Denver – Denver's own legendary master of flamenco guitar, René Heredia, will be appearing for two nights at Swallow Hill, on Friday March 9 and Saturday, March 10, at 8 p.m.

Spanish legend Sábicas has called Heredia “the most sensational Flamenco guitarist in the United States.” Heredia began his training under his father, a Gitano Puro (pure Gypsy), who taught him the rudiments of flamenco guitar and Spanish gypsy dance. By thirteen, he was performing with his sisters, Fátima, Sarita, Zoraida, Carmen, and brother, Enrique, as “Los Heredia,” doing concerts, television shows, and supper club performances. His international recognition came when he was seventeen and the incomparable Flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya (Spain’s greatest dancer of this century) heard him play. She immediately took him to be her lead guitarist, and Heredia toured many years doing concerts in the major capitals of Europe and the United States with the famous Amaya Ballet.

René Heredia has received myriad accolades and awards. He has been awarded with the Colorado “Governor’s Award” for excellence in Performance and Education and “The Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts” in Denver, and is regarded as one of Colorado’s well-known composers, having been recognized in a special tribute to Colorado artists at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. A consummate performer, Heredia has played all over the world, including Paris, London, Madrid and Barcelona. Throughout the years he has been seen on numerous television programs, including “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Steve Allen Show” (with Sábicas) and “The Art Linkleter Show.” He has done command performances for dignitaries, including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, U.S. President Gerald Ford, and Prince Bandar and Queen Noor of Jordan.

Heredia will be accompanied by the Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theater, which includes his student and renowned dancer, La Churumbela, whose name was given to her by Heredia meaning “little Gypsy girl.” La Churumbela has performed in Heredia’s Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theater throughout Colorado and has also performed as the lead gypsy dancer in Opera Colorado’s production of Carmen.

For tickets visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make and enjoy music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 200 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 60 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.

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