Today, Bastian Rosales offers a concert at Bellas Artes

▲ Young musician Bastian Rosales in Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain. Photo courtesy of Iván A. Rosales

Daniel López Aguilar

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 10, 2025, p. 4

Before he was 4, Bastian Rosales (Mexico City, 2012) was already fondling a guitar. He doesn't remember it clearly, but there are videos showing him playing alongside his father, who built that first bridge between play and art.

Since then, his life has been a painstaking journey through the strings, sustained by curiosity, discipline, and a sensitivity that allows him to inhabit two distinct sonic worlds: classical and flamenco guitar.

Rosales will offer a concert today in the Manuel M. Ponce Hall of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where he will perform works by Vivaldi, Mauro Giuliani, Barrios Mangoré, and Mathias Duplessy. He will also pay tribute to Paco de Lucía with four pieces, closing with a bulería by Moraíto Chico.

He will be accompanied by a 10-piece chamber orchestra for the classical section; Raúl Mandujano, Héctor Aguilar, and Liz Aguilar will join him for the flamenco section.

It's been a long road, but it hasn't felt so difficult , she commented from Spain, where she recently won first place in an international competition in the under 16s category.

He acknowledged that its development has been gradual: first in cultural centers, then museums, and then auditoriums like the Blas Galindo and the Palacio de Minería. Now, in Mexico's largest cultural venue.

At the age of 8, he was already performing complete works by Paco de Lucía and participating in online challenges that required precision and speed. He soon left his children's repertoire behind and delved into technically demanding pieces with expressive depth.

The fact that I can play pieces that are considered very technically difficult in both classical and flamenco is what makes people who know music consider me a prodigy , he said.

He is currently studying at the Faculty of Music of the National Autonomous University of Mexico with maestro Juan Carlos Laguna, in addition to taking private lessons with Mauro Zanatta, an internationally renowned Italian guitarist.

She received training in music theory, music history, and choir, which has allowed her to improve her reading of scores, better understand composers' intentions, and enrich her interpretation.

Whenever possible, I like to review the pieces as if it were the first time I played them, to review all the corrections that my teachers have made to me , he added in an interview with La Jornada .

“From my classical repertoire, one of the pieces I enjoy most is Mathias Duplessy's Oulan Bator , for its technical richness and its blend of flamenco elements. The first time I heard it, I loved it. Although I wasn't up to the task, I worked on it for over a year.”

“In flamenco, my favorite is Buleriando by Moraíto Chico. It's one of the most difficult styles because of its speed and because you have to follow the beat correctly so that all the musicians stay on time.”

For Bastian Rosales, classical and flamenco are different languages, almost like being bilingual.

Classical guitar is played with a different posture, elevated with a stool or prosthesis. In flamenco, on the other hand, the guitar is supported on the right leg, and the rhythm cannot be lost. In classical music, the scores provide more indications of the composer's intention, which requires playing according to certain rules , he emphasized.

Sometimes he rehearses pieces in front of impromptu audiences: at guitar fairs, specialty shops, or even on the street. "Playing in front of strangers is also part of the rehearsal. It helps me know where to take breaks, how tired I am."

Music has given me more than just awards. I've been able to travel, meet many people, and share what I play. Some people have told me they've been moved by my performances. Hearing the applause from the audience and seeing them standing ovation has been very important to me.

When asked if he's interested in fame, he replies yes, but only if it allows him to enter renowned music schools.

I don't know how to explain it, but I feel many things, and it depends on the piece. If it's calm, I relax; but if it's intense or aggressive, I think of something that scares me, like horror scenes, to play it with more force and energy.

With 40 awards to his name, both in Mexico and abroad, Bastian Rosales is still a kid who studies, plays video games with his sisters, and encourages others to get into music. "Even if they don't plan to pursue it, it's something that will stay with them their whole lives and make them happier."

In my upcoming concert in Spain, I want to convey my love of music and the way I understand each piece. Ultimately, it's my personality that gives a distinctive touch to the performance, and that's what I share on stage.