejo “Churumbaque Hijo”, who sang with the guitar accompaniment of young Alberto de Lucena. Friday night, Carmen Linares gave a recital with guitarist Salvador Gutiérrez while the jury deliberated. On Saturday, with the presence of Puertollano’s mayor Joaquín Carlos Hermoso Murillo, the closing celebration included two honorary prizes. Félix Grande presented an award to Carmen for her contribution to flamenco, and José María Velázquez Gaztelu explained the importance of the body of flamenco followers from the United States, in whose name Estela Zatania accepted the award. To demonstrate the Americans’ capacity, singer Richard Black “Quijote” opened the evening singing soleá, accompanying himself on guitar. Temperamental California dancer Lakshmi Basile “La Chimi” also performed with her group. And all the while, the image of Diego del Gastor projected onto the backdrop, recalled the centennial of the Morón guitarist so admired by American flamenco fans. WINNERS 2nd Prize 3rd Prize Special Prize
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