Flavio Rodrigues

Flávio Augusto Rodrigues Marques (born April 12, 1979, in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian flamenco guitarist, composer, musical director and arranger, based in Madrid, Spain. Over a 25-year international career, he has performed in more than 50 countries across all five continents alongside some of the most acclaimed names in flamenco and world music.

Life and career

Early life and musical training

Rodrigues was born on April 12, 1979, in São Paulo, Brazil, into a family of musicians. He began playing the guitar alongside his father at the age of five.

In 1992, he enrolled at "Groove" (Escola Livre de Música), where he studied Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) and Jazz under Leyve Miranda for three years.

In August 1994, he began studying flamenco guitar at the Centro Flamenco Pepe de Córdoba in São Paulo, under Fernando de la Rua.

In 1998, he moved to Spain for the first time, where he studied with three of the foremost flamenco guitar masters: Manolo Sanlúcar, Gerardo Núñez, and Rafael Riqueni.

Career in Madrid (2000–2018)

Since settling permanently in Madrid in 2000, Rodrigues established himself as a respected figure in the international flamenco scene.

His compositions were also selected as part of the soundtrack used by the Spanish Women's Artistic Gymnastics team, which won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2015, he became a columnist for Revista Violão Mais, writing about flamenco guitar. Described as "young, fresh, and contemporary flamenco" (flamenco joven, fresco y contemporáneo), its 11 tracks express traditional flamenco palos through a distinctly Brazilian sensibility, including a flamenco arrangement of João Gilberto's classic "Garota de Ipanema" and the closing title track, dedicated to his wife Luciana. It represents a synthesis of 25 years of his international flamenco career and features some of the most prominent voices in contemporary flamenco from across Spain's different regional traditions. Speaking about the album's concept, Rodrigues explained: "The quintessence of flamenco is cante. I cannot comprehend flamenco without cante." The album is a collaboration with Fernando De La Rua — the same teacher who introduced Rodrigues to flamenco guitar in São Paulo in 1994 — making it a meaningful reunion between student and mentor thirty years later. The 9-track album runs 35 minutes and 20 seconds.

Singles

Title Year "Trío de Ases" (feat. Pedro Obregón, Roberto Lorente & Blanca Lopez) 2020 "Callejón de las Flores" 2023 "Tangos de la Sierra" 2024 "Portas Líricas" 2024 "Noche de Paz / Noite Feliz / Silent Night (Flamenco Guitar)" 2024

Awards and recognition Winner of 3 Awards at the Festival de Música de Madrid (FestiMad – Spain, 2011): "Best Flamenco Artist Award" (1st place – Flamenco/Raíces category) "Newcomer Artist Award" (1st place – Revelación category) "Guitar Hero's Audience Award" – "Best Live Performance" (Special award voted by the public) Winner of the "100 Latinos Award" (Fundación Fusionarte, Spain, 2012), alongside figures such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Alaska, and Carlos Baute. The award recognises the careers of 100 Latin immigrants who have contributed to the development of Spanish society. Best Short Film – Festival of Audiovisual International Multimedia Patrimony, for the short film Guernica (2015). Formal distinction from the President of the Uruguayan Parliament, at the Festival Internacional de Flamenco de Montevidéu (2017).