The 4th edition of the Fado De Goa Competition is being organised by Semana da Cultura Indo-Portuguesa in collaboration with Taj Holiday Resorts and Palaces.
The Competition will be held at Institute Menezes Braganza, Panjim on the 27th November from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
This year the competition will showcase the hidden latent talents of Goa. The sound of the Portuguese Guitar, best suited for Fado music, will enthral the audiences. Says Frans Schubert Cotta, a musician who has mastered the Portuguese guitar, “The Portuguese guitar is something that goes along with Fado. You just can’t separate the two. They complement each other too well.”
What is Fado?
Fado are popular Portuguese songs, usually with a melancholy theme, accompanied by a mandolin or Portuguese guitar. This music defines the Portuguese, their culture, and their very existence.
(This video details, briefly, the history behind Portugal’s most famous music, Fado. First song: “Barco Negro”-Amália Rodrigues. Second song: “Uma Casa Portuguesa”-Amália Rodrigues)
Before the competition, Semana da Cultura Indo-Portuguesa organised a Fado workshop. Nadia Rebelo, a popular young Fadista in Goa, a winner of the Fado competition trophy once, is on-board to train the participants this year. Semana Da Cultura Indo-Portuguesa, through the workshop, hopes to create an awareness of this art. The second workshop will be conducted at Fundação Oriente, Panjim. With the workshop they aim to fine tune the singers voices, their posture and give them the desired ‘Fadista’ finesse with an overall grooming.
Today Goa can boast of its own multi-talented Fado artistes like the Queen of Fado, Sonia Shirsat and Nadia Rebelo. Earlier, Goan Fadista, Milucha da Veiga Coutinho tried her best to promote this art form.
(Information credit: Herald, Video credit: YouTube)
