""Flamenco troupe Arte Kanela consolidated burgeoning reputations as the best concert act of their type in Australia" (The Australian)
ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO is widely acclaimed as the unsurpassed and most exciting force in the Australian Flamenco music scene. Formed deep within the Spanish Quarter of Melbourne in 1990, Arte Kanela Flamenco has an artistic history spanning three decades, performing at the most nationally significant venues and multicultural festivals, as well as collaborating with some of Australia’s and Spain’s finest musicians.
At the centre of the formidable band are the Tedesco brothers, Richard and Johnny, two of the country’s most recognised and respected Flamenco artists, who have commanded stages both nationally and internationally in independent projects as well as with their performance group for decades. Richard Tedesco is the Flamenco guitarist and musical director/composer for the band, esteemed for his ability to play with fluidity and sensibility, and to bring musicians from different genres together to create a captivating musical encounter for the dance and audience. Johnny Tedesco is a Flamenco dancer and percussionist, renowned for his skill, precision, musicality and fierce drive towards continuous creative musical and choreographic development. Together and individually, time and time again, they have astounded audiences with their ability to transmit with ease the emotive experience of an artform with firm traditional roots viewed through the creative lens of artists pushing the boundaries.
Together with Flamenco dancer Chantelle Cano whose striking and powerful dance skills are respected and admired by industry artists, ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO unfailingly and consistently bring to the stage a dynamic and high quality performance.
ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO have collaborated with a myriad of local and international artists, including Kate Ceberano, The Cat Empire, Latin Grammy nominee Diego Guerrero, and Puerto Flamenco. They have also featured on Getaway, Spicks and Specks, The Panel and Postcards, and were the protagonists of Hollywood director Roger Spottiswoode’s (dir. 007- Tomorrow Never Dies) short film El Toque de un Beso, as well as the film-documentary Una Noche de Verano by Australian filmmaker Rhys Graham (dir. Galore and The Turning).
ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO have deservingly earned national accolade, with invitations to perform at the most prestigious world music festivals and events in Australia and New Zealand, including WOMADELAIDE and WOMAD New Zealand (2009 and 2015), Woodford Folk Festival QLD (2004, 2006, 2008), Melbourne International Arts Festival VIC, Sydney Festival NSW, Taranaki International Arts Festival NZ, The Famous Spiegeltent, Mullum Music Festival NSW, Port Fairy Folk Festival VIC, Erupt Lake Taupo Festival NZ, Bellingen Festival NSW, FolkWorld Fairbridge Festival WA, Get Off Your Arts Festival NSW, and Victorian Arts Regional Tour. They have also been requested to return numerous times to the Melbourne Arts Centre, the Cairns Tanks Arts Centre, and the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Additionally, ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO joined The Cat Empire on their Australian Tour, with performances at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Sydney Centennial Park. This crossover into mainstream music audiences demonstrates the strength, presence and versatility of ARTE KANELA's music to transcend cultural and musical boundaries.
ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO present an experience like no other. Through a display of extraordinary virtuosity, ARTE KANELA FLAMENCO both set the standard and push it higher for Flamenco performances in Australia, inspiring an intimate, visceral connection with the audience unlikely to be forgotten in a hurry.
