Pepe Romero (born 8 March 1944, in Málaga, Spain) is a classical and flamenco guitarist.
Biography
Early life
Pepe Romero was born in Spain, the second son of celebrated guitarist and composer Celedonio Romero, who was his only guitar teacher. His first professional appearance was in a shared concert with his father at the Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville, when Pepe was only seven years old, playing a gavotte by Bach and Sevilla by Albéniz. In 1957 Celedonio Romero left Franco's Spain for the United States with his singer actress wife, Angelita, and his three sons, Celin, Pepe and Angel, settling in the San Diego area.
Teaching Romero served as guitar professor at the University of Southern California, Southern Methodist University, University of San Diego and University of California at San Diego, before taking up the post of adjunct professor at USC Thornton School of Music.
Romero published a guitar method, La Guitarra, in 2012.
Career In 1959, Pepe made his first recording, featuring traditional flamenco music of his native Andalucia. At 16, he performed for the first time in Los Angeles, playing flamenco with his father and brothers Celin and Angel.
As a soloist Pepe Romero has appeared in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, the Middle-East, Japan, and Australia with, variously, the London, Toronto, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh, Boston, San Francisco and Dallas symphony orchestras, as well as with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York, Bogotá and Los Angeles philharmonic orchestras, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, I Musici, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Hungarian State Orchestra, the Spanish National Orchestra, the Spanish National Radio/Television Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the New Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the American Sinfonietta, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He has been a special guest at the festivals of Salzburg, Israel, Schleswig-Holstein, Menuhin, Osaka, Granada, Istanbul, Ravinia, Garden State, Hollywood Bowl, Blossom, Wolf Trap, Saratoga and Hong Kong.
Romero has recorded over 60 albums, including 20 concerti with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and 30 albums as part of the famed guitar quartet The Romeros. He has played for Presidents Carter and Nixon, the Queen of the Netherlands, the Prince of Wales and Pope John Paul II. He has numerous international recording awards to his credit and has received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
His contributions to the field of classical guitar have inspired a number of distinguished composers to write works specifically for him, including Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Francisco de Madina, Lorenzo Palomo, Michael Zearott, Paul Chihara, Enrique Diemecke, Ernesto Cordero and Celedonio Romero. He was personally chosen by the legendary Andrés Segovia for the world premiere of Torroba's Diálogos entre guitarra y orquesta.
Of performing, Romero said, Music makes us communicate through our soul, and if you can leave the theatre feeling that connection, that’s what I want more than anything.
Although originally a classical guitarist, he is talented in flamenco and a popular flamenco performer. His most famous flamenco-only album is called ¡Flamenco Fenómeno!
The Romero Guitar Quartet
1960–90: Celedonio Romero, Celin Romero, Pepe Romero, Angel Romero 1990–96: Celedonio Romero, Celin Romero, Pepe Romero, Celino Romero since 1996: Celin Romero, Pepe Romero, Celino Romero, Lito Romero
Honors
For contribution to the arts, he received the Premio Andalucía de la Música in June 1996.
On February 11, 2000, King Juan Carlos I of Spain knighted Pepe Romero and his brothers, Celin and Angel, into the Order of Isabella the Catholic. The official ceremony of this high honor took place at the USC Thornton School of Music, and included a gala performance by The Romeros with the Thornton Chamber Orchestra. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Classical Guitar at the Thornton School, where he was named Distinguished Artist in Residence in 2004.
In 2007, the Romero Quartet received the President's Merit Award from the Recording Academy, the producers of the Grammy Awards, and, in November 2012, Romero's recording of Concierto festivo by Ernesto Cordero was nominated for Best Classical Album at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Guitars Initially, Romero shared his father’s Santos Hernandez. In 1958, he bought a Miguel Rodriguez from Córdoba, which he played until 1969. He then played a Hermann Hauser II before, in 1973, obtaining another Rodriguez, which was his principal instrument until at least 2014.
