Carlos Piñana - Flamenco Guitarist and Composer
Carlos Piñana (Cartagena, 1976) holds a degree from the Murcia Superior Conservatory of Music and a Masters Degree in Musical Investigation from Murcia University. He belongs to a family of great flamenco tradition, he is the grandson of Antonio Piñana (father), patriarch of the “cantes mineros” and his father is the well-known guitarist Antonio Piñana (son). Carlos lived and breathed flamenco since childhood. His first guitar teacher was his father Antonio Piñana, who contributed from the start to Carlos’ development as a guitarist.
In 1990 Carlos starts studying Classical Guitar at the Music Conservatory of Cartagena, at the same time exploring Flamenco Guitar, in which he will soon stand out. Proof of this are the numerous awards he has received, for instance: First Prize and Bordón
Minero at the international Festival of the Cantes Mineros (1996), the National Prize of Concert Guitar Ramon Montoya at the Cordoba Flamenco Art Festival (1998), First Prize Sabicas at the Calasparra’s National Festival of Young Flamencos, the Prize Importante’98 awarded by La Opinión de Murcia newspaper. In 2001 the Emma Egea Foundation gave him the Alumbre 2001 Prize in recognition to his dedication and work.
Carlos has performed in New York, Paris, Poznan, Krumlov, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Hannover, Stockholm, Dublin, Lausanne, Napoles, Caserta, Milan, Hamman, Teheran, Cairo, Alexandria, Fez, Moscow, Tomsk, Casablanca, Mexico, Caen, Oxford, Wroclaw, Vilnius, Cuba, Dheli, Lisbon, Oporto, Tunis…,etc.
Often he plays with orchestras, with his special project the Suite “El Cuidado de una Esencia”, where he combines classical music with the temperament and lyricism of flamenco. He played with Murcia Symphonic Orchestra, Tomsk Philarmonic Orchestra, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Teplice Symphonic Orchestra, La Habana Chamber Orchestra, Lublin Philarmonic Orchestra, Kalisz Philharmonic Orchestra, Šv. Kristoforo Kamerinis Orkestras, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra…,etc.
He has released seven CD ́s as a soloist: “Cal-libiri” (1999), “Palosanto” (2001), “Mundos Flamencos” (2003), “Mi Sonanta” (2009), “Manos Libres” (2011), “Body & Soul” (2013) and “De la Raíz al Alma” (2015).
Currently Carlos combines his work as a performer with his activity as a professor of Flamenco Guitar at the Music Conservatory of Murcia. Carlos Piñana is perfectly able to sustain his position in the illustrious avant-garde group of flamenco guitarists to which he belongs honoris causa.