The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) will present “Sounds of Portugal: Fado,” a concert by renowned fado singer Rodrigo Costa Félix joined on stage by Portuguese-American fado vocalist Nathalie Pires.
Félix and Pires will be accompanied by Marta Pereira da Costa, a virtuoso of the Portuguese guitar, and Pedro Pinhal a veteran performer of the classical guitar. Both performers have played in Lisbon’s most prestigious fado houses with some of the greatest fado vocalists, including Mariza, João Braga and Celeste Rodrigues.
The event will take place on Friday, October 18, at 7:00 pm, at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center in downtown Lowell (MA).
The concert will benefit the recently created Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass Lowell. A private reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.
Sounds of Portugal is a production of the Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass Lowell, sponsored by the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Office of University Advancement and the Center for Arts and Ideas.
The event will kick off Costa Félix US Tour, ending in New York City on November 3, 2013, and will promote his award-winning CD Fados de Amor. The program is as part of a cultural engagement initiative between the United States and Portugal.
Costa Félix is a performer, composer and lyricist whose recent single Amigo Aprendiz was named one of the 12 best ballads of 2012 by The Atlantic Monthly.
Costa Félix is one of fado’s brightest stars. His second CD Fados de Amor (Fados of Love), was awarded “Best CD of the Year” by Portugal’s prestigious Amália Rodrigues Foundation.
Costa Félix’ career spans more than 20 years of professional performances. Marta Pereira da Costa has recently left her position as a professional civil engineer to pursue fado music full time. Pedro Pinhal has accompanied and composed music for many established and emerging fado singers.
The US Tour was organized by Portuguese-American Cultural Exchange, a newly-formed, Massachusetts-based non-profit, with support from the Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass/Lowell; Camões, Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P. / CEPE-EUA; and SATA Airlines.
For the UMass Lowel concert, the public may order tickets online at http://alumni.uml.edu/fado or send a check to the Center for Arts and Ideas, UMass Lowell, Durgin Hall, Room 106, 35 Wilder St., Lowell, MA 01854. Tickets (donors) and show are $100. General admission for the performance is $30.
The video below is the award wining fado “Amigo Aprendiz”. To appreciate the depth of this fado you need to understand the lyrics. If your knowledge of Portuguese is not enough, find a friend that can translate it for you.
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Source: Portuguese-American Cultural Exchange >> Website >> Facebook >>
