Víctor Monge Serrano, better known as ‘Serranito,’ is a Spanish composer, guitarist and educator born in Madrid in 1942. He is self-taught and became a professional at the age of 12.
Gifted with great ability to perform flamenco, at the age of twelve he formed the trio Los Serranos with his brothers. His Flamenco nickname Serranito was given to him because he was the youngest member of the group.
At twenty-one, Serranito met Spanish classical guitarist Narciso Yepes, one of the greatest guitar players of the 20th century. Yepes became his mentor and an essential influence for Serranito.
Serranito accompanied the top Flamenco performers for many years. Since 1970, Serranito has performed worldwide and was the first Flamenco guitarist to perform in India.
In 1971, Serranito received the highest guitar award, the “National Prize of Guitar – Ramón Montoya” in Cordoba.
In 1982 he released his concert of guitar and orchestra at the Royal Theater of Madrid with the Symphony Orchestra.
Serranito has released 20 recordings and has been a professional performer for 6 decades. In recent years he received the Gold Medal for Artistic Merit from the Madrid City Council for his contribution to turning the capital into a true flamenco paradise and the Gold Medal for Merit for Fine Arts from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain.
‘Serranito’ is one of the finest guitar players of his generation. He is also an innovator, credited with introducing the three finger picado technique to Flamenco.
Serranito is also a Flamenco guitar professor at the Escuela Superior de la Guitarra Española in Madrid.
In June 2021, Serranito revealed that he was retiring as a professional player. A farewell tour was announced.
(headline image: Víctor Monge ‘Serranito’ courtesy of Serranito)
Partial Discography:
Tensión De Sonoridades Para Dos Guitarras Flamencas, with Manuel Cano (Hispavox, 1967)
Guitarra Flamenca (Hispavox, 1971)
Virtuosismo Flamenco (Columbia, 1971)
Víctor Monge “Serranito” (Columbia, 1976)
España Viva (Decca, 1979)
Ecos Del Guadalquivir (Vicblan, 1994)
Sueños de Ida y Vuelta (Factoría Autor, 2003)
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.