There are artists who need a single triumph to justify a lifetime dedicated to art. And there are others, the fewest, the greatest, who understand that the true feat lies not in winning once, but in returning, edition after edition, to put their talent on stage and demonstrate that their victory was not a fluke, but destiny. To this second breed belongs [artist name]. Ostalinda Suarez.
Outside of Spain, they are beginning to understand it. This year, within the framework of 33rd Concorso Artistico Internazionale Amico Rom at the Teatro Mazzini di Lanciano, ItalyOn October 9th, the woman from Extremadura will receive the Eccellenza Romanì AwardThis award recognizes her musical career and her work with the transverse flute, promoting and preserving Gypsy culture through music. “For me, it is an honor to receive this award in Italy, because it is the country that, together with my family and our music, we have traveled throughout since childhood. This international award reconciles me with public recognition,” says Ostalinda Suárez Montaño (Zafra, Badajoz, 1980), a flutist from Extremadura, whose legal name is María Antonia.
An international award that comes to alleviate the disappointment after her performance in La Unión. The flautist from Extremadura returned to the stage at the Old Public Market of La Unión, the so-called Cathedral of the Cante, and came down from it again with second place in the instrumentalist category of International Festival of Cante of the MinesIt's not the first time. It's, in fact, the second. And in that repetition, in that ability to return to the place where there was equal parts suffering and joy, to risk everything again, lies perhaps the most profound lesson that Ostalinda Suárez has to offer. flamenco: tenacity, humility, and surely, maintaining a prudent silence.
“I was surprised, I won't lie to you. I'd like to know what was missing that prevented me from winning the Golden Vein Award. The truth is, I keep turning it over in my mind and I can't find a coherent explanation. I'm left with the messages, both on social media and privately, where fans and established artists alike have shared their disappointment, astonishment, and shock at this final decision. Even so, I feel satisfied with the work I did on stage. The audience appreciated it.”
Surrounded by Manuel Pajares al cante, John Manuel Moreno on the guitar, Pakito Suárez 'The Aspirin' to the percussion, and the palmas and voice of Manu SotoOstalinda poured forth poetry, wisdom, and flamenco essence with the electrifying and seductive liturgy of her transverse flute. She offered tradition, art, and magic. And the wellspring of talent, though not quite reached, shone brightly for her. The Extremaduran Gypsy demonstrated with the taranto and her personal journey through alegrías, bulerías, and tangos (with a special nod to the cartagenera) that there is no more valuable resource than talent and hard work. With her interpretation of Taranto y Flute 2.0The Segedan flautist imbued the atmosphere of the final with her virtuosity and vibrant charisma. But it wasn't enough.
"One of my goals, since I'm unlikely to compete in La Unión again, is for my children to take to that stage and achieve the feat I haven't been able to accomplish. They will be the ones to bring this prize back to Extremadura, a prize my region has yet to win. I will always be grateful to my parents, who gave me the privilege of growing up in a creative and free environment, dedicated to music."
“I’ve never entered any competitions throughout my career because I didn’t think it was necessary. I never felt that urge. Someone showed me this path and encouraged me to apply to La Unión.” The decision to compete a second time was difficult, but I was so confident in the work I had done."From the novelty that I brought to the stage of La Unión, and still embraced by that audience that never stopped comforting and congratulating me the first time I performed, I made up my mind."
Because it's not just about talent—which she has in abundance, as evidenced by being the first Romani woman to graduate in flute playing in all of Europe. Nor is it just about virtuosity, although her way of weaving together the taranta and the cartagenera with the breath of a classical instrument, in an exercise she herself christened as flamenco fluteIt's not just about technical precision that few instrumentalists could match. It's about, above all, tenacity: the kind needed to stand again before a jury that already knows her, before an audience that has already applauded her, and risk everything with the same humility and ambition as the first time. “I'm left with my boldness, my music, and my way of understanding and transmitting the flamenco", He says.
This silver award confirms a trajectory that can no longer be explained as an isolated discovery, but rather as a solid, sustained, and ascending career. His flute embodies the memory of his family—his father, Paco Suarez, orchestra conductor; his brother Pakito Suárez 'El Aspirina', multi-instrumentalist; his mother, Ana Montaño, flamenco singer; and two sons, Paco and Juan, cellist and pianist respectively—with the commitment of a woman who has wanted, since childhood, to elevate classical music and flamenco to the same altar flamenco.
“One of my goals, since I’m unlikely to compete in La Unión again, is for my children to take to that stage and achieve the feat I didn’t manage to accomplish. They will be the ones to bring this prize back to Extremadura, a prize my region has yet to win. I will always be grateful to my parents, who gave me the privilege of growing up in a creative and free environment, dedicated to music. That’s precisely what I want to pass on to my children,” Ostalinda reflects.
In this perseverance lies something that transcends the strictly artistic: the certainty that Second place, far from being something to be expected, is a promise that is renewed.Ostalinda Suárez didn't return to Las Minas to confirm what we already knew about her. She's returned to remind us that talent that doesn't give up, sooner or later, ends up conquering everything. ♦
