Iberia and Beyond! is the opening concert of the 2018–19 Westport Center for the Arts Brown Bag season. Guitarists Beau Bledsoe and Michael McClintock will perform the music of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies.

You are invited to learn about the guitar’s fascinating evolution utilizing the Spanish flamenco guitar, Cuban tres, Portuguese guitar, and the Andean charango, and enjoy the music in the sanctuary of the Westport Presbyterian Church, mid-town Kansas City.

Danza Palaciano               Carlos Paredes
Meditando                         Armandinho Filho
Fado Lopes                        Mário José Lopes
Canto de amor                  Carlos Paredes
Minha Alma                      Marta Pereira da Costa
Balada da Oliveira           Pedro Caldeira Cabral
Male Consuelito               Traditional Pirekua
Bulerias                              Moraito Chico
Camino Viejo                    Italo Pedrotti
Veinte Anos                       María Teresa Vera
Capullito de Aleli             Rafael Hernández Marín

Beau Bledsoe’s performances have been described as “pointedly musical” by Paul Horsley of The Kansas City Star. This stylistically eclectic musician performs and records classical music, jazz and folkloric music from around the world as he seeks to integrate different musical cultures with diverse audiences. With his many varied projects and ensembles, Beau has performed extensively throughout Europe, Russia, Asia, South America and North America. In addition, he has produced fifteen recordings under his recording label Tzigane. Beau is currently artistic director and founder of Ensemble Ibérica which explores the music of Spain, Portugal, and the colonial Americas while educating the public about Iberian cultural influence.

Michael McClintock is a guitarist with a background in multiple styles of music including classical, flamenco, Brazilian and jazz. Since graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, Michael has continued his education at the Institute of the Superior Arts in Havana, Cuba studying the Cuban tres. In 2016, Michael and his wife, Cuban national, Dalida Barrios, created the project “Cubanisms,” to increase awareness of Cuban culture in the USA. The project features a traditional Cuban musical ensemble and guided tours to Cuba. Cubanisms has released its debut album “Acento Cubano” in October 2017. Recently, Michael was invited to participate in the Jazz Plaza International Festival in Havana sharing the stage with Victor Goines and Ivan “Melon” Lewis. This concert will be released on the Cuban record label BIS music in 2019.

Bring your lunch to these free, monthly noontime concerts, September through May. Enjoy coffee and cookies after a lively music performance.