The State Theatre Presents
Bristol-Myers Squibb Artist-in-Residence

Ricardo  Garcia's
Flamenco Flow
May  8-19, 2006
Sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb

Meet the Artists
Led by guitarist Ricardo Garcia, Flamenco Flow is a versatile  ensemble of musicians and dancers that performs authentic flamenco,  from traditional to modern, moving towards a fusion of elements  from its own background (Indian, Arabic, African, South American,  Caribbean) with modern influences such as jazz, Latin jazz, bossa  nova, and salsa.

Ricardo Garcia is a truly eclectic guitarist. His roots lie  in flamenco, but in recent years he has played jazz and African  music, collaborated with a sitar and tabla player, and even worked  with traditional Scottish musicians. In the process, he has forged  “a unique and devastatingly original, awe-inspiring sound”  (Only Magazine). Ricardo comes from a distinguished family  of Andalucian musicians who left Spain for France during the Franco  years. In exile, they held onto their roots through the tradition  of flamenco. Ricardo learned guitar from his uncle at a very young  age and later performed with his aunt, brothers, cousins, and  his mother, the singer Maria del Carmen. As a teenager, he attended  flamenco masterclasses with Merengue de Cordoba, Paco Serrano,  and Jose Antonio Rodriguez Munoz. Since his first public performance  at the age of nine, Ricardo has played throughout France. In 1988,  he was sent as France’s cultural ambassador on a tour of  Uruguay and Argentina. While still a student in Paris, Ricardo  opened for Pat Metheny, an experience that inspired him to incorporate  jazz into his repertoire. Later, during eight years in Malawi,  Africa, he worked with musicians from both Africa and India, adding  new rhythms and colors to his musical palette. Since moving to  Barcelona in 1999, the guitarist has continued to tour—primarily  in Spain, France, and Scotland, but also in Canada, Singapore,  England, and Ireland. He has performed in the Edinburgh Festival  for five years running and toured to Montreal and Vancouver in  2005.

Maria Dolores Rueda Ruiz (“Lola”), a flamenco dancer  and singer, was born in Girona (Catalunya) into a family from  Andalucia, and has been dancing and singing since the age of six.  Lola trained at noted flamenco conservatories in Madrid, Barcelona,  Seville, and Jerez. She has gone on to perform throughout Europe,  the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, working with ensembles including  the Viva Flamenco Dance Company and Ricardo Garcia’s Flamenco  Flow. She is currently performing and teaching throughout London.

Julie Gunn has worked in the field of language education since  1987, teaching people of all ages and many spheres of activity  in places as far-flung as Edinburgh, Paris, Barcelona, and Malawi.  Throughout her career, Julie has been involved in organizing performances  and concerts. While serving on the faculty of the University of  Malawi, she met her husband, Ricardo Garcia, and began performing  in and organizing concerts all over the country. Since 2003 Julie  has worked full time managing as well as creating shows for Flamenco  Flow and Ricardo Garcia as a solo performer.

While at home in Tucson, Arizona, Brad teaches at the University  of Arizona. He loves to spend time with his wife Kerstin and son  Noah. He also enjoys hiking, running, biking and playing his guitar  in the mountains and deserts that surround Tucson and have been  an inspiration for much of his music.

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY
Since its inception in 1992, the State Theatre’s annual  Bristol-Myers Squibb Artist-in-Residence program has given the  gift of the performing arts—music, dance, and storytelling—to  over 35,000 people throughout central New Jersey. From classrooms  to boardrooms, homeless shelters to libraries, this innovative  program continues to take its talented and dynamic performers  to places where the arts rarely go. In 45-minute “informances”  for small groups (on the average, around 50 people), the residency  artists connect with a diverse public, building bridges to the  community through the arts. The friendly, relaxed atmosphere of  these gatherings transforms even the most unlikely of places—employee  lunchroom, church basement, school gymnasium, or senior center—into  an impromptu arts arena where the performers establish an intimate  rapport with the audience that is often impossible in a more formal  setting. In sharing their talents with people of all ages and  backgrounds throughout the local community, the Bristol-Myers  Squibb Artists-in-Residence make new friends for the arts and  for the State Theatre.

The two-week residency culminates in a free public performance  at the State Theatre. This year’s concert, featuring Ricardo  Garcia’s Flamenco Flow, is Wednesday,  May 17 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for this event may be reserved  by calling the State Theatre Box Office at 732-246-SHOW (7469).