Flamenco in Iringa: A first?

Dear readers, please forgive the self-indulgence, but this post will not give you any further insight into Tanzanian culture – I simply want to talk about my first solo guitar performance, which was tonight.

Organized by Susie Hart of Neema Crafts (one of the greatest development projects on the planet) the evening featured five amateur acts: two pianists, two guitarists and a gospel choir. It was held in a tiny church that was tastefully decorated and lit with candles, and there were about 75 people in attendance (yes, it was almost the entire white community of Iringa, but hey, this is where we live).

The night began with a young pianist from the UK, followed by a German classical guitarist, and then a German pianist. After a short intermission for cake and sodas, I was up. I had already gone through all the stages of nervousness that are so familiar to me from my years of swimming – the butterflies, the bad stomach, the cold sweaty hands, etc. – so all that was left to do was to play. Problem is that cold, sweaty hands go away when you hit the water and your body takes over, but this time I had to rely solely on my freezing fingers.

Somehow, I made it through my four pieces (Sevillanas, Siguiriyas, and two Alegrias) without any major mistakes and I was quite loose and happy when I reached the finale: the (in)famous mariachi song from Desperado, which I played and sang at Susie’s request. I was grateful for the warm applause, and felt downright giddy as I took my seat next to Anette in the audience.

Egotistically, I’m wondering if this is the first flamenco performance Iringa has ever seen. We know that there are, and have been, plenty of Spanish NGO workers and missionaries here, but classical music nights in Iringa are as rare as Africans who don’t pick their noses in public, so maybe just maybe, this is some kind of a first.

Anyway, I’d like to close by thanking my three flamenco teachers – Juan Jose Socorro de Ayamonte, Torcuato Zamora de Washington DC, and David Gutierrez de Berkeley. I also have to mention Jake Thomsen, who’s been teaching me about music ever since the days of Meridian, and my voice teacher and choir director from St. Mary’s, Michael Ryan and Larry Vote, respectively.

What I want to express by mentioning all these people is that we really can’t do anything alone in this life. I derive the deepest pleasure from learning from other people, being inspired by them, emulating them, and then putting my own twist on it until it rings with the sound of my own voice. I’d like to think that all of my teachers were here with me tonight, helping my fingers on their way across the fretboard.