The Romeros January 22, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Milwaukie, OR (November 2009). Portland Classic Guitar proprietor William Jenks is proud to present the Romeros, with special guest Angel Romero, in concert at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, on Friday, January 22nd, 2010, beginning promptly at 8 PM. This important and historically significant performance is part of the acclaimed Portland Classic Guitar 2009-2010 Concert Series, and will be followed by a master class, which will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, January 23rd, at Portland Classic Guitar.

A reunion of guitarist Angel Romero with the Romeros, the much-loved guitar group that he helped establish, has been eagerly anticipated for many years (Angel Romero has very rarely performed with the group since 1990). This special concert featuring a quintet version of the group (consisting of Celin, Pepe, Angel, Celino, and Lito Romero) does not represent a new version of the Quartet but rather a Reunion of all the living members involved in creating and maintaining the Romero Dynasty to come together to pay tribute to this dynasty. Rightly called the “Royal Family of the Guitar,” not least because of their invention and perfection of the guitar quartet format, the Romeros are the world’s only dynasty of guitar virtuosi, spanning three generations. The renowned Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo referred to them as “the grand masters of the guitar,” an assessment confirmed by the Leipzig Volkszeitung, who dubbed them the “Guardians of the Holy Grail of the Classical Guitar,” adding that “[w]hat the ‘Three Tenors’ are to the world of opera, The Romeros are to the classical guitar.”

The sterling reputation of the Romeros has been continually confirmed by repeated appearances with virtually every major symphony orchestra in the United States including those of Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Detroit and many others. The family has twice been invited to the White House; in 1983 they appeared at the Vatican in a special concert for His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and in 1986 they performed for His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. Regular festival appearances include the Hollywood Bowl, Blossom, Wolf Trap, Saratoga, Flagstaff and Garden State.

For over 40 years three generations of Romeros have inspired composers to enrich the repertoire of guitar quartet with orchestra, which includes works by such distinguished composers as Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Morton Gould, Francisco de Madina, Lorenzo Palomo and others. Television fans have seen and heard the Romeros many times on television among them, the Tonight and Today shows as well as on PBS specials and PBS's telecast of Evening at the Boston Pops with The Romeros performing Vivaldi and Rodrigo.

His Royal Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain, knighted Celin, Pepe, and Angel into the Order of "Isabel la Catolica", Spain's highest honor. The official ceremony took place at the University of Southern California on February 11, 2000, and included a gala concert performed by The Romeros.

Though each Romero is a significant artist in his own right, Angel Romero is possibly the best known internationally. He had his first public performance at age six (his US debut came at age sixteen), and has achieved prominence in part for his long association with the aforementioned composer Rodrigo. Romero has been featured with numerous important orchestras around the world, as both a soloist and a conductor. He has also composed and performed several works for cinema, including the soundtrack to Robert Redford’s acclaimed 1989 film, The Milagro Beanfield War. For his contributions to the world of music, Romero has received the highest honors from his native country, as well as a Merit Award from the Recording Academy (producer of the Grammy Awards).

The Rolling Hills Community Church features great acoustics, plenty of parking space, and comfortable seating for up to 2500 people. It is located at 3550 SW Borland Road, in Tualatin, OR. Reserved Seating for the concert is $49 and general admission for the concert is $35 or $30 for students, seniors, and Portland Guitar Society members. The Portland Classic Guitar studio (site of the January 23 master class) is located at 11923 SE McLoughlin Blvd, in Milwaukie, OR. The registration fee for the class is $20. More information can be found at portlandclassicguitar.com, or by calling 503-654-0082.