ZdZ’25: Anxo Pintos

Data
11/05/2025 _ 18:00 h

The Zanfona in Galiza – History, Style & Practice with Anxo Pintos from Vigo, Galiza.

Photo by Ariel Ninas

Sunday 11th of May. Online

Second of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with one of the leading musicians in Galiza in the folk scene and teacher directly or inderectly of all the modern Galician hurdy-gurdy players. This masterclass is suitable for beginners and intermediate players who want to know, understand and play the Galician music adapted for the instrument.

About the masterclass

Dive into the fascinating world of the hurdy-gurdy in Galicia in a unique master class designed for musicians, students, and lovers of traditional music.

Part 1 – Context:  A visual and musical journey through the traditional music map of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. We will explore the legacy of the last blind itinerant musicians, historic songbooks, the key figure of Faustino Santalices, and the Galician folk revival led by groups like Milladoiro, Berrogüetto, and others. You will also discover valuable online resources like APOI, Folkoteca, and more.
Part 2 – Style:  A detailed explanation of how traditional Galician music —especially bagpipe music from the Pontevedra province (county)— can be adapted to the hurdy-gurdy: modes, scales, ornamentation, and stylistic techniques. We will also look at traditional genres and rhythms like the muinheira, xota, and alalá, among others.
Part 3 – Practice:  A live music session! A few tunes will be performed, some of them designed for the audience to join in (instruments welcome but not required). Other representative songs will be discussed, even if there is no time to play them live. Because hurdy-gurdy playing is also about listening and feeling.
Part 4 – Q&A:  An open space for questions, curiosities, and conversation around the hurdy-gurdy, Galician music, and its rich context.

About Anxo Lois Pintos García

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and one of the leading figures of the hurdy-gurdy in Galicia. He began his musical training at the age of 8 at the Vigo Conservatory, studying with masters such as Suso Pereira and Antón Corral. He co-founded influential groups including Matto Congrio, Berrogüetto, Lizgairo, and the Galician Folk Orchestra SonDeSeu. His career has been recognized with numerous awards, including the German Critics Award (1996 and 2001), the Martín Códax Music Award (2013), and a Grammy for Best World Music Album with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble (2017).

As a hurdy-gurdy player, he is known for pioneering and systematizing a technique that made it possible to learn and perform traditional Galician repertoire. He taught for eleven years at the Vigo Municipal School of Arts and Crafts (EMAO) and currently teaches at ETRAD, where he also leads the hurdy-gurdy section of SonDeSeu and continues to create and perform through projects such as the duo PÄRBO.

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