JUAN VAREA CENTENARY 1908 - 2008
JUAN VAREA SEGURA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION
The "Peña Juan Varea" started the operation on 1983, due to Mr. Lope Chaparro Morro initiative, heading a group of people from Burriana who were Flamenco music lovers and were proud of their villager the cantaor (singer) JUAN VAREA SEGURA, who was from the same town, willing to found their peña (club) in honor of him to give evidence of his art.
During the first years, the Peña was set up by around 50 people, being its first President Mr. Luis Perenau Ramón. Basic activities of the Peña in its first period were the organization of flamenco galas in our town and surroundings, having the reference of Juan Varea and taking part of every event in honor of the cantaor from Burriana, emphasising the tribute that Madrid Town Council maid to him in 1984 with his mayor Tierno Galvón, where many cantaores took part like: Fosforito, Valderrama, Carmen Linares, José Menese. (Read program). On the same year his Peña also made a tribute to him where he showed again that he was still the same as the good times one, the ex-mayor Mr. José Esteve Patuel made as the presenter and dedicated an emotional poem to Juan Varea.
After his death on November of 1985, the Peña continued organasing flamenco galas where some prestigious artists like Fosforito,Carmen Linares, Curro Utrera, José Menese, Diego Clavel, Marifé de Triana, Lolita, Valderrama and Enrique Morente played.
On 2001 the Peña becomes a Cultural Association, named JUAN VAREA SEGURA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, due to its Constitution Certificate from the 13th of March, the Organization Committee is formed by:
Mr. LUIS PERERNAU RAMON
Mr. JUAN VICENTE PEREZ TORNADOR
Mr. RICARDO PALOMERO GARCIA
Mr. ROBERTO FERRADA URIOS
Mr. JUAN MANUEL ARAMBUL SABORIT
Mr. JULIO FORES SEGURA
One of the first JUAN VAREA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION initiatives was to propose to our Town Council some performances to recover our villager memory and disclose his artistic talent, not just in our town, also to all flamenco music lovers.
With the help of Mayor Mr. Alfonso Ferrada Gomez and Cultural Councillor Mr. José Ramón Calpe Saera and also all the Council, Juan Varea was awarded as Favourite Son of the town, giving the certificate presentation to his grand-son Juan Diego on the 31st of August 2001, also making a tribute at the Burriana Paya Theater with a spectacular flamenco gala where Antonio Parrado ‚Malagueña, Carmen Linares y Juanito Valderrama took part.
Although right now the Association doesn't have its own place, every Friday members who want to enjoy talking about flamenco meet in Garbó Pub, where artists from the association delight us with their plays.
It is worth that there is a Juan Varea Cultural Association activity, sponsored by the Cultural Council, which is a cultural flamenco week that takes place every year around 15th June - 15th July where at the ending there are some selections to go to Cante de las Minas de la Unión Festival.
Also Juan Varea Cultural Association take place every year in the flamenco performance organization of our Locals Festivities as Virgen de la Misericordia and S. Blas. The Association also participates during th Holy Week singing Saetas in the Friday procession.
While we are preparing the Juan Varea Segura Birth Centenary (1908-2008) the board of directors is:
President............LUIS PERARNAU RAMON
Vice-president ......... JUAN VTE. PEREZ TORNADOR
Vice-president......... JUAN VTE. PEREZ TORNADOR
Vice-president ......... RICARDO PALOMERO GARCIA
Secretary ............... JULIO FORES SEGURA
Treasurer................ VICENTE GARI ISACH
Board members
LUIS PERARNAU FERRANDIS
JOSE JAVIER GARCIA ABRIL
JOSE FERRANDO CASTELL
SEBASTIAN ORZAEZ MARIN
JUAN MANUEL ARAMBUL SABORIT
ROBERTO FERRADA URIOS
NACHO EIXERES MONTORO
PEDRO TORRENT CASTAÑER
Nowadays, JUAN VAREA CULTURAL ASSOCIATION has 150 members who contribute with an annual instalment of 50€.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
On January we are going to inaugurate the Centenary with a lecture and a recital of cante (singing) in charge of Jesús Matías "El Chozas", accompanied by Rafael Andújar, playing Juan Varea's cantes, a very difficult work specially prepared for the occasion by Jesús; the lecture will be about Juan Varea biography.
At the beginning of March the program will be scheduled and will be able from this site. As a priority objective we want to publish a box that will contain a book and all the Juan Varea's recordings that can be collected, a neatness edition by chronological order, giving as much information as possible, with some comments of every cante.
An edition that will reach a milestone for all flamenco music lovers. It will be the best way for fans to have this valued material that, in the long run,will become in a reference document. Meanwhile, we will keep searching to find and edit the lost Juan Varea recordings, informing the ones who buy the box how to complete the work.
The edition will be numbered and there will be a few copies edited plus the ones that are booked in advance, since we can't afford making a thounsad of copies edition. You can make your reservation in the addresses attached. Once we know the price we will inform you to confirm -or not- the reservation. The box will contain about 8 hours of singing.
Conrado Medina (Juan Varea Cultural Association Member)