Guitarist Pepe Romero will Return to San Francisco Next Month

Next month will begin with the second of the five recitals co-produced by San Francisco Performances (SFP), in the 2016–2017 Guitar Series, and the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts, for which it will be the fourth recital in the Dynamite Guitars series. This will be a landmark event, since it will be the return of Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero, who will be celebrating his 73rd birthday this coming March 8:

courtesy of the Omni Foundation

Together with his brothers Celin and Angel, Pepe was a founding member of The Romeros, the guitar quartet formed by their father Celedonio. Celedonio died in 1996, but the quartet continues. Celin and Pepe now play with Celin’s son Celino and Angel’s son Lito.

Pepe has also built up a highly distinguished career, which has included premiere performances of works by major composers of both the 20th and 21st centuries. The best known of those composers are probably Joaquín Rodrigo and Federico Moreno Torroba, but his catalog also includes pieces that Celedonio wrote for him. His interest in music history has led him to revive interest in lost pieces by composers such as Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, and Luigi Boccherini. His program for next month’s recital has not yet been announced but will probably include representative samples from both the classical and flamenco repertoires.

Romero’s recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 4. The venue will be Herbst Theatre, located at 401 Van Ness Avenue, on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices will be $55 for premium seating in the Orchestra and the front and center of the Dress Circle, $45 for the Side Boxes, the center rear of the Dress Circle, and the remainder of the Orchestra, and $35 for the remainder of the Dress Circle and the Balcony. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through a City Box Office event page. In addition, the CREATE-YOUR-OWN subscription series is still available from the Omni Foundation. This entails a 14% savings on the purchase of tickets for four or more of the remaining seven concerts. These subscriptions may be arranged by calling Omni at 415-242-4500 or 650-726-1203.