Germán López and Antonio Toledo present Canela y Limón

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 / 7:00 pm

Germán López shines on the world stage as one of the most brilliant and prolific "timple" virtuosos. The timple is a diminutive guitar, like the ukulele or cavaquinho, native to the Canary Islands -- a three hour flight from the capital of Spain.

Germán López touches audiences with instrumental music honoring Canary Island folk traditions, Spanish Flamenco, West African rhythms, Americana, and the flourishing spirit of jazz. López's innovative 21st century approach to composing and performing "island music" has reached critical acclaim worldwide.

Germán López is joined on stage by acoustic guitar maestro Antonio Toledo, from Cádiz in southwestern Spain, for an unforgettable concert of dexterous music making. The duo released their album "Canela y Limón" in 2016, and the debate has continued ever since: which one of them is "cinnamon,"" and which one of them is the "lemon"? Only time will tell -- or maybe the audience will!

The timple is, without a doubt, the most significant instrument of the Spanish Canary Island folk music. Unlike other diminutive guitars, the timple contains 5 strings, and is commonly tuned as GCEAD.

The youthful timple virtuoso entered the Conservatory of Music of Las Palmas at age seven, whose hands were too small to play the guitar, and whose precocious talents turned to classical piano. He later discovered the Canary Islands timple, and by serendipity began studying under the tutelage of the late José Antonio Ramos -- perhaps the most celebrated timle player and innovator of all time. José Antonio Ramos was one of the first to experiment with alternative sounds for the timple, and treating it as a solo instrument, and Germán Lópezz continues to honor his legacy to this day.

Since creating a sensation in 2014 at world music's most important showcase, the WOMEX Conference, Germán has assumed his role as the foremost innovator and master of the timple and as a global ambassador for the music of the Canary Islands. Germán López has since performed nearly 200 performances in multiple tours of North America, Spain, China, South Korea, Norway, the Czech Republic, North Africa, and elsewhere. Recent North American highlights include SF Jazz, the Savannah Music Festival, and the Krannert Center's Ellnora Guitar Festival. His upcoming tour will span 6 weeks all across North America, followed by a documentary crew uncovering the magic of his project.

He has performed nearly 100 performances in multiple tours of North America, Spain, China, South Korea, Norway, the Czech Republic, North Africa, and elsewhere. Recent North American highlights include the Savannah Music Festival and the Ellnora Guitar Festival. "delicately rippling notes… entrancing" — Huffington Post