Flamenco guitarist Maurice Leenaars

1 (solo) performer

Indoor and outdoor

Guitarist

1 hour

In consultation

ES, NL, EN

Click on the arrow > by the photo for the video(s). 'His technique, his musicality and his so personal style make us face to face with a guitarist with a more than promising future in the world of flamenco.' (Juan Estrada, then Paco de Lucia's agent, in my CD EL CALOR [2010])
My fourth album PRELUDIO was released online in 2021, and like EL CALOR, is available to stream via Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and more.

'Neither his appearance nor his manner of playing imply that he comes from that more northern part of Europe, but rather from the gypsy district of Sacromonte in Granada. ' (Juan Estrada, Paco de Lucía's agent, in my 2010 CD 'EL CALOR')

Solo guitar; Various combinations with guitar, vocals, dance and/or percussion; Duo with saxophonist Paul van Kemenade. The latter act is not suitable for background music.
I can also be found on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, and similar platforms, Facebook, and my own website.
Click on the right icon below the photo for an impression of my music! The video is from 2018.

The price indicated is for a solo performance.
I have my own guitar amplifier and microphone. If a more extensive sound system is necessary, an additional charge on the system and sound engineer will apply if it is desired that I hire it.
The indicated time duration can be split into two half-hour sessions by mutual agreement.

ABOUT ME:
Maurice Leenaars - flamenco guitar (Eindhoven, 1966)
As a child of about seven, I already wanted to become a professional flamenco guitarist 'later'. My father, an amateur guitarist, had inspired me with flamenco albums, and he taught me some simple Spanish melodies. Later he sent me on, but that teacher couldn't teach me flamenco. After a year, that one sent me on to music school, but there was no flamenco training there either.

I gave up my goal, and plunged into the classical repertoire. After completing music school, I automatically went to study at the conservatory in Tilburg for five years. After the fourth year (1988) I hitchhiked to Seville during the summer vacations, again triggered by flamenco. My graduation year of 1989 I spent almost entirely on flamenco self-study.

Three weeks after my classical guitar graduation, I took the train to the southern Spanish port city of Huelva, eventually ending up back in Seville via Cadiz, and living there for a year. Day and night there I kept myself busy with self-education, mastering almost daily in the bar Taberna El Perejíl accompanying sevillanas, which formed my basis for accompanying flamenco singing in general. Also in Seville, I obtained my first jobs as a flamenco guitarist at a dance school and in a music group (sevillanas and rumbas). The dance school turned out to be my foundation for later high-level dance coaching.

Back in the Netherlands I continued to give concerts (in many variations such as soloistic, with singing and dancing and with various musicians) and teaching. For 17 years I worked at several flamenco dance schools in Eindhoven, Den Bosch and Tilburg. I now have four CDs of my own work to my name, the last two of which (El Calor and Preludio) can also be heard on platforms such as Spotify. I have collaborated on CDs by various artists. I play my own compositions, and some I arranged for big-band instrumentation. Some ninety (concert) videos of mine can be seen on YouTube.

I played with big names in jazz, such as saxophonist Paul van Kemenade and trumpeter Eric Vloeimans. For them I wrote and/or arranged my own work.

I have done radio and TV performances, nationally as well as provincially/regionally.

A celebrity in flamenco with whom I was allowed to do a short Dutch tour in 2022 is the flamenco singer Montse Cortés. She has worked intensively with the guitar great Paco de Lucía. A piece from our performance can also be seen on YouTube, also attached here on my profile....

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