Lara Wong
Praised for her unique sound, musicality, and incredible versatility, flutist and bansuri player, Lara Wong is a groundbreaking flutist the world music scene. Her music ebbs and flows with elegance and emotion, perfectly fusing the soul of flamenco with the harmonic brilliance of jazz and the rhythmic improvisations of Indian music.
The Lara Wong Trío was born in 2020, a year after the Canadian flutist moved to Madrid, Spain. Dazzling flamenco guitar riffs, sophisticated percussive soundscapes, mystical bansuri melodies, and colourful flute improvisations come together in this dynamite encounter between these three extraordinary artists.
"…the result is stunning; it is fluid, it is sensual and fully embodies the spirit of flamenco: virtuosity and passion."
-CBC Radio-Canada
"Emanating on-stage magnetism and artistic talent”
-Historia de un Amor: Flamenco Jazz
"Wong stands out on the flamenco scene"
-Ottawa Citizen
THE TRIO
Lara Wong is a distinctive and promising voice in the world music scene. After completing her degree in classical and jazz performance at McGill University, Lara left Canada to study flamenco in its birthplace, Andalucia. Today, she is a prominent figure in the flamenco scene and is known for adapting the Indian bansuri flute into flamenco.
In 2021, Lara made history when she won the first prize award for best flamenco instrumentalist at the Festival Cante de las Minas, making her the first foreign prize winner in the festival's 60 year history. Lara has played in festivals across Canada and Europe and has collaborated with artists like, Tino di Geraldo, Juan Andres Maya, and Pepe Rivero. In 2022, she released her first album, Rosa de los Vientos, which was produced by Melón Jiménez.
Guitarist Melón Jiménez has made plenty of music, not only in flamenco music but in many related styles. He is both devoted to the tradition of his Andalusian gypsy roots and also, to the innovation of the flamenco guitar, meticulously translating techniques from the sitar, slide guitar, and African gimbri to his guitar.
Melón was a finalist in various competitions such as the Paco de Lucia Awards and Concurso Nacional de Flamenco. He has released two albums, "El Sonido de los Colores" and "Ecos de Magerit". During his career, he has accompanied many renowned artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Enrique Morente, Chuchito Valdes, and Jorge Pardo.
Ivan Mellen is a multidisciplinary percussionist and during his career he has studied flamenco cajón and compás, traditional Iberian percussion, Afro-Cuban percussion, djembe, dumdum, tama and sabar, Peruvian cajón, Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian percussion. He has performed and recorded with musicians such as: José Luis Perales, Ana Alcaide, Ismael Serrano, Niño de Elche, and Estévez/Paños.
MUSIC
Quartet with dance
Quartet with upright bass
PHOTOS
Booking:
larawongmusic@gmail.com
Canada: +34 631744424
Spain: +34 691 913 309 (Daniel Jimenez)