Flamenco and guitar museum at Casa Sors
About an hour of dance, guitar and song in a soundproofed studio room with assigned seats, then a guided visit to the guitar museum.
The house behind the room
A music house with a stage inside
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Guitars first, flamenco second
Casa Sors started in 1972 as a family music house. Its own site says it was founded by Fernando Alonso Mercader, a guitarist and master luthier, and that it has taught music, built and restored string instruments and promoted musical culture ever since. A second generation now runs it. The flamenco room belongs to that same house, which is why a guitar museum comes with the ticket.
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A room made for listening
The show takes place in a soundproofed recording studio, and the ticket promises every seat close to the stage. That is the opposite of a large hall with a sound system: nothing sits between you and the guitar, and the sound stays in the room. The venue's own pages describe a small room with limited capacity and studio acoustics.
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Why a Catalan city has flamenco
Flamenco grew up in Andalusia, among the Romani families of the south, and UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage. Barcelona's link is people. Wikipedia says Carmen Amaya, often called the greatest flamenco dancer, was born in the city's Somorrostro district, and that the Catalan rumba grew in Romani neighbourhoods shaped by Andalusian migration.
The running order
Three parts to the visit
The ticket joins a show and a museum visit, so the evening runs in three parts.
- Before
Arrive and settle
Seats are assigned, and staff point you to yours. If your option includes tapas or a drink, the venue's site says booked tapas and cocktails are served ahead of the performance, and extra drinks can be ordered from the menu. The venue suggests arriving 15 to 20 minutes early, and your confirmation shows the start time.
- The show
About an hour of flamenco
Dancers, singers and guitarists perform at close range. The venue says the programme moves through several traditional palos, with room for improvisation between song, guitar and dance, and that the artists vary from night to night.
- After
The guitar museum
Once the performance ends, a guide takes you through the Casa Sors Guitar Museum, a collection of historic and flamenco guitars. The venue's pages also mention a few minutes with the artists and photographs. The guide speaks English or Spanish.
Six strings, six palos
Six strings, six palos
Flamenco is organised into palos, forms with their own rhythm, mood and history. The venue says its programme travels through several. These six are a way to follow what you hear and see from a few metres away.
- 01Soleá
The mother form
Soleá counts among the basic palos and often has just one guitar beside the voice. Wikipedia says it probably arose among the Calé Romani of Cádiz or Seville, and that it is sometimes called the mother of palos even though siguiriya is older. In a small room, you can hear how little the voice and guitar need.
- 02Siguiriya
The deepest song
Siguiriya counts twelve beats with accents on the first, third, fifth, eighth and eleventh. Wikipedia calls it purely Romani in origin and one of the most important styles of cante jondo, deep song. Singers often stretch the tempo for emphasis, so the guitar has to follow the voice.
- 03Tangos
The lively one
Tangos are a basic palo in a lively two- or four-beat metre, and the name has nothing to do with Argentine tango. Wikipedia reports that the Andalusian flamenco institute puts their early growth somewhere between Cádiz and Seville. Tientos use the same count at a slower tempo, so you may hear both in one evening.
- 04Guajira
The one that crossed the Atlantic
Guajira is based on a Cuban peasant song form, and Wikipedia gives it as a prime example of the cantes de ida y vuelta, songs that travelled to the Americas and came back changed. It is traditionally danced, and the dancer often works a large Spanish fan.
- 05Farruca
Sober, sharp and tied to Barcelona
Farruca is a sober, dramatic palo associated with sharply marked footwork and traditionally with male dancers. Wikipedia notes that Carmen Amaya, born in Barcelona, created a well-known version that widened what the form could express.
- 06Rumba
Barcelona's own offshoot
Flamenco rumba has a Barcelona cousin. Wikipedia says the Catalan rumba developed in the city's Romani community from the 1950s, with rhythms derived from the Andalusian flamenco rumba plus Cuban influences. It is a light-footed reminder that flamenco kept changing once it reached Catalonia.
The artists choose the programme, and it varies by night. Use it to tune your ears rather than to predict the running order.
The ticket in detail
The ticket in detail
A few facts worth knowing before you pay.
- The show
- A live flamenco performance of about an hour, with dancers, singers and guitarists. The venue's own pages add percussion to the line-up.
- The room
- A soundproofed recording studio with assigned seating, and every seat close to the stage.
- The museum
- A guided visit to the Casa Sors Guitar Museum comes with the ticket, led in English or Spanish.
- Drinks and tapas
- These come with the options that include them, so read the option before paying.
- Length
- The whole ticket is billed at between an hour and an hour and a half, and the show itself runs about an hour. The venue's own pages allow up to two hours when the artists and the museum are counted, so keep a little slack.
- Cancellation
- Cancelling costs nothing up to 24 hours before the start, and the payment can follow later. Both terms come with the GetYourGuide booking.
