New Orleans may be the birthplace of jazz, but for Maria Jose Salmeron, it’s also the perfect home for flamenco. A native of Barcelona who’s called New Orleans home for much of her life, Salmeron feels an ancestral pull between these two soulful cities. That deep connection gave rise to Chateau Flamenco Festival, now in its fourth year, as she seeks to reconnect the cultural DNA of Spain and the Crescent City.
“I wasn’t born here, but New Orleans is my homeland,” Salmeron says. “The moment I arrived, I felt it in my soul.”
The Origins of Chateau Flamenco
Maria Jose Salmeron’s lifelong passion for flamenco was first ignited not in Spain, but right here in New Orleans, thanks to her mentor Teresa Torkanowsky. From there, her journey became one of cultural reclamation and revelation. For more than 20 years, she has returned to Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain—widely regarded as flamenco’s birthplace. It’s a pilgrimage she calls instinctual and vital, comparing Jerez to what New Orleans is to jazz: sacred ground for a global art form.
In recognizing those affinities, Salmeron created Chateau Flamenco Festival to reunite what she calls the “cultural siblings”—jazz and flamenco—long separated by time and geography. Through her nonprofit efforts, she aims to showcase their shared heritage, artistic innovation, and deep emotional roots.
A Mission of Cultural Unity
More than just performances, Chateau Flamenco is a statement of cultural preservation and celebration. “Modern life has tried to silence native languages, but music lives. It survives as unbreakable code,” Salmeron explains. “In a world of cultural homogenization, New Orleans will always be an exception.”
Her organization reflects that mission by making flamenco accessible to a broad audience—economically, geographically, and demographically. The festival’s low-cost and free events are designed to welcome all, from schoolchildren to lifelong music lovers.
Flamenco Meets Brass
One of the most unique aspects of Chateau Flamenco is its collaboration with local brass bands and jazz musicians, including the celebrated Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band. By pairing flamenco with second lines, brass rhythms, and Creole traditions, Salmeron has crafted a living dialogue between two vibrant cultures.
At Peña La Pepa of New Orleans—the first U.S. peña flamenca she founded over 15 years ago—musicians from both worlds gather, practice, and perform together in an intimate space dedicated to cultural exchange.
Festival Highlights
This year, the festival brings a truly special performance to the Jefferson Performing Arts Center: Maria Bermudez’s Flamenco Sonidos Gitanos (Gypsy Sounds from Jerez). Bermudez, an internationally revered flamenco icon, will lead an ensemble of top-tier artists from Andalusia, including Jesús Méndez, Manuel Valencia, Fernando Jiménez, Ana de los Reyes, Miguel Rosendo, and Bernardo Parrilla.
“This isn’t a recreation—it’s a continuation,” says Salmeron. “These artists carry the soul of flamenco, and now they’re bringing it directly to Louisiana.”
Cultural Education and Community Engagement
The festival goes beyond the stage. Salmeron’s team offers educational programming in schools, lectures at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and community partnerships with universities and civic groups. Their outreach has introduced flamenco to students and scholars, bridging generations and disciplines.
The results are undeniable: national media coverage, international recognition from cultural institutions, and a growing fanbase in both New Orleans and Spain.
Challenges and Aspirations
Bringing world-class artists from Spain to New Orleans isn’t easy. From visa logistics to fundraising, each year poses fresh challenges. But the growing support—from patrons, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF), and local volunteers—proves the importance of the work.
“I see Chateau Flamenco as a permanent cultural institution,” Salmeron says. “In five years, I want it to be not only a major annual event, but a year-round presence in our schools, museums, and neighborhoods.”
She encourages community members to get involved through volunteering, donations, or simply attending a show. “If you’ve never seen flamenco, come,” she says. “You’ll feel it in your bones. You’ll walk away understanding that this art belongs to all of us.”
A Passion That Endures
What keeps Maria Jose Salmeron’s passion alive? “Flamenco teaches us about endurance, sorrow, love, and celebration—it’s life expressed through rhythm,” she says. “It’s what ties me to my past and my future, to Spain and to New Orleans.”
In the Chateau Flamenco Festival, she’s found a way to honor both her heritage and her home. And through music, she’s helping New Orleans rediscover a piece of its own soul—one rhythmic footstep at a time.
