RocÃo Márquez , Cante de las Minas 2012
4th Gala performance, Cante de las Minas 2012
Following the Gala performance by Dorantes, Rocío Marquez took to the stage.
Rocío herself won the Lámpara Minera at the Festival Internacional Cante de Las Minas in 2008, and returned as a gala artist promoting her first album, “Claridad”, her sweet, rich voice performing a mixture of taranta, minera, tangos, bulerías and seguiriyas.
Shes a captivating artist, with a beautiful face, and warm, comfortable stage presence, her performance rightfully deserving of the standing ovation at the end and her growing reputation as a more mature artist of standing.
Rocío was born in Huelva on 29th September 1985 and started to sing when she was just a small girl, receiving classes from the Peña Flamenca de Huelva aged just 9. At this same age she began to perform in public at the Palos de la Frontera.
She then undertook serious flamenco study and aged 11, took part in the programme ‘Menudas Estrellas’ by Antena 3, winning the bronze prize. Just a few months later, she won the prize for new artists of Canción española in a competition organised by Cadena Cope, and from thereon 
began to appear as an invited artist on a number of TV channels.
Aged 15, she moved to Seville, and undertook more intensive studies specifically in flamenco, studying with the fundación Cristina Heeren, where she received tuition in the classes of José de la Tomasa and Paco Taranto, and obtained her diploma from the Universidad de Sevilla. She then continued to study to superior level and now works as a teacher herself in the foundation Cristina Heeren.
In the last few years she has performed in many peñas flamencas, festivals and theatres, as well as internationally.
These appearances include the auditorio in Brussels, where she formed part of the presentation for candidature of flamenco as patrimonio de la humanidad, ( human patrimony) the Festival “le Suds de Arles”(France), la ópera in Dusseldorf (Germany), the Festival “Sete Sóis Sete Lunas” in Oeiras (Portugal), the theatre Mohamed V in Rabat (Marocco), the Festival “Voix de femmes” (París, France),etc. She has also accompanied dancers in countries such as Estonia, UK, Holland, Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, Portugal and France.
To see the gallery of images and reports from Cante de Las Minas 2012, Click Cante de Las Minas
