Andrew Blanch Brings Spanish Romance to San Antonio

The nylon-string guitar has a particular ability to make a room feel intimate. In the hands of Australian guitarist Andrew Blanch, it becomes something more—a vehicle for history, romance and the musical connections linking Spain and Latin America.

Blanch brings his acclaimed Spanish Romance program to San Antonio on Saturday, August 29, at 7 p.m. at Travis Park United Methodist Church.

From Spain to Latin America

The concert traces the Spanish guitar through a repertoire that crosses centuries and continents. Blanch begins with J.S. Bach before turning to essential composers of the Spanish guitar tradition, including Fernando Sor, Francisco Tárrega and Manuel de Falla. The program then travels across the Atlantic with works by Astor Piazzolla and Antonio Lauro.

Among the evening’s highlights are Tárrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra and de Falla’s The Miller’s Dance. Blanch then shifts toward Latin America with Piazzolla’s Invierno Porteño and Lauro’s Vals Venezolano No. 3, “Natalia.”

For the concert’s finale, Blanch is joined by Argentine mezzo-soprano María Eugenia Nieva. Together they perform songs from across Latin America, including Manhã de Carnaval, El día que me quieras, Piel Canela, Gracias a la vida and Alma Llanera.

A Guitar Journey Across Borders

It is a program that should feel particularly at home in San Antonio, a city where Spanish, Mexican, Latin American and contemporary cultures continually overlap.

For audiences accustomed to thinking of Spanish guitar primarily through flamenco, Spanish Romance offers another perspective. Classical guitar shares historical and cultural territory with flamenco, but its repertoire has developed along a different path. Hearing these traditions alongside Latin American music provides an opportunity to consider the many ways the guitar has carried Spanish musical ideas across borders.

Andrew Blanch in San Antonio

Blanch has established himself as one of Australia’s prominent classical guitarists, with prizes at more than ten international competitions and performances throughout Europe, North and South America, and Australia.

The San Antonio performance is part of his 2026 U.S. tour, which brings Spanish Romance to audiences across the country. The program runs approximately 70 minutes without an intermission, and the artists will meet with audience members after the performance.

Spanish Romance offers a musical journey from Bach to Buenos Aires, from the concert tradition of Spain to the songs of Latin America—and an evening of beautiful music for San Antonio audiences.