Carmen Linares and María Pagés 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

Having become two of the most important figures of flamenco in recent decades, Carmen Linares and María Pagés unify the spirit of several generations that, from a sense of respect for tradition and the depth of the roots of flamenco, have managed to modernize and adapt its essence to the contemporary world, elevating it even more so to the category of universal art. With their work, both have opened paths with artistic as well as social ramifications and have become an example of hard work, talent and dedication for future generations.

Carmen Pacheco Rodríguez, known as Carmen Linares, was born on February 25, 1951, in Linares (Jaén). She began her singing career with troupes such as those of Paco Romero and Carmen Mora, as well as in popular Madrid tablaos (flamenco venues) like Torres Bermejas and Café de Chinitas. According to experts, she is one of the most significant voices in cante flamenco (flamenco singing), standing alongside such luminaries as Enrique Morente, Camarón, and La Niña de los Peines. She was the first flamenco singer to perform at New York’s Lincoln Center, at the invitation of the city’s Philharmonic Orchestra and has graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Sydney Opera House, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Théâtre de Chaillot in Paris, the Barbican Centre in London, and the Teatro Real in Madrid. Her notable discography includes the albums Cantaora (1988), Canciones populares antiguas (1993) featuring texts by Federico García Lorca, Antología de la mujer en el cante (1996), Que no he muerto (2003) with texts by Juan Ramón Jiménez, Oasis Abierto (2011), and Verso a verso (2017). Furthermore, she has participated in theatrical and performance projects alongside artists such as Manolo Sanlúcar and Blanca Li, as well as with the National Dramatic Arts Company. She currently continues to tour with a show that celebrates her more than forty years on stage. On March 8, 2022, she was one of nine women selected by the Instituto Cervantes (recipient of the 2005 Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities) to deposit symbols of her legacy into the institution’s "Vault of Letters" (Caja de las Letras). Linares is the only woman in the world of flamenco to have received Spain’s National Music Award in the performance category (2001). Her other honors include the French Recording Academy Award (1991), the National Association of Flamenco Art Critics Award (1995), the Silver Medal of Andalusia (1998), the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts (2006), the Gold Medal of Madrid (2019), the Master of Mediterranean Music Award from Berklee College of Music (USA, 2019), the Terras sem Sombra International Award from the Portuguese festival of the same name (2019), and the Meridiana Award from the Andalusian Women’s Institute (2022), among others. In 2011, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Spanish Academy of Music, and in 2012, she was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance.

María Jesús Pagés Madrigal, known as María Pagés, was born on July 28, 1963, in Seville. She began her dancing career with Antonio Gades’s company and later served as a principal dancer with Mario Maya’s company, the Rafael Aguilar Spanish Ballet, and the María Rosa Spanish Ballet. In 1990, she established her own company, through which she has produced numerous shows that, according to critics have revitalized the forms of flamenco dance by blending tradition with modernity. This body of work has earned her international acclaim, leading her to perform at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including Radio City Music Hall (New York), the Théâtre de Chaillot (Paris), the Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome), the Roman Theatre (Verona), the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Germany), the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Tokyo International Forum, the Fall for Dance Festival in New York, the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow, and the Seville Flamenco Biennial, among many others.

She has collaborated with artists of the caliber of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carlos Saura, Tamara Rojo recipient of the 2005 Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts and Ángel Corella. Some of her notable productions include Sol y sombra (1990); Autorretrato (2008), which emerged from her residency at the Baryshnikov Arts Center; Soleá pas de deux (2010); Mirada (2010); Utopía (2011), which premiered at the Centro Niemeyer in Avilés; Casi divina, leve (2012); La alegría de los niños (2013); Siete golpes y un camino (2014); Visages (2016); Una oda al tiempo (2017); and the project Tribulaciones de Simbad, a series of creative, participatory workshops held at the María Pagés Choreographic Center in 2021 for groups of people with disabilities. In May 2022, she premiered her new show, De Sheherezade, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and she also prepared another new production, Oda a la flor del naranjo, which was staged at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in June. Furthermore, Pagés carries out significant charitable and educational work through her organization, ARTEDEA (Association for Art and Dignity in Action). He/She has received the Léonide Massine Prize (Italy, 2004), the Culture Prize of the Community of Madrid (2007), the Medal of Andalusia (2011), the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts of Spain (2014), the Award for Best International Dance Performance (Chile, 2015), the Medal of the City of Seville (2019), and the Critics' Award at the Seville Biennial (2018), among many other accolades.

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