Amália in America
beyond fado

Created in 1993, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra (OSP) is one of the artistic bodies of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and has been developing its own symphonic activity, including a regular concert program and participation in national and international music festivals. It collaborates regularly with Rádio e Televisão de Portugal through the broadcast of its concerts and operas on Antena 2, notably the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, transmitted on RTP2, and participation in RTP’s initiatives, such as the Pedro de Freitas Branco Prize for Young Conductors, the Young Musicians Prize-RDP, and the International Tribune of Young Performers.

As part of its opera and symphonic seasons, the OSP has performed under the direction of notable conductors such as Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Alain Lombard, Nello Santi, Alberto Zedda, Harry Christophers, George Pehlivanian, Michel Plasson, Krzysztof Penderecki, Djansug Kakhidze, Milán Horvat, Jeffrey Tate, and Iuri Ahronovitch, among others. The orchestra's discography includes two CDs released under the Marco Polo label, featuring Symphonies No. 1, 3, 5, and 6 by Joly Braga Santos, recorded under the direction of its first principal conductor, Álvaro Cassuto, and Crossing Borders (works by Wagner, Gershwin, and Mendelssohn), conducted by Julia Jones, recorded live by Antena 2. In May 2022, the Naxos CD featuring works by Fernando Lopes-Graça, conducted by Bruno Borralhinho, was released.

The orchestra's principal conductors have included José Ramón Encinar (1999-2001), Zoltán Peskó (2001-2004), and Julia Jones (2008-2011). Donato Renzetti served as principal guest conductor between 2005 and 2007. Joana Carneiro was the principal conductor from 2014 to 2021. Currently, the musical direction is under the leadership of Antonio Pirolli, the orchestra's current principal conductor. In 2023, the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Born in Poland and raised in Porto, Jan Wierzba is recognized as one of the most versatile conductors of his generation. He performs in opera, engages in various pedagogical projects, and works in both choral and symphonic contexts. He is passionate about multi-disciplinary projects, seeking new artistic perspectives through the fusion of different forms of creation and musical styles. He is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras, as well as a Professor of Orchestra at the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo. He is also a member of the board of the Movimento Patrimonial pela Música Portuguesa (MPMP), serving as the Artistic Director of the MPMP Ensemble.

Raquel Tavares was born in Lisbon and, from a very young age, at just 10 years old, she was already immersed in the many paths and spaces of Fado. At 12, she won the Grande Noite do Fado competition, and at only 14, she released her debut album, which earned her the Revelation Award from the Amália Rodrigues Foundation.

After several years performing in Lisbon's finest Fado houses, such as "Café Luso", "Senhor Vinho", "Arcadas do Faia", "Adega Mesquita", "Adega Machado", and "Casa de Linhares", she released a new album that garnered unanimous critical acclaim, considered one of the greatest Fado albums of all time.

After an eight-year hiatus, Raquel Tavares released the album "Raquel" in 2016, a collection of powerful songs and Fados that resulted in immediate success and a Gold Record award.

Her passion for Roberto Carlos' music led to an invitation to record a tribute album to the "King" of Latin music. The album went on to receive a Platinum Record, followed by an extensive tour through Portugal and abroad.

After a long and revitalizing break, Raquel was invited in early 2020 to participate in various television projects, including acting roles in two prime-time soap operas and a comedy series. That same year, she joined the panel of presenters for a leading Sunday afternoon TV show.

For the first time, she ventured into the world of voice dubbing for animated films and also pursued one of her great passions beyond music: dance, which she embraces purely for the joy and personal fulfillment it brings.

Four years later, the longing for the stage was too strong to resist, and she accepted the challenge of the prestigious International Fado Festival for a tour through Spain and South America. This marked her return to her Fado career!

With 18 albums released and countless concerts worldwide, Cristina Branco is a true ambassador of Portuguese culture. Traditional music is her main aesthetic root, but the influence of jazz, literature, and the musicians with whom she shares the stage give her art a universal character and a sublime charm. Her work is a significant contribution to the promotion and defense of Portuguese music, language, and authors. In her albums, Cristina gives voice to different generations of authors such as António Lobo Antunes, Maria do Rosário Pedreira, José Afonso, Manuela de Freitas, José Mário Branco, Sérgio Godinho, Pedro da Silva Martins, Mário Laginha, Teresinha Landeiro, Jorge Cruz, Francisca Cortesão, among many others.

She began her artistic journey in the Netherlands with Cristina Branco in Holland (1997), an album that turned into a true success in that country. In the following years, her name resonated across Europe, with sold-out shows in numerous cities. Her subsequent works, Murmúrios (1998) and Post-Scriptum (2000), strengthened this momentum, and Cristina was awarded two Prix Choc by Le Monde de La Musique magazine. Next came Abril (2007), an album with versions of songs by José Afonso, Kronos (2009), and Fado Tango (2011), the iconic tenth studio album, featuring collaborations with several renowned Portuguese authors and signaling the artistic rebirth of Cristina, which would fully unfold a few years later with Menina. Considered the Best Album of the Year by the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA), Menina (2016) is the first chapter of a trilogy that includes Branco (2018) and Eva (2020). In these works, Cristina Branco brings together unusual collaborations that blend styles and genres, resulting in unique and innovative interpretations of fado.

In 2022, celebrating her 25th career anniversary, Cristina Branco performed over 40 concerts across Europe and released Amoras numa Tarde de Outono, an album in collaboration with pianist João Paulo Esteves da Silva.

Her most recent album, Mãe, released in September 2023, is a heartfelt homage to Fado. The album has been warmly received, with sold-out performances, in a remarkable national and international journey, with dates in Bogotá, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Ljubljana, Dortmund, Hamburg, Porto, Lagoa, Ílhavo, Lisbon, Braga, Paris, Bordeaux, Zurich, Spain, Panama, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In Mãe, the singer is accompanied by musicians Bernardo Couto on Portuguese guitar, Luís Figueiredo on piano, and Bernardo Moreira on double bass.

Ricardo Ribeiro was born on August 19, 1981, in Lisbon. He grew up in the Bairro da Ajuda neighborhood and began singing at the age of 9 for his friends. His voice, "once heard, never forgotten," captivates audiences.

In 2023, Ricardo Ribeiro released his latest album, "Terra que Vale o Céu", an introspective work that reflects on the artist's process of maturation, singing about "passion, loss, loneliness, and pain." The album is "dedicated to the Mediterranean people" and includes 14 tracks, one of which is dedicated to his son. “Se Me Deixares / El Kiko De Diana” is a fusion of one of his own poems with a work by António Botto. The album expresses "a great desire to explore even more."

At 42, Ricardo Ribeiro acknowledges a certain maturity and the influence this process has had on his music. In this regard, musicologist Rui Vieira Ney, in a text featured in the CD's booklet, emphasizes: "The new album returns to the deepest roots of the Fado tradition, though now illuminated by a personal journey of growth and discovery, leading him through other southern music that also sings of passion, loss, loneliness, and pain."

"Terra que Vale o Céu" reached its peak with the award of the Prémio Play 2024 for Best Fado Album.

Ricardo has received numerous accolades, including the Best Male Performer Award from the Amália Rodrigues Foundation (2011), the Commendation of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (2015), the Carlos Paredes Prize from the Vila Franca de Xira City Council, and an Honorable Mention at the José Afonso Prize from the Amadora City Council (2017). He also won the "Mais Música" Award from Revista Alentejo (2018).