World-renowned flamenco guitarist Ronald Radford will be performing in an event made possible by a grant from the Mid-American Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts on Sunday. He also will be featured on KACU at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“Young Audiences of Abilene is to be commended for their commitment to serving their community with this distinctive event,” said Mary Kennedy McCabe, Mid-America executive director. “Audiences in Abilene will have the opportunity to see the exciting work of Ronald Radford, many for the first time, and Mid-America Arts Alliance is proud to help support this work and the Young Audiences of Abilene.”

Young Audiences of Abilene received a Regional Touring Program grant and is working with The Office of Multicultural Enrichment at ACU for the event.

This will be Radford’s first visit to Abilene. He is on tour, performing at school programs across the United States.

Radford has visited more than 15 countries to share his talents as a flamenco guitarist. Having learned under Flamenco masters like Andres Segovia and Pepe Romero, Radford discovered he has a talent for learning by ear and is the only individual to be awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Spain in Flamenco guitar. Flamenco guitar is a Spanish oral tradition passed from person to person among the gypsies.

While Radford performs in outreach school programs, his chief objective is to provide inspiration and motivation for young people to listen to their hearts and follow their dreams.

“Try to find your own path based on your own inner talents and own inner love and passion” is the gypsy wisdom he tries to convey through his performances.

Radford also said one of the keys to success is “the art of practice.”

“You will be good at whatever you practice,” he said.

Critics have described Radford’s playing as a “user-friendly” performance.

The guitarist said he hopes to inspire people to “pursue their talent,” beyond just providing a model.

George Pendergrass, director of the Office of Multicultural Enrichment, believes the flamenco performance will be an “unforgettable experience”because the guitarist will share the culture of Spain with his audience.

“The experience of a flamenco guitarist is an exploration into Spanish culture that you don’t want to miss,” Pendergrass said.

For more information, contact Dr. Victoria Spangler, executive director of Young Audiences of Abilene, at 677-1161.

To read more about Ronald Radford, visit ronaldradford.com/bio_html.html.