Raúl Zambrano Facts for Kids

Raúl Zambrano (born November 6, 1969, in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México) is a talented Mexican guitarist. He is especially interested in the guitar music created by Manuel M. Ponce. Raúl Zambrano founded The Manuel M Ponce Guitar Quartet in 1994 and has been leading the group since 2002.

He has worked with many musicians like Juan Trigos, Hebert Vázquez, and Julio César Oliva to create new music for the guitar. Some of these artists even wrote music specifically for Raúl and his quartet! He also helped start the Colmex Choir with Aurelio Tello and Javier Garciadiego Dantán, who was the president of The College of Mexico. The Colmex Choir has been directed by Aurelio Tello, Zaeth Ritter, and Zambrano himself.

About Raúl Zambrano's Life
Raúl Zambrano's Music Albums
Raúl Zambrano on the Radio
Music for Plays and Theater
What Critics Say
Images for kids
See also

About Raúl Zambrano's Life

Raúl Zambrano learned to play the guitar from Manuel López Ramos. From 1997 to 2005, he was the director of the International Guitar Festival, which took place at the Gothic Chapel in Mexico City.

Between 2000 and 2005, Raúl worked with Valeria Palomino and the National Autonomous University of Mexico to record all of Manuel M. Ponce's guitar music. This big project, called Obra para guitarra de Manuel M Ponce, included eleven famous guitar players. In 2010, he studied with Dirk Snellings and Capilla Flamenca to explore how French-Flemish polyphony (music with many voices or parts) is connected to the music found in old churches in Hispanic America.

Raúl Zambrano's Music Albums

Raúl Zambrano has released several music albums. Here are some of them:

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 (2012) - features four suites by Johann Sebastian Bach, recorded with Erika Dobosiewicz, Asaf Kolerstein, and Alberto Cruzprieto.

Raúl Zambrano on the Radio

Raúl Zambrano has also created and hosted several radio shows that focus on classical music:

Aria de divertimento (2003-2007) - This show had three seasons on Radio UNAM.
La otra versión (since 2002) - He hosted this show on XHIMER-FM, which is part of the Instituto Mexicano de la Radio.
Elevación y folía (2010) - This was a radio version of Historia Mínima de la Música en Occidente (A Short History of Music in the West), broadcast on Radio México Internacional.

Music for Plays and Theater

Since 1991, Raúl Zambrano has worked with many stage directors, writing music for their plays. Here are some of the plays he has composed music for:

Clavos (1991) - A three-part play based on works by Federico García Lorca, including Yerma, Bodas de sangre, and La casa de Bernarda Alba.
El villano en su rincón (1996) - A play by Lope de Vega.
La cueva de Salamanca (1997) - Based on a work by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín (1998) - Another play by Federico García Lorca.
El Villano en su rincón (2001) - Another production of the play by Lope de Vega.
Bodas de sangre (2004) - Another production of the play by Federico García Lorca.
¿A dónde vas, Jeremías? (2006) - By Philippe Minyana.
Casanova o la fugacidad (2006) - By David Olguín.
Frente al olvido (2007) - By José Caballero.
Los locos de Valencia (2007) - By Lope de Vega.
Roberto Zuko (2008) - By Bernard-Marie Koltés.
La pequeña habitación al final de la escalera (2011) - By Carole Fréchette.

What Critics Say

People who review music have praised Raúl Zambrano's work. They say he is a guitarist with amazing sensitivity, meaning he plays with a lot of feeling. Critics often note that he focuses on making beautiful music rather than just showing off how fast he can play. They describe his performances as "top level" and say his careful way of playing is always appreciated.