David Carmona Fernández was born in Granada in a well-known gypsy family of flamenco performers called Fernández de Íllora. Some of the best known artists in the family include Ramón de Loja, El Moreno (Diego El Cigala’s father) and Morenito de Íllora. Other family members include José Carmona, Carmen Carmona, Isabel Fernández and Evangelino Fernández, all of whom are familiar flamenco performers in Granada.
David has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Giradillo for Upcoming Artist at the XVI Biennial of Flamenco Art in Seville. In 2009, he won the first prize at the XXIII International Contest of Flamenco Guitar, organized by Peña Flamenca “Los Cernícalos” in Jerez de la Frontera, and that same year he won the Fundación Autor-SGAE Award for Musical Composition at The XVIII Contest of Choreography of Spanish Dance and Flamenco.
In 2011, he received the “Young Creators” award from the Fundación Instituto de Cultura Gitana (Foundation Institute of Gypsy Culture), and the Insignia de Oro 2011, from Peña Flamenca “La Platería” for his artistic career. At 12, he won the Hispamusic Prize at Canal Sur Televisión, in the “Veo Veo” program.
David Carmona recorded first album “Tratante” in 1997. He has accompanied leading acts since 2006, such as guitar master Manolo Sanlúcar and well –known singers and dancers like Estrella Morente, Esperanza Fernández, Diego “El Cigala”, Morenito de Íllora, Antonio Canales, Patricia Guerrero, Fuensanta “La Moneta”, and Luis “El Zambo.”
In 2008, he performed at the XV edition of the Biennial of Flamenco Art in Seville. In November of 2016, during Flamenco Day, David performed a concert organized by the Diputación Provincial de Granada within the “Flamenco and Culture” program and in December he was part of the program “Flamenco Encounters of Granada” together with José Enrique Morente.
David has a degree in music, specialized from the Superior Conservatory of Music “Rafael Orozco” of Córdoba.
His 2017 album “A Dream of Madness” features top flamenco acts such as Estrella Morente, Arcángel, Carmen Molina and Tino Di Geraldo.
Discography:
Tratante (1997)
David Carmona (Sony Music, 2005)
Un Sueño de locura (Nuevos Medios NM15929, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