Discography Solo recordings or soloist with orchestra No. Album Title Record label Date 01 ¡Flamenco Fenomeno! Contemporary 1959 02 Flamenco! Mercury 1962 03 Giuliani Guitar Concerto, Op. 30, (Side A: Pepe Romero) Rodrigo: “Concierto Madrigal” for two guitars (Side B: Angel and Pepe Romero)(Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1974 * 04 Rodrigo: “Fantasía para un gentilhombre”, Giuliani: Introduction, Theme with Variations and Polonaise, op. 65 (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1975 05 Famous Guitar Music including Tárrega: "Recuerdos de la Alhambra"/Albéniz: "Asturias"/Villa Lobos/Lauro/Sagreras/Sor Philips 1976 06 Giuliani Guitar Concertos, Op.36 & Op.70 (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1976 07 Mauro Giuliani: Guitar Concertos, Op.30, Op.36, Op.70, Op.65(Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1976 08 Works for Guitar from Renaissance to Baroque Sanz, Milán, Mudarra, Narváez, Pisador, Valderrábano Philips 1976 09 Giuliani: Handel Variations, op.107, Gran Sonata Eroica, etc. Philips 1977 10 Flamenco Philips 1977 11 Rodrigo: “Concierto de Aranjuez” (Side A: Pepe Romero); “Concierto Andaluz” (Side B: Los Romeros)(Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1978 * 12 Sor: Guitar Sonatas/Gitarrensonaten Op.22 & 25 Philips 1978 13 Boccherini Guitar Quintets Nos. 4,5 & 6 (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ Chamber Ensemble) Philips 1978 14 Torroba: “Concierto Ibérico” (Side A: Los Romeros). “Diálogos” – (Side B: Pepe Romero side) Philips 1979 * 15 Boccherini Guitar Quintets Nos. 3 & 9, “La ritirata di Madrid” (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ Chamber Ensemble) Philips 1979 16 Boccherini Guitar Quintets Nos. 1,2 & 7 (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ Chamber Ensemble) Philips 1980 17 Joaquín Rodrigo/Pepe Romero guitar (solo works) Philips 1980 18 Pepe Romero: Bach Partita BWV 1004 & Suite BWV 1009 Philips 1981 19 Carulli 2 Sonatas Diabelli Sonata Op. 68, Grande Sonate brilliante Op. 102 (Pepe Romero, Wilhelm Hellweg, forte piano) Philips 1982 20 Jeux Interdits, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, Asturias Philips 1982 21 Rodrigo: “Concierto para una fiesta” Romero/Torroba:“Concierto de Málaga” (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1983 22 Villa-Lobos, Castelnuovo-Tedesco Guitar Concertos, Rodrigo: “Sones en la Giralda” (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner) Philips 1985 23 Pepe Romero Guitar: Albéniz/Tárrega/Moreno Torroba/Romero Philips 1985 24 Villa-Lobos: Five Preludes, Etude No.1, Suite populaire brésilienne Philips 1987 25 Pepe Romero: Flamenco – Chano Lobato, Maria Magdalena, Paco Romero Philips 1987 26 Carulli, Molino: Guitar Concertos, Mozart: Adagio KV 261, Rondo KV373 (Pepe Romero, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Iona Brown) Philips 1989 27 La Paloma: Spanish and Latin American Favorites Philips 1990 28 Vivaldi Guitar Concertos I Musici, Pepe Romero, Massimo Paris Philips 1991 29 Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasía de un gentilhombre, Cançoneta, Invocación y danza, Trois petites piéces(ASMF, N. Marriner, Agustin Leon Ara)(“Shadows and Light: Rodrigo at 90”, a film by Larry Weinstein and Rhombus Media)(released also as a CD, Laser CD-Video disc and VHS cassette) Philips 1992 ** 30 Noches de España: Romantic Guitar Classics-World premiere recording Sor Fantasie Philips 1993 31 Opera Fantasy for Guitar: Philips 1995 32 Songs My Father Taught Me Philips 1998 33 Boccherini: Quintetti con chitarra n.2,6,7,4(Pepe Romero with Quartetto Stadivari) UNICEF 1998 34 Palomo: Andalusian Nocturnes, Spanish Songs (Pepe Romero, guitar, Maria Bayo, soprano. Seville Royal Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos) NAXOS 2000 35 Homenatge a Montsalvatge Metamorfosi de concert (Pepe Romero, Orquesta de Cadaqués, Gianandrea Noseda) Tritó 2002 36 Corazón Español CPA Hollywood Records 2003 37 Chihara: Guitar Concerto (Pepe Romero, London Symphony, Neville Marriner) Albany Records 2004 38 Giuliani: Guitar Concert No.1, Rodrigo: Concierto Madrigal. Re-release 2004 on super audio CD (original release 1974) PentaTone 2004 39 The Art of Pepe Romero (compilation) Philips 200? 40 The Rodrigo Collection(Re-release 2005 – CD/DVD including “Shadows and Light” film) Philips 2005 ** 41 Classic Romero CPA Hollywood Records 2005 42 Guitarrenmusik: Bach, Sor. (Re-release on CD) Philips Classics/Eloquence Label 200? 43 Recuerdos de la Alhambra: Spanishe Gitarrenmusik-Pepe Romero, Los Romeros Philips Classics/Eloquence Label 200? ** 44 Aita Madina (Concierto vasco para 4 guitarras y orquesta Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa/Los Romero / Mandeal Claves 2005 ** * albums where one side of the album was Pepe Romero and the second side was Los Romeros ** albums that were mainly Pepe Romero with some involvement of the rest of Los Romeros
Pepe Romero with Los Romeros