A LITTLE BIT OF PORTUGAL IN MUMBAI 🎶😊

  

A couple of years ago, I got an opportunity to listen to Sonia Shirsat, (a well-known fadista from Goa), when she was part of a choir concert, held at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai. The 'Stuti Choral and String Ensemble' (also from Goa), was performing in our city, for the very first time that year; and Sonia Shirsat performed a few songs too, at that concert.😊

While I had listened to the wonderful Sonia Shirsat and the Stuti Choir online before; that event, was my first chance, to listen to both, her and the Choir, singing 'Live'. I thoroughly enjoyed that concert.🎶

So some time last month, when I saw a poster by the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, announcing that Sonia was going to be doing her own concert in our city, at the Experimental Theatre, in the month of August; I wanted to make sure that I did not miss it.

The concert was very enjoyable. Sonia has an amazing voice; and she is always accompanied by two very talented Goan Musicians, who support her beautifully. At this concert, she was also joined by one of her students, who sang a few songs, and a duet with her as well.

What I liked most, on both the occasions, when I have attended a concert, where Sonia was performing; is the way in which she gives a brief introduction to every song that she sings. Since the 'fado' is a western semi-classical musical genre, where the songs are sung in Portuguese, a majority of the people in the audience, do not speak the language. So, those little short introductions and anecdotes, give us a context to every song. We still don't understand a word of what is being sung; but that's the beauty of music. You don't really need to understand the words, to enjoy the melody and the rhythm of the songs.💕

During the course of the evening, Sonia Shirsat also gave us a little bit of insight, into the history of the 'fado', as a genre of music, which was quite interesting to learn about. 

Another thing, which was wonderful to hear about, was that over a period of a few years, Sonia and a few other musicians, have now trained around 300 young people in Goa, in the fado. It's great to hear that musicians, who excel in one particular genre of music, are teaching and sharing what they know and love, with the next generation, in an attempt to help more people appreciate the genre, and to keep this form of music alive in Goa, in the years to come as well.✨️🎶