Poway Symphony Orchestra is opening its 21st concert season with renown Spanish classical guitar quartet The Romeros joining the orchestra on stage.

“A Trip to Spain with The Romeros” will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17 in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

“I was thrilled (initially) to have one Romero perform with us, but now we have all four of them,” said John LoPiccolo, the orchestra’s conductor and music director. “It is very exciting.”

While The Romeros have performed at the PCPA at least 10 times over the years, this is their first appearance with the Poway Symphony Orchestra, said Celino Romero, who lives in Del Mar.

“We were invited and gladly accepted,” he said, noting the San Diego County-based family enjoys the venue and calling it “a great place to play” due to its acoustics.

The quartet was started by his grandfather, Celedonio Romero, a noted musician in Spain whom the Generalissimo Francisco Franco-led government would not allow to perform outside of their country, according to the family’s online biography. Because of this, the family immigrated to the United States in 1957 and not long after made their home in San Diego.

In 1958 Celedonio founded the quartet with his three sons — Celin, Pepe and Angel. They became known as “The Royal Family of the Guitar” as they toured all over the world and earned numerous honors. Celedonio was knighted by King Juan Carlos I of Spain and received the Caballero del Santo Sepulcro (Knight of the Holy Sepulchre) from Pope John Paul II.

Celedonio’s method for classical guitar is taught in master and doctoral programs at universities in North America and Europe, and he has composed over 100 pieces, including 10 concertos, called “masterpieces for the guitar,” according to the family’s website.

Celin and Pepe are still in the group, joined now by the third generation, Celino (Celins son) who filled his uncle Angels spot in 1991, and Lito (Angels son), who filled grandfather Celedonio’s spot in 1996, following their patriarch’s death.

For the Nov. 17 concert, the quartet will play Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto Andaluz” for four guitars and orchestra. It was written in 1967 for the Romeros to celebrate their ties to Andalusia, according to Celino Romero. The piece features typical Spanish rhythms, themes and melodies, with portions for the guitarists to shine individually and as a group.

LoPiccolo said he is familiar with many of Rodrigo’s compositions, but “Concierto Andaluz” was not one he knew of before it was suggested by the quartet. After seeing the music, LoPiccolo said he knew the piece was a good fit for the musician orchestra. It will be performed as the concert’s second act.

“It is an exciting crowd pleaser,” Romero said of “Concierto Andaluz,” which has three movements. It starts with a Tiempo de Bolero, a romantic genre with Cuban origins; followed by the Adagio and concluding with the flamenco-inspired Allegretto.

“The movements are beautiful and really amazing,” Romero said.

Keeping with the theme of the piece, the orchestra will open the concert with Hector Berlioz’s “Le Corsaire Overture.” That will be followed with Suites 1 and 2 from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”

“It is an extract … a terrific opera suite and we will be taking the best tunes, at least 10 of them,” LoPiccolo said.

He estimated the concert will be around 90 minutes in length, including an intermission.

The Romeros, dubbed “The Royal Family of the Guitar” consists of Celino, Celin, Pepe and Lito Romero. The group was founded by their father and grandfather, Celedonio Romero, in 1958. (Mark Johnson)

Celino Romero said for over three decades the quartet featured his grandfather, father and uncles. However, in 1990 when his uncle Angel decided to pursue a career as a conductor, he — then 21 — volunteered to fill his spot.

“The group did not realize I was secretly practicing a lot,” Romero said.

He started playing guitar at age 4, but his father, Celin, was on tour a lot during his teen years and thought his son was not taking the instrument seriously.

“He didn’t think I was practicing,” Romero recalled. “But I was taking lessons from one of his students, Brian Hays, who was like family to us. He was teaching me how to read music. My grandfather emphasized technique first, music reading can come later. So we (my cousins and I) developed wonderful ears, we listened and played by ear. … My kids have the same ability.”

Romero said he does not know if his two sons, now 27 and 23, or daughter, 18, will ever join the group, but he plans on continuing the quartet far into the future, perhaps with some of their students.

“Somehow we will keep the ensemble going,” he said.

Romero said his audition to join was “scary as heck,” but saw that “when I started playing, my grandfather could not believe what he was hearing and was so happy.”

Of course, there was a lot of hard work ahead of him to be in the quartet, which he officially joined in 1991, saying it was a dream come true. His uncle Pepe trained him because, while his father taught him some things, it was better for his uncle to take on the task. To be good enough and learn the group’s music selections, he practiced 12 to 15 hours a day. Then his grandfather worked on his performance aspects.

“My grandfather would be a spectator, then come to put the final spices on the dish,” Romero said. “He was a master at stage presence … there was nothing like it. My grandfather was amazing.”

Occasionally Angel returns to fill in for his brothers if they are not available and Celino said they are open to having special performances featuring all five.

The family only plays classical guitars made by his cousin, Pepe Romero Jr., whom he said is “a great guitarist, but he chose to not to be living out of a bag and wanted to stay home to build guitars instead,” and those by the late Miguel Rodriguez from Cordova, Spain.

“He taught Pepe Jr. and shared the secrets, such as bracing that can be a millimeter measurement (change) but it makes all the difference in the sound,” Romero said.

They also have guitars made by nephew Bernardo Romero, another “phenomenal guitar maker” who chose to be an Oceanside police officer, he said.

As for the Poway Symphony Orchestra, LoPiccolo said it is at its largest size with 73 musicians. He termed them a “hybrid” group of very talented, skilled and experienced amateurs augmented by professional musicians. He attributed the orchestra’s reputation to its growth, along with members helping to recruit and their friends wanting to join after attending a performance.

“The success of our concerts has been terrific and we are close to selling out,” LoPiccolo said, noting the PCPA can accommodate an audience of 800. “The word (about us) has been getting out … so we are thrilled and the players excited.

“We have grown by leaps and bounds. Our concerts are really high quality,” he added.

The Poway Symphony Orchestra performs three concerts a year. The other performances will be on March 23 featuring pianist Fredrick Moyer and May 25 when orchestra member David Savage, who plays the bassoon, will be featured.

LoPiccolo said all the concerts feature at least two selections the orchestra has not previously performed.

Tickets to the Nov. 17 concert are $35-$45 for adults, $28-$40 for seniors (65-plus), $18-$25 for students (13-22) and $15 for youths (12 and under). Buy at powaycenter.com or by calling the PCPA box office at 858-748-0505.

The Poway Center for the Performing Arts is at 15498 Espola Road.