Melón Jimenez & Lara Wong featuring Sonia Franco
Teaser from our show CONFLUENCIAS in Copenhagen 2025 featuring the fiery dancing of Sonia Franco (Sonia Libre).
Lara Wong: Flute and bansuri
Melón Jimenez: Guitar and MPC
Ivan Mellen: Percussions
Sonia Franco: Dance
Sonia Franco Gutiérrez, known artistically as Sonia Libre, is a Spanish flamenco dancer, choreographer, and actress celebrated for her dynamic performances and innovative choreography. She has toured globally with renowned companies such as Sara Baras and María Pagés, and her original work Ser.Rana has garnered critical acclaim for its expressive exploration of movement and identity
Melón Jiménez & Lara Wong are redefining flamenco with a sound that flows through cultures, genres, and times. Rooted in flamenco and tinted with jazz, their music echoes flamenco’s nomadic roots—from India to Africa to Latin America. Together, they share a unique musical dialogue—between the Indian bansuri and the flamenco guitar—that is at once mysterious, bold, and passionate.
Since coming together in Madrid in 2021, Lara and Melón have performed over 100 concerts across four continents, captivating audiences across Europe, North America, Asia and, Africa. They have graced world-renowned stages including the National Arts Centre, Blue Note Shanghai, Suma Flamenca, Helsinki Flamenco FEstival, and SunFest. In October 2024, they released their debut album, which received critical acclaim and was nominated for a JUNO Award for Instrumental Album of the Year—one of Canada's highest music honors.
Lara Wong, a Canadian flutist and bansuri player of Chinese and Japanese heritage, is a trailblazer in the flamenco world. After graduating from McGill University with a degree in classical and jazz performance, she immersed herself in the flamenco tradition in Andalusia. In 2021, she made history as the first woman and first foreigner to win the prestigious Filón Minero award for Best Flamenco Instrumentalist at the Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas in Spain. Today, she is celebrated for her groundbreaking work integrating the Indian bansuri into flamenco music.
Jiménez’s flamenco roots run deep; he learned the guitar from his father, a Gitano (Spanish Roma) guitarist from Jerez de la Frontera, the birthplace of flamenco. His mother, a German classical pianist, brought another musical world into the home. These rich influences, combined with his boundless musical curiosity, led him to tour with renowned artists across genres, including Anoushka Shankar, Enrique Morente, Richard Bona, Niña Pastori, and Jorge Pardo.
https://www.larawong.com/melonlaraepk
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