CITIZEN reporter Paul Wilkinson talks to Lancaster-based musician Howard Haigh, whose flamenco guitar skills are currently wooing audiences at the Dukes' play in the park, Don Quixote

If it's a roving gypsy guitar wizard you're after - Howard Haigh's your hombre.

Lancaster's very own fiery flamenco protege was an obvious choice to land a key role in the Duke's Spanish adventure story, Don Quixote.

But he didn't expect to find himself in the thick of the action.

"I never thought I'd actually be a performer!" said Howard, "I've been a musician on stage before but not a member of the cast. It's been great fun though, I'm really enjoying it."

Howard has played the roving gypsy before on children's TV and toured Europe as part of a comedy flamenco group - not to mention appearances on Blue Peter, Pebble Mill and Jim Davidson's Generation Game.

But the passion and intensity of flamenco took him deeper into the mystery of the music and a pilgrimage to Spain to study with the masters saw his love affair blossom.

"I found I was drawn to Spanish guitar and especially flamenco which I found much more expressive and very exciting," explained Howard. "It's a very flexible style with more scope for personal expression, a bit like jazz. I went to Spain to study with a brilliant flamenco guitarist called Paco Pena and haven't looked back since."

Of course in the parched valley's of Andalusia, flamenco guitarists don't have the problem of cold northerly winds numbing their fingers.

But with nightly performances throughout the notorious British summer, Howard faces playing in all weathers.

"If your fingers get cold then it is very difficult to move around the fret board. Luckily the weather's not been too bad and the first week was quite sunny. A lot of people who have seen the play have said the music works really well. Sometimes I'm playing set stuff and at other times I'm improvising and making it up as the action unfolds. My involvement in Don Quixote has generated a lot of ideas which I'm looking forward to developing."

Tickets are still on sale for Don Quixote which runs until August 19, or you could check out Howard playing flamenco at the free Festival 2000 event this Saturday afternoon at Coronation Field near the Marsh in Lancaster.