Event

Ramana Viera Ensemble

Ramana Vieira has been described by Mundo Portugues newspaper as the "New Voice of Portuguese World Music." She has headlined the world's largest Portuguese festival, the New Bedford Portuguese Feast in Massachusetts, and has performed at the 2010 Encontro Festival in Macau. One of her original songs, "Unido Para Amar," was played for the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, and she was chosen to sing for the 50th Grammy Awards special MusiCares benefit honoring Aretha Franklin.

Fado, the most widely recognized music of Portugal, is a passionate, soul-stirring music with soaring vocals and dramatic tales of love, loss and redemption. Legendary fadista Amália Rodriguez popularized fado in the 20th century, and today, platinum-selling Portuguese singers Ana Moura and Mariza are selling out concert halls in the US. The New York Times has recognized Ramana Vieira as an American at the forefront of the fado resurgence. Ramana and her group will perform traditional, ballad-style fados that pay homage to the "Queen of Fado," Amália Rodrigues, along with up-tempo compositions from their 2010 album, Lagrimas de Rainha, and new compositions written and arranged for their upcoming album, Luso Sol. Their new work, sung in both English and Portuguese, captures influences from all the countries of Portuguese language and cultural heritage, exhibiting a musical tapestry that ranges from whispering, haunting ballads to hypnotic dance grooves.

According to Ramana, "nobody else is doing what we are doing with fado." Part of her innovative approach to the music is in the instrumentation. Traditionally, fado was music for voice and the guitarra Portuguesa, a 12-string guitar. But as Larry Rohter of The New York Times has noted, "Conservatory-trained singer Ramana Vieira adds a New Age sensibility and instrumentation to the music with cello and drums."

This evening will be a lovely treat! Join us!