Raúl Zambrano facts for kids
Raúl Zambrano is a talented Mexican guitarist born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México, on November 6, 1969. He is especially interested in the music of Manuel M. Ponce, a famous Mexican composer. Raúl Zambrano founded The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet in 1994 and has been its director since 2002. He has worked with many other musicians, like Juan Trigos and Julio César Oliva, to create new music for the guitar. He also helped start the Colmex Choir with Aurelio Tello and Javier Garciadiego Dantán, which has performed since 2011.
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Raúl Zambrano's Journey
Raúl Zambrano learned to play the guitar from Manuel López Ramos. From 1997 to 2005, he was the director of the International Guitar Festival at the Gothic Chapel in Mexico City. This festival brought together guitar players from all over the world.
Between 2000 and 2005, he worked with the National Autonomous University of Mexico to record all the guitar music written by Manuel M. Ponce. Eleven well-known guitar players took part in this huge project. In 2010, he also studied a special music program with Dirk Snellings and Capilla Flamenca. This program explored how old European music, called polyphony, is connected to music from churches in Hispanic America.
Music Albums
Raúl Zambrano has released several music albums, often with his quartet or other musicians. Here are some of his recordings:
- Ponciana (1999) – with The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet
- Estampas (2000) – with The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet
- Artificios (2001) – with The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet
- De Aranjuez y del sur "Los conciertos de Rodrigo y Ponce" (2004), with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
- La obra integral de Manuel M. Ponce para guitarra (2006), volumes II, III, IV, and V
- Elevación y folía (2007) – with The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet
- Trocar, featuring 4 Johann Sebastian Bach suites (2012), with Erika Dobosiewicz, Asaf Kolerstein, and Alberto Cruzprieto.
Radio Shows
Raúl Zambrano has also produced and hosted radio shows that share classical music with listeners.
- Aria de divertimento (three seasons) (2003–2007) on Radio UNAM.
- He hosted La otra versión on XHIMER-FM, a station of the Instituto Mexicano del Radio, starting in 2002.
- Elevación y folía, a radio version of Historia Mínima de la Música en Occidente (Minimal History of Music in the West), on Radio México Internacional in 2010.
Music for Plays
Since 1991, Raúl Zambrano has composed music for many theater plays. He works with different stage directors to create the perfect sound for their shows. Some of the plays he has written music for include:
- Clavos, a three-part play based on works by Federico García Lorca, 1991.
- El villano en su rincón by Lope de Vega, 1996 and 2001.
- La cueva de Salamanca by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, 1997.
- Amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín by Federico García Lorca, 1998.
- Bodas de sangre by Federico García Lorca, 2004.
- ¿A dónde vas, Jeremías? by Philippe Minyana, 2006.
- Casanova o la fugacidad by David Olguín, 2006.
- Frente al olvido by José Caballero, 2007.
- Los locos de Valencia by Lope de Vega, 2007.
- Roberto Zuko by Bernard-Marie Koltés, 2008.
- La pequeña habitación al final de la escalera by Carole Fréchette, 2011.
What Critics Say
Music critics have praised Raúl Zambrano's work. They describe him as a guitarist with amazing sensitivity. They note that he focuses on making beautiful music rather than just showing off his skills. Critics have said his performances are "top level" and that he gives "each note its precise musical value." His careful and thoughtful playing is often celebrated.
See also
In Spanish: Raúl Zambrano para niños
