WCC offers two first-class acts in November
José Almarcha, from La Mancha, Spain, and Lucía Ruibal from Santa María (Cádiz) Spain perform together in Alejandra presented by Flamenco Spain Arts & Culture Nov 22 at McClaren Hall in FVCC"S Wachholz College Center.
Pink Martini vocalist Storm Large brings her “Holiday Ordeal” show to the Wachholz College Center Nov. 29.
November is boasting two first-class acts at the Wachholz College Center on the Flathead Valley Community College campus.
Direct from Spain, the highly anticipated performance Alejandra presented by Flamenco Spain Arts & Culture will perform at 7:30 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 22.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Pink Martini vocalist Storm Large brings her “Holiday Ordeal” show to the Flathead Valley. “Holiday Ordeal” is a night of music, gags and gifts recommended for mature audiences.
Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available online at wachholzcollegecenter.org.
About Flamenco Spain Arts & Culture: Alejandra
Alejandra is a tribute to the mother of guitarist, José Almarcha, from La Mancha, Spain. The sudden and unexpected loss of his mother was instrumental in changing the way Almarcha composes and interprets Flamenco.
Alejandra is a personal and intimate performance where memories reverberate within the flamenco themes that José Almarcha develops. Behind each note there are glimpses into his personal history, his roots, and his identity. The result is an ideogram through musical sounds that evoke important memories, places, experiences and people who left an imprint on him.
Almarcha was born in Tomelloso (Ciudad Real) Spain, where he earned a diploma in classical guitar from the Municipal Conservatory of Music. He furthered his studies in Córdoba where he received Licenciatura in Flamenco Guitar (advanced bachelor’s degree) in 2009, from the Conservatorio Superior de Música (Advanced Music Conservatory), where he studied with Paco Serrano, Manolo Franco and Niño de Pura, masters who taught him the fine details and specialized methodology required in playing the flamenco guitar. His comprehensive training, his extensive artistic journey, and his tireless artistic search, have allowed him to develop a unique and personal language with respect to the guitar. He is a relentless composer who has performed with numerous prestigious dance companies and won many awards over the course of his career.
Lucía Ruibal was born in Santa María (Cádiz) Spain. She studied classical ballet for 14 years at the Conservatorio de Danza de Cádiz. While there, she also studied flamenco with master teachers such as Natalia Acosta, La Lupi, and Mercédes Ruiz. She received a Licenciatura (advanced bachelor’s degree) in flamenco dance and choreography from the Conservatorio Superior de Málaga (Advanced Conservatory of Málaga). Currently, Ruibal has been enjoying a wide variety of appearances as a soloist and choreographer in a variety of productions. For her intimate appearance “Casa Ruibal,” she shared the stage with her father, guitarist Javier Ruibal and her brother, percussionist, Javi Ruibal. She also performed in the productions “Junca” and “Tauromagia” directed by Mercédes Ruiz, and ‘Los sones negros” a current production created by the dancer Juan de Juan.
About Storm Large: “Holiday Ordeal”
Storm Large, musician, actor, playwright and author, shot to national prominence in 2006 as a finalist on the CBS show “Rock Star: Supernova” where, despite having been eliminated in the week before the finale, she built a fan base that follows her around the world to this day. She was seen on the 2021 season of “America’s Got Talent.” When she isn’t touring with her own band, acting, or writing, Large performs internationally with Pink Martini.
Recent engagements include performing her one-woman autobiographical musical memoir “Crazy Enough” at La Jolla Music Society and Portland Center Stage, debuts with the Philly Pops, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony, as well as return engagements with numerous symphonies and the Louisville Orchestra, with whom she recorded the 2017 album “All In.” Large continues to tour concert halls across the country with her band Le Bonheur and as a special guest on Michael Feinstein’s Shaken & Stirred tour, alongside Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey.
Large made her debut as guest vocalist with the band Pink Martini in April 2011, singing four sold-out concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She continues to perform with the band, touring nationally and internationally. She has also sung with k.d. lang, Kirill Gerstein, John Doe, Rufus Wainwright and George Clinton.
