Arcángel, Juana Amaya and El Cabrero stand out on the bill of the Murcia contest

Carmen Jiménez, August 2003

Following La Unión's grand contest, Murcia again arranges a get-together with flamenco. The Lo Ferro Festival, which is held from August 23rd to 31st, 2003 in the Cartagena village of the same name, celebrates its twenty-fourth edition, whose climax will be the homage to Sevillian cantaor José Menese. The festival, which includes a contest and other related activities, this year brings together on the bill bailaora Juana Amaya and cantaores Arcángel, José de la Tomasa and El Cabrero, among others.

Arcangel. Photo Anahy Carmody

The festival is inaugurated Saturday, August 23rd with a flamenco gala in the hands of an amateur group of Murcia women, continuing the next day with Troubadour Night. The next two nights are reserved for the training and informative part of the festival. Menese will be in charge of giving a flamenco chat on the night of Tuesday the 26th; while Málaga-born Bonela Hijo will teach a cante flamenco initiation course on the night of the 25th.

Wednesday the 27th is reserved for José Menese, whose homage will consist of him being awarded the 'Lo Ferro Festival Gold Medal' and a flamenco gala with the performance of guest artists José de la Tomasa, Luis Heredia 'El Polaco', Antonio Reyes, Alberto Sánchez de Jerez, accompanied on toque by guitarists Antonio Fernández 'El Torero' and Niño Carrión. The following night's star will be Huelva-born cantaor Arcángel, who will give a recital accompanied on the guitar by Miguel Ángel Cortés, following the first semi-final of the 2003 Lo Ferro Cante Flamenco National Contest. Competing in this event are twelve artists coming from all over Spain. The second semi-final will take place on Friday the 29th, on a night championed by El Cabrero, as guest artist. The contest's closing ceremony will take place on Saturday night, when Morón-born bailaora Juana Amaya will perform. The festival is scheduled to close on Sunday, August 31st with a traditional flamenco Mass, in which the contest's winners will sing accompanied on toque by El Torero and Niño Carrión.

Notes on the festival

The Lo Ferro Festival is known, among other aspects, for the quantity and quality of the prizes it awards. What started off in the first edition with a prize of ten thousand pesetas at that time (sixty euros at present), has now reached the quantity of twenty-five thousand euros in total. The implantation of this festival has been consolidated not only by the cash prizes offered, but also by the so-called 'Golden Melon' trophy. Created by Maite de Fruz, it consists of a trunk with a guitar and a melon in cast bronze. The statuette is completely hand-sculpted, just as the Etruscans used to do in ancient times. Besides the holding of the festival, the Golden Melon Flamenco Peña also organizes a program of winter flamenco galas, which are held the first Friday of every month at the theater in Lo Ferro, during the season running from October to May. As a result of the contest's organization, the making of a record for the contest's winner has also arisen, sponsored by the local peña.

Juana Amaya. Photo Javier Hurtado