Biography
Davinia Ballesteros
She was born in Málaga, beginning her studies in flamenco guitar at the age of six and classical guitar at the age of eight.
Her academic training includes several degrees: in 2003, she obtained a Diploma in Musical Education, in 2005, a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar, and in 2012, a Bachelor’s degree in Flamenco Guitar. Since 2013, she has held B1 and B2 English levels from the University of Cambridge.
Among her academic achievements are: Honor Mention at the end of her studies in Classical Guitar, Honor Prize at the end of her Elementary Classical Guitar degree, 2nd Prize in the National Guitar Competition “América Martínez” in Seville, 1st place in the entrance exams for higher studies in Classical Guitar, and 1st place in the entrance exams for middle studies in Flamenco Guitar…
She has completed numerous musical perfection courses with prestigious guitarists (both classical and flamenco), including: Álvaro Pierri, David Russell, Marco Socías, Roland Dyens, Álex Garrobé, Alberto Ponce, Gerardo Arriaga, Jorge Cardoso, Eduardo Fernández, Óscar Gighlia, Gaëlle Solal, Iliana Matos, Pepe Romero, Fernando Moreno, Paco Serrano, Enrique de Melchor, Víctor Monje “Serranito”, Manolo Franco, Daniel Navarro “Niño de Pura”, and Jose Juan Pantoja, among others.
She has performed concerts throughout Spain with excellent reviews: Málaga, Sevilla, Córdoba, Almería, Jerez de la Frontera, Vizcaya, Castellón, Barcelona, Gerona… Notably, she performed in the concert “Homage to Flamenco Guitar” at the national meeting organized by the Congress of Ateneístas, where Paco de Lucía, Manolo Sanlúcar, and Paco Cepero received their respective honorary awards as bastions of this genre. She was part of the lineup of artists that inaugurated the prestigious Tío Pepe Festival at the González Byass wineries in Jerez, titled “The Art of the Muses,” sharing the stage with artists such as singer Rocío Márquez, dancer Leonor Leal, soprano Ruth Rosique, and pianist Rosa Torres-Pardo. In 2017, she gave a concert in Sevilla as part of the cycle “Women as Transmitters of Flamenco” organized by Pablo Olavide University, sharing the bill with artists like Carmen Linares, La Susi, and Antonia Jiménez.
Numerous publications have featured her in the press: “La Opinión,” “Diario Sur,” “Málaga Hoy,” and “Diario de Jerez.” She has given interviews to radio stations such as “Cadena Ser,” “Onda Cero,” “Radio Victoria Málaga,” and “Onda Azul Málaga.” An interview was granted to the newspaper “El Mundo” regarding a concert she performed at the Bienal de Flamenco in Málaga in 2007. She was also interviewed in “Diario Sur” for a report on “Málaga Women in Flamenco.” The cover of “Diario Sur” highlighted her achievement of obtaining the superior degree in flamenco guitar, making her the first woman from Málaga to accomplish such a feat. The renowned digital magazine “Guitar Fair” dedicated a feature to her in issue 16 of its monthly edition, and the Felipe Conde guitar brand (maker of the guitars used by Paco de Lucía) featured her on their website. She has appeared on television interviews with channels such as Onda Jerez, PTV Málaga, 101TV, MijasTV, and Sol TV. She is mentioned as a guitarist “to watch” in Eulalia Pablo Lozano’s book “Women Guitarists” (Signatura Ediciones). She is part of the artistic cast in the documentary film “Tocaoras” by Alicia Cifredo (La Zanfoña Producciones). She has participated alongside renowned artists such as Paco Cepero, Diego del Morao, and Manuel Parrilla in the recording of the CD by Pepe Marín published by “Flamenco y Universidad” titled “Memoria Jonda.”
Dedicated to music education since 1997, she has been part of the faculty at the University of Málaga, private schools, and music schools in Málaga and Jerez de la Frontera. Currently, she co-directs the Escuela de Guitarra Fernando Moreno in Jerez de la Frontera with Isaac Moreno, which is a pioneer in the province of Cádiz with modern and innovative facilities adapted to the needs of students, providing all the comforts to offer music and guitar classes at all levels and in various styles in the best environment with the best resources. Every year, her numerous students have the opportunity to perform in highly significant venues throughout Andalucía, such as the “Andalusian Center for Flamenco Documentation.”
