Interview by:

Estela Zatania
zata@nexo.es

Newly wed cantaora María Peña gives cante classes in Seville's "Tres mil viviendas" neighborhood

"It's a very, very hard job, but rewarding, because you can see the results..."

The young singer from Utrera María del Carmen Romero Peña, 27, granddaughter of María Encarnación "de la Buena", daughter of José "de la Buena", and Francisca "de la Buena", sister of the promising young singer Jesús "de la Buena", with family ties to the Perrate family on her grandmother's side, couldn't possibly have gotten married without the muses of lower Andalusia (because they are specially assigned to this region) taking note and shouting "Vivan los novios!" to wish the newlyweds well. And the groom was no less noteworthy: flamenco guitarist Antonio Moya, 36, born in France to Spanish parents, has been living in Spain for many years and is the most important disciple of the late Pedro Bacán from Lebrija, as well as one of the busiest guitarists of recent years. The young man, who had his shirt ripped off at least three times during the wedding (as is the custom), has played for the some of the most important singers such as Lebrijano, Fernanda and Bernarda de Utrera, and Pansequito, and despite the limited commercial value, has produced and promoted recordings of great interest for followers of traditional flamenco singing.

As is fitting of any bride, María was radiant for the wedding, dressed and coiffed in the old style, with a huge white shawl that she wore with all the art required by such a garment. A lovely image that proclaimed her respect for tradition, the same tradition reflected in María Peña's cante, as one would expect from such noble flamenco lineage.

Photo: Antonio Torres Barranco

If indeed this was the most talked-about flamenco wedding of the Andalusian spring, the work which María has been carrying out for the last two years in the neighborhoods known as the Tres Mil Viviendas, and Torreblanca, lacks any trace of glamour. Three times weekly this young woman takes the bus from Utrera to Sevilla to see "her children": pupils of the Manuel Altolaguirre and Menéndez Pidal schools, to offer flamenco singing classes.

EZ: María, explain the program to me a little.

MP: Well, it's a wonderful program that operates in fourteen European countries. There was an idea that was developed through Yehudi Menuhin and his foundation, which was to gather gypsy musicians from all over the world, of the highest possible caliber, from India to Andalusia, and now this program exists as MUS-E. So in Andalusia, under the direction of Javier Puga, this is now working in Seville, in these fringe neighborhoods, and it's the only program of its kind in Spain ... the idea of reaching out to children through music.

EZ: How many hours of instruction do the children receive?

MP: For the time being it's two one-hour sessions a week, within normal school hours. What we're basically trying to do is instill values ... values such as solidarity, respect, self-esteem, against racism, against violence, against xenophobia, against all kinds of social exclusion. Working with the tool of music, flamenco singing serves as a vehicle to achieve these objectives.

EZ: How long have you been doing this?

MP: I've been at it since January 18th, 1999. Other artists have participated, but I'm from the first group of veterans...there were four of us. So we all understand that it's a way of improving the children's lives, because if a child lives well, in adulthood he or she is going to have good instincts. These are experiences that last for a lifetime, and we feel that it's a breath of fresh air for these children.

EZ: What do the families think about the program?

MP: The families are delighted! The problem is that the type of child we're dealing with has a very difficult social and psychological profile, very difficult, because these are children who suffer, children who aren't well-cared-for in the majority of cases, in their families, in their neighborhood ... They live in violence, it's their vehicle of expression, it's terrible the violence that exists in these schools ... they attack each other, they're aggressive and insulting with one another, so the idea is to change those coordinates, that's what it's all about.

EZ: Are they mostly gypsy children?

MP: In the Tres Mil Viviendas neighborhood well, we have approximately ninety or ninety-five percent gypsy families ... there are also children from immigrant families, from Bolivian Indians to Chinese.

EZ: And do you teach them flamenco also?

MP: Yes, we do, it's fine ... they're children... And it's wonderful because you see how these boys and girls, who would normally be at each other's throats, are singing and dancing together, and having a ball. Then you look at the adults, flamencos I mean, and the people from one town
are always putting down the ones from another, that they can't sing, or they don't know anything about compás ... but children don't understand that kind of thing. Also the directors told me that they notice better attendance to normal classes on the days when there's cante.

EZ: You mentioned earlier that the budget is limited ...

MP: Yes, very limited ... we're self-employed and get paid per hour of services rendered, but of course, we work with the administration and sponsorship, so it tends to arrive once a year and all the red tape, you know, it tends to be rather slow and plodding.

EZ: Is it sponsored by the Spanish government?

MP: By the regional government of Andalusia ... For now, in Andalusia we're only working in Seville, but it will gradually be expanded to other public schools in the province, and other cities throughout Andalusia.

EZ: And with this type of child, do you really teach music ... flamenco?

MP: It varies... There are days when everything comes together perfectly, and others when there's no controlling them ... they work well, but it's hard ... very hard. What happens is, when there are some aggressive children among them, you have to calm them down and this calls for a special gift ... it's not enough to be a good artist. I also have to get along with the teachers.

EZ: What age are the children?

MP: We're talking about children between eight and ten years old ... a very difficult age, but it's also an opportune moment to change the 'chip' little by little we're doing it ... It's a very, very hard job, but rewarding, because you can see the results.

We arrive at the gates of the school... It's playtime and as we draw nearer it look likes the courtyard of any school: children playing, shouting, running... I think "Surely María was exaggerating when she spoke of so much violence...they're nothing more than mischievous children", but at that precise moment Javier Puga, the director of the program interrupts my thoughts telling me to walk with decision and not look at their faces because it would be interpreted as a provocation. I hear the heavy metal gates slam shut behind me and suddenly I have the feeling of having just entered a prison.

All the children know María and shout her name when they see her arrive. She is affectionate but firm, and it's clear the children respect her. In the classroom they all line up and sing a bulerías María taught them in chorus, marking perfect compás. Some sing a solo verse...one chubby boy does his bulerías dance full of art and good humor, then a small girl, then a boy and girl dance together and call for the ending. María observes them proud as a grandmother ... they're her children.

Estela Zatania