- Access
- Wheelchair access is part of what the ticket advertises. For details on steps and doors, write to the venue before you travel.
Street, strings and stage
Street, strings and stage
These photographs show Carrer del Consell de Cent, a Torres guitar from a Barcelona museum, two painted flamenco scenes, a luthier at work and a sculpture of a flamenco dancer. None of them shows the inside of Casa Sors.
Picking a flamenco night in Barcelona
Three kinds of flamenco night in Barcelona
| Format | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| A small studio room (this ticket) | About an hour of dance, guitar and song in a soundproofed room with assigned seats, then a guided guitar museum visit. | Visitors who want to be near the artists and are curious about the instrument |
| A show with an optional dinner | A one-hour show at a different venue, with drinks or dinner if you pick an option that includes them. The second card below shows this format. | A longer evening built around a meal |
| A theatre or concert-hall gala | A staged production, usually with a larger stage and a larger audience. | Anyone who prefers spectacle to a close-up room |
Choose your evening
Two flamenco evenings in Barcelona
The first card is the Casa Sors studio show with the guitar museum. The second is a different Barcelona format, with an optional dinner. Pick a date to see open seats.
Flamenco at El Patio Andaluz, with optional dinner
A one-hour flamenco show at a different Barcelona venue, with drinks or dinner if you pick an option that includes them.
More for your Barcelona trip
Planning your visit
Before you go
01
Where it is
The room is at Carrer del Consell de Cent 215, 08011 Barcelona. The venue describes a quiet spot on a pedestrian street in the centre. Put the address into a map app and leave some spare minutes on a first visit.
02
Arriving
The venue suggests getting there 15 to 20 minutes early. Your confirmation carries the start time, which varies by date, so check it before leaving your hotel.
03
Drinks and tapas
If you picked an option with tapas or cocktails, the venue's site says they are served ahead of the performance. Anything extra can be ordered from the menu.
04
Your seat
Seats are assigned for you. In a room this small, guests describe being close wherever they sit.
05
Language
Dance, guitar and song need no translation. The guided museum visit runs in English or Spanish.
06
After the show
The museum visit follows the performance, so leave the end of the evening open instead of booking dinner straight after.
Guides to Casa Sors, the guitar and flamenco in Barcelona
Guides to Casa Sors, the guitar and flamenco in Barcelona
Which ticket, and what it covers
Casa Sors flamenco tickets, explained
What the Casa Sors flamenco ticket covers, how the drink and tapas options differ, how seats work, and when another format will suit you better. Read the guide → The evening, door to doorCasa Sors flamenco: what to expect
How a Casa Sors flamenco evening runs from the street door to the guitar museum: arriving, seats, drinks, language, the show and who it suits. Read the guide → The collection after the show
Casa Sors guitar museum
What the Casa Sors guitar museum visit adds to the flamenco show: the makers, the Torres story, Barcelona's guitar line and how the visit works. An Andalusian art in a Catalan cityBarcelona flamenco: a short history
Flamenco is Andalusian, so why does Barcelona have a flamenco scene? Carmen Amaya, Somorrostro, the Catalan rumba and what it means for a night out. A first-timer's listening guideHow to listen to flamenco
Palos, compás, palmas and the guitar's role: a plain-language guide to what you hear and see in a small-room flamenco show. The instrument in the roomFlamenco guitar vs classical guitar
How a flamenco guitar differs from a classical guitar in build, woods, action and sound, and why the guitar is the heart of a flamenco room.FAQ
Before you book the Casa Sors show
How much time should I allow?
The show runs about an hour. The booking page puts the whole ticket, guided museum visit included, at between an hour and an hour and a half, while the venue's pages allow up to two hours.
Is the guitar museum included?
Yes. The ticket includes access to the Casa Sors Guitar Museum with a guided visit, led in English or Spanish.
Are drinks and tapas included?
Only with the options that include them. Drinks, signature cocktails and tapas are selections, so read the option name on the booking page before paying.
Can I choose my seat?
Seats are assigned. The ticket describes assigned seating with a clear view of the stage, and guests say they are close to the artists wherever they sit.
Is it a dinner show?
No. It is a one-hour show and a museum visit. Tapas come with some options, but a full dinner is not part of the ticket, so look at a dinner-and-show format if a meal is the point of your night.
Is it traditional Andalusian flamenco?
Flamenco itself comes from Andalusia, and UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage. Casa Sors presents it in Barcelona, a city with its own flamenco history, including the dancer Carmen Amaya and the Catalan rumba.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancel at least a day ahead and the whole amount is refunded; payment can also be postponed when you reserve.
Will it sell out?
It can. Dates carry a likely-to-sell-out flag, and seats are few, so pick a date early.
A studio room, a family's guitars, and flamenco a few metres away.
Book flamenco at Casa Sors ↗Fares move with the date and the option. Choose a night to see the fare converted to your currency.