Michael Hauser Guitar Scholarship Fund

My brother Michael Hauser recently passed at the age of 87. He has been called the "godfather of flamenco in the Midwest" and since 1963 had devoted his life to performing, teaching and developing a community of people that understand and enjoy the complex art of flamenco. Flamenco is a participatory art that has modest folk roots but like jazz has evolved into a complex, ever changing art of music and dance. Learning how to accompany the dance and singing is basic to becoming a flamenco guitarist and in its home country of Spain is learned from an early age. Such is not the case here and one of Michael's main interests was in accompaniment and teaching it. There are dozens of song forms and dance traditions involved in true flamenco ranging from light hearted to the deepest of emotions. One never learns all of the complexities of signals, sections and rhythmic demands of the art as it is a living art-constantly changing. 

This fund would support the training of a select group of promising flamenco guitar students in gradually learning how to accompany singing and dance rather than just the solo music that most guitarists interested in flamenco believe to be the norm. Michael co-founded Zorongo Flamenco with Susana di Palma and Zorongo Flamenco will guide the development of the scholarship with the participation of the guitarists associated with it and possible visiting guitarists. Because of Michael and Susana the community of flamenco participants and aficionados has grown to make the Twin Cities one of the larger communities of flamenco in the U.S. It is my hope that this scholarship fund would continue that growth. (Pictured are Michael and some of his many students that performed for a MN Guitar Society event) Thank you for your generosity!