Get ready for three nights of re-imagined flamenco music in West Vancouver when flautist and bansurist Lara Wong and flamenco guitarist Melón Jiménez perform at the Kay Meek Arts Centre. They will will play songs from their Juno-nominated album, Confluencias, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (March 19 to 21).
“It’s definitely not what you would expect from a stereotypical or traditional flamenco music,” the Vancouver-born Wong told Pancouver when the album was released in 2024. “We really like all types of music, so it’s mixed with so many different influences.”
To add an Indian vibe, Wong will play the bansuri—an ancient, side-blown wooden flute. These instruments come in assorted sizes, which mwans that larger bansuris sound different than smaller ones.
As a result, Wong can make music with bansuris from different parts of the world, including Morocco, Japan, and Ireland.
“I also take techniques from the Japanese Shakuhachi flute and I use that on the bansuri and the regular flute,” Wong acknowledged in the 2024 interview.
In addition, the duo blends African influences and electronic music into the mix, creating a truly international sound. And unlike most flamenco albums, Confluencias has none of the hand-clapping and singing one associates with this genre of music.
“My first album kind of played more on traditional flamenco,” Wong said. “This is definitely more world music.”
She often writes the melodies. Jiménez then transforms them into more elaborate songs with his imaginative musicianship.
Wong is one of the few flamenco musicians of Asian heritage living in Madrid. In 2021, she captured the Filon first prize for best flamenco instrumentalist, marking the first time in the prestigious award’s 62-year history that it went to a non-Spaniard.
Wong speaks Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, English, and some French. Her mother is Japanese and her father is from Hong Kong.
For tickets to Lara Wong and Melón Jiménez, visit the Kay Meek Arts Centre website. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Instagram @PancouverMedia.
