Evening of Fado Features Award-Winning Performers
10/04/2017
Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Two of the brightest voices in Portuguese fado, award-winning singers Joana Amendoeira and Duarte, will perform at UMass Lowell at a concert for the campus and community on Friday, Nov. 3.
Fado is a type of urban music that expresses Portuguese identity through lyricism, composition, performance and community, according to the Portuguese/American Cultural Exchange, which is presenting the concert, “Sounds of Portugal,” with UMass Lowell’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies. Recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance, fado dates back to the 19th century and is a unique synthesis of Afro-Brazilian music that is often handed down over generations and features a male or female soloist accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the U.N. organization.
At the UMass Lowell concert, Amendoeira and Duarte are expected to perform new music. Amendoeira, who will be making her East Coast debut at the event, is a well-known fadoista who has received critical acclaim and has performed at some of the world’s great concert venues, including London’s Royal Opera House. Her newest album, her ninth, is called “Muito Depois (Long After)” and explores the deepest traditions of fado through contemporary lyrics that speak to love and loss. Duarte – a talented singer, lyricist and musician – is returning to the university after a memorable performance in 2014 to present music from his third album, “Sem Dor Nem Piedade (Without Pain or Pity),” an exploration of fado’s darker subtexts paired with a steadfast belief in the human spirit. Both artists have garnered numerous awards, including recognition from Portugal’s prestigious Amália Rodrigues Foundation, and have performed extensively in Europe and elsewhere.
They will be accompanied by two accomplished musicians, guitarist Pedro Amendoeira and Tiago Silva on the viola, who have performed extensively in Portugal and around the world with artists including Mariza, Maria da Fé and Camané.
The concert will be held at Durgin Hall, 35 Wilder St., Lowell, at 7:30 p.m. Free parking is available in the university’s nearby Wilder Lot. Tickets to the event are $30 per person. For questions about the event, contact the Saab Center for Portuguese Studies at 978-934-5199.
The Saab Center for Portuguese Studies, an academic and cultural unit within UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, promotes initiatives that enhance the presence and visibility of Portuguese culture and community, as well as multidisciplinary study of the language, literature and culture of Portugal. The Merrimack Valley is among the areas of Massachusetts with a strong connection to the Portuguese-speaking world, which is comprised of more than 250 million people in eight countries on four continents.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu