Víctor Monge SERRANITO
(Profile)
Ambassador in the world
During the 70´s he paraded the flamenco art all over the world, always in important places, and he was the first flamenco guitarist to play in India, and the one chosen to perform in Strasbourg when Spain entered the European Council in 1978.
In 1971 he gives his first concert in The Carnegie Hall in New York. The New York Times comments in its criticism ...”sometimes there are moments that remind us of Bach”..
In 1982 he performed for the first time with the Symphony Orchestra in the Teatro Real de Madrid.
His incursions in musical fusion have been numerous and varied, although the most relevant and widely - known is the tour with Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine, through different European Festivals in 1986.
In 1988, The Spanish Foreign Office entrusted him with the music of the Spanish Pavilion in the Universal Exhibition of 1988 in Brisvane (Australia).
In 1993 he represented Spain in the Israel Festival in Jerusalem, in Damascus, Iran, Irak and Lebanon, and he toured in Tunisia, Naples and Rome.
At the end of 1995, during his tour in Canada, he got an enormous success and he was even called The Prince of Flamenco. He finishes the year going to Bosnia with his group in order to participate in the Dayton Peace Treaty celebrations, which marked the end of the Balcans War.
In 1996/1997 he makes a world tour representing Spain at the Music International Festivals in Turkey, Bulgaria, Budapest, Rumania, 
Czechoslovakia, Bucharest and Poland, as well as The Guitar Festivals in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy and Central America. After that he made a tour in Russia on the occasion of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and Spain. This period ends with two important events which let us glimpse the dimension of this artist. On the one hand, the greatest recognition one person can get in his own environment, materialised by the concession of The Golden Medal of Artistic Achievement by The City Council of Madrid. On the other hand the ever - lasting creative ability that he displays with one of his most important works “Ecos del Guadalquivir” which he presented in Madrid and later on in Greece, Switzerland, Germany, New York and South America.
His next work, the concert “Mi sonido y el tiempo”, follows the aesthetic line of the previous one although with a greater harmonic development. It is released in The International Festival of Córdoba and brings with it a lot of work during 1998 and 1999 throughout Europe, Eastern countries, Central America and the most important Guitar Festivals in the world.
Always in search for new experiences, in the year 2000 he appears in the International Music Festival of Galicia, with the Royal Philharmonic of Galicia performing the Concierto de Aranjuez by maestro Joaquín Rodrigo. He will repeat his experience in different countries in Central America with the Philharmonic Orchestra of each country, as for example in the National Theatre “Manuel Bonilla” in Honduras under the direction of Jorge Mejía.
This same year, he presents the concert “dos mundos y una guitarra”, in The Biennal of Seville, directed by Ignacio Yepes and on the occasion of Cultural Morocco 2000/2001, he makes a tour throughout Morocco under the auspices of the Spanish and Moroccan Ministries of Culture.
In the year 2003 he releases his work “Sueños de Ida y Vuelta”, where he develops what might be called an essay on the two - way influence between the flamenco and South American music, and with which he got the highest Award of the Critics National Awards, and he was also nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards 2003. For this, he had the invaluable co - operation of Tito Duarte, Jerry González, Duquende and Camerata Romeu, the first Female Chamber Orchestra of Cuba.
This same year a DVD called “Serranito en Concierto” is released, where we can feel the importance of this guitarist in the conception of the present flamenco guitar.
In 2007, during the Flamenco Festival of Caja Madrid, Street of Alcala has been recognized by the award, granted only to flamencos artists who have developed his artistic career from the capital of Spain (Madrid).
In 2009, after a tour along Japan there received the Award IX Rafael Romero “The Gallina " of the Flemish of Andújar and it is claimed to do a tour along Central America, circumstance that serves to the Festival of Guitar of Costa Rica to celebrate an Honouring to Victor Monge "Serranito".