Caroline Planté, flamenco guitarist

At seven years old, Montreal-born Caroline Planté was introduced to flamenco guitar by her father, Marcel Planté, aka “El Rubio” (the Blond). She went on to study in Seville and in Madrid, Spain, composing and giving many concerts, including performances in main festivals as the musical director, from 2005 to 2013, of the Cruceta company. She also collaborated with choreographer Myriam Allard, creating music for El12 and Moi & les autres. Caroline contributes to flamenco’s vitality – and to some of its forays off the beaten track – in Montreal, where she is the Flamenco Festival’s artistic director. Her 2010 CD, 8REFLEXIONES, the first flamenco opus entirely composed and performed by a female guitarist, earned the artist a place on the roster of the Sangre Nueva, Jóvenes Flamencos Festival, at the Teatro de Madrid.

Caroline Planté exploits flamenco’s traditions while exploring its links to various contemporary styles. Her clear phrasing and original harmonic sequences take precedence over the hammering of formulas mostly heard accompanying dance, which does not diminish the rhythmic acuteness of her compositions. Two of her pieces, “Luz” and “Invernadero,” are part of the soundtrack of a film by Mariano Cruceta, 3rd Prize winner of Madrid’s Flamenco Short Film Festival. In February 2017, Caroline Planté received the Accès Culture Award for her project Le train de 57 cordes, which combines tradition and modernity by elegantly mixing rock, jazz, and electro with flamenco, her main inspiration since childhood.