Viva España! Trumpets Celebrates Spain on Sunday, April 13

For more information, contact Kristine Massari at Trumpets Jazz Club,
973-744-2600



       One of the most exciting fiestas in Spain is the week-long Feria de
Abril in Seville, a round-the-clock festival of flamenco and fun.
During the Feria, the streets fill with spectacularly dressed revelers
of all ages, dancing the  "sevillanas."

       On Sunday, April 13 from 4 - 7 pm, Trumpets Jazz Club will continue
its "Sunday Afternoon of World Culture" series with a salute to Spain
and the Feria de Abril. Come join the festivities, enjoy tapas and
sangria, experience the excitement of flamenco, and learn how to dance
the sevillanas!

       Dos Lunas Flamenco, an exciting young flamenco act, will headline the
afternoon's entertainment, and Enrico Granafei will give a performance
of classical Spanish guitar. Everyone will have an opportunity to learn
how to dance sevillanas, with a special lesson by Dr. María José García
Vizcaino of Montclair State University. In addition, Juan Roncero of
West Orange High School will present a cooking demonstration on how to
prepare the classic Spanish omelet, la tortilla española.

       Trumpets will also feature a special exhibition of fans decorated by
the students in Pamela Harriott's Advanced Spanish 2 classes from Mt.
Hebron School. Art supplies for the project were sponsored by Jacklyn
Kling Distinctive Framework of Montclair. In addition, there will be a
presentation on the "Language of the Fan;" guests will receive their
own fans and learn how to say "sí" or "no" with just the flick of a
wrist.

       Olé Olé Foods of Belleville will be offering specialty foods from
Spain for tasting, and will also be contributing toward the generous
menu for the afternoon, which includes a broad selection of tapas, as
well as freshly prepared sangria. As always in the Sunday Afternoon of
World Culture series, the entertainment, food and one drink are all
included in the admission price of $25.

       Organized by Trumpets' owner Kristine Massari, who is also an Italian
teacher at West Orange High School and a vocalist, and Ruth Kunstadter,
adjunct professor of Spanish at Montclair State and creator of Spanish
educational videos celebrating local multicultural communities, the
Sunday Afternoon of World Culture series is a monthly event celebrating
languages, music, food and traditions from around the world. The next
event in the series will celebrate Mexico on May 4.

Ben first picked up the guitar as a teenager and hasn't put it down since. He was drawn to flamenco while studying classical guitar at Cornish College of the Arts, where he received his B.Music.
He immediately began working with dancers and has been accompanying soloists and companies ever since. In Seattle he was a member of gypsy swing band The Rez Trio, and he has worked with dancers such as Rubina Carmona's Peña Flamenca of Seattle, Día Flamenco of New York, Melinda Hedgecorth, Tania Tandias, and most recently Pasión y Arte of Philadelphia.

During 2005-2006 he lived in Madrid where he studied guitar with Pepe Maya, Flavio Rodrigues, and was a student in the Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas.

Currently Ben teaches classical and flamenco guitar both in his home and at the Community Conservatory of Doylestown, he accompanies dance classes for the Pasión y Arte company and for Ballet Hispanico in New York, and he performs as a soloist and with flamenco dancers in Bucks County, Philadelphia, and New York.

Emma began dancing flamenco in the dance department of Bard College with Aileen Passloff and Kati Garcia Renart, and after graduating she danced with Melinda Hedgecorth and also under Tania Tandias.

While living in Madrid from 2005-2006 to earn her M.A. in Spanish Literature from NYU, she studied under Mari Paz Lucena at the Conservatorio Flamenco Casa Patas, where she has also studied with Amelia Vega, and she studied at the Amor de Dios studios with Carmen Diaz.

She has taken workshops wtih La China, La Meira, Antonio Hidalgo, and studies when she can with Elba Hevia y Vaca. She has danced in shows both in Philadelphia and New York and has co-directed Dos Lunas Flamenco recitals with Ben Phipps. Currently Emma teaches Spanish language and flamenco dance at the Solebury School in New Hope and also teaches at Ballet Arts of Bucks County and gives dance workshops at other dance schools.

 Emma and Ben have been working together since 2004, when their first performance together was Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival. Since then, they directed their own full show with other young flamenco artists in Madison, WI in 2005, as well as a production in Doylestown 2007, and have performed together at numerous restaurants, cultural fairs, and schools such as Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin, New York University in Madrid, Bucks County Community College, Gwynedd Mercy College, and the Solebury School.