Juan Serrano - Flamenco Guitar Music Virtuoso
Serrano's mastery of flamenco guitar music not only comes from his many years of discipline and study of the flamenco guitar, but also because he grew up in Cordoba, Spain, the birthplace of this rich and dazzling music! At the age of nine Serrano was studying under his father, a professional flamenco guitarist, and learning the traditions of flamenco which is a fusion of Jewish, Moorish, Christian, and Gypsy musical elements between the 8th and 15th centuries in Andalucia, Spain. Juan Serrano made his professional debut at age 13 and as a teenager earned a reputation all over Spain and Europe as a gifted flamenco guitarist. He performed and recorded with the top flamenco musical, dance, and theatrical companies. At this time Juan also started his career as a solo concert flamenco guitarist. His home town of Cordoba was so proud of his accomplishments that they replaced the bell in the town clock with recordings of his flamenco guitar music that would play on the hour - 24 hours a day!
The city of Cordoba also awarded Juan Serrano the "Porto de Oro". This prestigious honor is awarded once every ten years and Serrano is the only guitarist ever to be so honored. Juan received the "Page One Ball" from the Newspaper Guild of New York for his outstanding flamenco guitar performances. He was also awarded the "Medalla de Oro" from the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts, the Catedra de Flamencologia from Jerez, Spain and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. The city of Fresno, California bestowed Serrano with the "Fabulous Fresnan" and "Horizon" awards. Juan Serrano is the only flamenco guitarist in the world with a doctorate in humane letters and a tenured faculty position at a major university. He developed the flamenco guitar program at California State University and heads the flamenco guitar department there. In addition to his teaching duties, Juan is much sought after as a performer, for master classes, and as a guest lecturer on the history of flamenco guitar music. Fortunately for aspiring guitarists, Serrano has gone on to release numerous flamenco guitar tab books and instructional DVD courses that teach his solo guitar pieces and all of the techniques that he uses to play them.