Based: Cape Town
Saudiq Khan is a proudly South African and respected Concert Flamenco Guitarist – a product of District Six of the 60’s in Cape Town, he was exposed to the colourful Cape Culture from an early age. He was inspired by the passionate sounds of the Flamenco guitar and once in his teens was determined to learn the music he loved. He had to leave school when he was 15 to help support his family who were forcibly evicted from District Six due to the apartheid regime. His first job was as a mailroom delivery boy in a printing business and being a car fanatic, he managed to save enough to buy a broken down VW Beatle. Discovering he had a skill for fixing cars, Saudiq approached a local Flamenco Guitarist, and bartered working on his cars in return for lessons – it wasn’t an easy time for the young teenager but Saudiq’s passion to learn to play flamenco overcame the odds stacked against him.
In 1989, having worked his way up in the printing industry, Saudiq was given the opportunity to travel to Lisbon to help run a quick print shop. At weekends he took the train to Seville, then considered to be the hub of the Flamenco World, to experience his passion for the genre. While there, he spent some months studying under various Flamenco Maestros, learning their technques and absorbing the music and culture.On his return to South Africa, Saudiq became involved with the Wilvan School of Dance under the direction of Veronica Williams in Cape Town bringing his experience to local theatres and becoming well known for his fiery Flamenco touch. In 1992 he started his own Flamenco Guitar School to promote Flamenco Guitar playing amongst local enthusiasts and into his community.
Saudiq is currently one of the few Flamenco Guitarists in South Africa concentrating on solo flamenco guitar concert performances and collborations.
South African audiences flock to hear his passionate flamenco rhythms and original compositions. He models his playing on his hero of the flamenco guitar – Maestro Paco de Lucia, who together with Rafael Riqueni, provided Saudiq with inspiration to compose his own work. He has subsequently released 2 albums with mostly original compositions.
Currently Saudiq is working on exciting collaborations with world class musicians and developing his concert repertoire in preparation for the international stage. He is also busy composing new material for his next album.
