Rafael de Utrera and the art of his land
Do you know Rafael de Utrera? An artist with a great career, influences of great artists and a long career that you have to know. We tell you about it in a new post of our blog.
Rafael was born in Utrera in Calle Nueva, where there was always a lot of flamenco art and singing. In that same street, the one where he was born, was where he began to sing, following in the tavern of his father "El Punto", where fans went daily to sing, soon after he also began to make his first performances.
At the age of 21 he began to sing, and it was during this time that he met his current partner, the dancer Carmen Lozano, who danced in the flamenco tablao "Los Gallos" in Seville, and thanks to her, he began to meet people who supported him and proposed him to sing in "El Tablao".
Rafael de Utrera's first performances
After starting to perform in "El Tablao", he also performed in the flamenco tablao "El Cordobés" in Barcelona, where Carmen Lozano danced and Rafael accompanied her with his singing. Since then, he began to sing for figures such as Cristina Hoyos, Joaquín Cortes, Antonio Canales, the Andalusian Dance Company, Israel Galván, Farruquito, Eva "La Yerbabuena", Manuela Carrasco and others. He also had the great honour of accompanying guitarists such as Tomatito, Gerardo Núñez, José Antonio Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Romero, Vicente Amigo and Paco de Lucía. In addition to the above, he has also accompanied great pianists such as David Peña Dorante, Shai Maestro and Juan Carlos Carvallo.
His career during all these years has been very powerful, but it is during the last few years that he has gained the most power.
Rafael's influences on flamenco art
The flamenco influences that have made him a great artist have been many, such as: Perrate, Manuel de Angustia, Curro de Utrera, Fernanda, Enrique Montoya, Antonio Mairena, Manolo Caracol, Camarón, etc.
The beginning of their professional breakthrough came with Paco de Lucía, who suggested they take part in a world tour, where they toured part of Europe, Asia, the USA and Alaska. They were sold out, with a capacity of four and a half thousand and five thousand spectators.
Collaborations with other artists
His collaboration on records with great artists such as: José Mercé, Niño de Pura, Antonio Rodríguez, the documentary of Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo, makes his career even more exciting. Internationally he has also collaborated with great artists, such as the Metropol Orchestra from Holland, who even recorded a live album called "Proyecto Lorca". In addition, he has also had great success as a soloist in America and Europe.
In 2019 the artist accompanied the maestro Vicente Amigo on his International Tour and also had performances with the Trio Arbós (with the show "Envisioned"). Thanks to his whole career he had a great recognition at the Flamenco Biennial in the Netherlands, he is making numerous solo performances and innovating in new and exciting challenges.
Rafael de Utrera is highly acclaimed and has won several awards in his career:
The Festival Flamenco de Nîmes (France), the 1st prize for Seguiriyas at the Certamen de Cante de las Minas in La Unión.
The Mostachón de Oro of his hometown, Utrera.
As the finishing touch to his career, he participated in the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Spanish Constitution, where he performed with the Trío Arbós as a star and guest artist. Also, for two weeks he was a participating artist in the four decades of the birth of the Ballet Clásico Nacional, where his voice fused flamenco singing with classical ballet.
Undoubtedly, Rafael de Utrera is an artist through and through, who continues to work on his singing and to give us moments of flamenco art.