Dorantes, a pioneer in making flamenco piano universal and giving it a unique sound, made his debut aged 22 in front of the Spanish Royal Family at the Real Alcázar de Sevilla and shortly afterwards he released his first album Orobroy. We are talking about 1998. More than 20 years ago work was created that has survived the passing of time and become international and universal. Sounds were born that were linked to Andalusia and recognised throughout the world, the soundtrack of Andalusia was born (as some call it) and a natural “anthem” in the heart of each listener who identifies it with the colour, aroma, goodness and history of the Andalusian people.
Orobroy has been played millions of times and performed all over the world, from China to California, from Finland to Argentina, several recordings by all kinds of artists, from guitarists to globally renowned kavalists... It is the soundtrack of television programmes and mobile ringtones, it has given its name to clothing lines, thoroughbred horses, it has even led to tattoos... His work Orobroy is undoubtedly an original ambassador for Andalusia around the world.
Since then, there has been a succession of hits and acclaim for Dorantes, who, according to the specialised critics, has the technique and capacities needed to be able to open up horizons and recreate the most traditional styles of our Andalusian culture on piano while also having the intelligence to embark on international and multidisciplinary projects where our identity is always strengthened.
Dorantes shows a path for progress and improvement to other generations as he was the first gypsy to train at the Higher Conservatoire of Music in Seville in Piano and subsequently in Harmony and Composition. A real example for an artistic collective that is beginning to see itself reflected in him and to follow his footsteps. A trend breaker and innovative, he avoids the easy path, he avoids using musical covers and transferring the sound of the guitar to piano. Therefore, he creates and structures a new flamenco language that is capable of establishing a dialogue with the world. His sound is completely personal, for which he devises and organises a completely new way to give integrity to flamenco music on this instrument. This has taken him to the world’s major classical piano festivals, opening up a market in Andalusia, where flamenco once again begins to play for unfamiliar listeners.
Most of his compositions are instrumental, both work for piano and works for trios, quartets, chamber orchestras, symphonic but also vocal. With Dorantes and his extensive creative trajectory, flamenco music acquires a very different dimension and reaches levels outside of its normal context, which promotes this music, this culture, takes it to new sociocultural environments, new listeners and new countries that encourage its promotion, recognition and interest in other areas.
His music has been performed by renowned orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Tokyo, the Bulgarian Radio Sofia Symphony Orchestra, the National Philarmonic of Qatar and many more, and he has played alone with the best artists, from Enrique Morente to Chick Corea, Luis Salinas or Win Mertens.
Stages all over the world have been participants in the incredible evolution of this musician: Sadler's Wells (London), Midem (Cannes), Royal Albert Hall (London), Skirball Center (NY), Lisner Auditorium (Washington DC), Centre for Fine Arts - Bozar (Brussels), Theatre Al´Hamabra (Geneva), Lobero Theatre (California), New National Theatre, Tokyo, Sumida Thriphony Hall (Tokio), Teatro Manzoni (Italy), Suzanne Dellal Center (Israel), Teatro Maestranza (Sevilla), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid), ANTALYA KULTUR MERKEZI (Türkiye), the prestigious Cemal Reşit Rey Konser Salonu, (Istanbul), ROTTERDAMSE SCHOUWBUR (the Netherlands), Mayson Sinfonic Montreal (Canada), LA GRANDE HALLE DE LA VILLETTE (Paris), BULGARIA CONCERT HALL (Sofia), AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA (Rome), Concertgebouw Brugge (Belgium) and others.
After 5 exceptional and award winning albums, Orobroy, Sur, Sin Muros, Paseo a Dos, El Tiempo por Testigo, comes La Roda del Viento (which commemorates the V Centenary of the First Voyage Around the World) and its reveals a very complete Dorantes who has acquired sufficient wisdom to compose and create scores for his works for piano, choir and orchestra and tackle, with authentic flamenco execution and dazzling grandiosity like the great Andalusian classics, an epic that is being recognised all over the world. And all over the world means everywhere, from the Austrian Public National Radio which has devoted a special edition to it to the Chinese city of Chengdu where La Roda provided a soundtrack for Seville for more than 160,000 spectators in the campaign #EspañaTeEspera (Spain Awaits You).
Some of his awards:
-“Demofilo” Award from the Machado Foundation for Best New Artist 1996
-The “Flamenco Hoy” Prize (awarded by specialist critics) to “Orobroy” as the best instrumental album of the year: 1999
- The “Flamenco Hoy” Prize (awarded by specialist critics) to “Sur” as the best instrumental album of the year: 2003
- The Giraldillo Award for Best Soloist; Giraldillo Award for Best Original Music; Giraldillo Award for the Best Show; and Giraldillo Special Audience Award at the Seville Flamenco Biennial: “Sur “ Sinfonico 2004
- The “Flamenco Hoy” Prize (awarded by specialist critics) for the best flamenco DVD of the year: “2004 Flamencos del Siglo xxI”
- The Giraldillo Award for “Momento Mágico" at the Seville Flamenco Biennal for his show with Miguel Poveda and Eva Yerbabuena : 2002
- The chords on his famous song “Orobroy” were chosen by the Andalusian Government for the advertising campaign of the New Statute of Autonomy for Andalusia.
- The Demófilo Award given to Dorantes for the best production of the Biennial 2006-2008 for “Cuando el Lebrijano canta, se moja el agua” (When Lebrijano sings water gets wet”: 2008
- Nominated for the Music Awards: 2009
- “Young Creator” National Prize, awarded by the Ministry of Culture: 2009
- Appointed Cultural Ambassador of the Luna Mora (Moorish Moon) Network of the Mediterranean thanks to his versatility and outstanding international trajectory (top distinction awarded by the International Cultural Network for Luna Mora Cooperation in the Mediterranean): 2010
- Dorantes has been invited by the Spanish Ministry of Culture to form an illustrious part of the Trust of the Public Institution - Foundation for Gypsy Culture: 2010
• The Giraldillo Award for the premiere concert of “Sin Muros!” at the Seville Flamenco Biennal: 2012
• The “Flamenco Hoy” Prize (awarded by specialist critics) for the album Sin Muros! 2012
• “Joaquin de la Orden” Award for Musical Arts in Andalusia 2014
• The “Flamenco Hoy” Prize (awarded by specialist critics) to “Paseo a dos ” as the best instrumental album of the year 2016
• Flamencoradio Award of EL PUBLICO /Canal Sur Radio y Television 2018
• Finalist of MiN Awards for “El Tiempo por Testigo" 2018
• The Gold Medal of the Province awarded by the Council of Seville: 2018.- Award
- “Ambassador of Our Region 2020” Canal Sur TV- La Tarde, aquí y ahora
- In 2022 he was named a Member of the German Barvalipe Academy as one of the 7 distinguished representatives from the world of arts and culture internationally, delegated by the Management Board of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture of Berlin.
His most recent work, La Roda del Viento, is a very complete newly created symphonic work to commemorate the V Centenary of the First Voyage Around the World. It is part of the official programme of the V Centenary, and it is a masterpiece written in the flamenco style for piano, orchestra and flamenco choir. Flamenco is at the core of everything, it is the soul of the work, but Dorantes goes much further: he weaves a sound tapestry full of nuances as a logical sonorous response to an adventure that connected all the continents.
It is undoubtedly an outstanding and innovative contribution to Spanish musical life, as the extensive specialised critics have defined it as it incorporates flamenco music into orchestral music, encouraging - in the world of flamenco - works created by oneself.