Folk Alliance International (FAI) has selected Portugal as the featured Country Focus for its 2025 conference. In partnership with Why Portugal, the event will explore Portugal’s diverse folk music heritage, which extends beyond fado to include various regional styles and instruments.
The conference, set for February 19-23, 2025, in Montreal, Canada, will include six Official Artist Showcases, a panel discussion on traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, and additional Private Showcases featuring four more Portuguese artists. This initiative is supported by Dgartes and Fundação GDA.
FAI selected Portugal for its 2025 focus to highlight the country’s unique musical culture. Executive Director Jennifer Roe noted the significance of showcasing Portuguese folk music in North America, especially in a multicultural setting like Canada, which hosts large Portuguese communities in cities such as Montreal and Toronto.
The lineup includes:
- Retimbrar: An eight-member ensemble from Porto that mixes rhythms and melodies from various Portuguese folklore traditions, incorporating percussive and vocal elements.
- Lusitanian Ghosts: A collective that intertwines ancient Portuguese chordophones, including the viola amarantina, braguesa, and campaniça, with contemporary songwriting.
- OMIRI: An innovative artist who integrates traditional music samples with original video footage, connecting rural Portuguese music traditions with urban culture.
- Joana Alegre: A singer-songwriter with a background in western classical music and jazz, currently promoting her third studio album, LUAS, which combines Portuguese roots with baroque pop and electronic influences.
- João Diogo Leitão: A guitarist who explores the boundaries of Portuguese folk music through the viola braguesa, creating a sound that intersects folk with atmospheric western classical elements.
- Marta Pereira da Costa: A renowned fado guitarist whose career includes performances worldwide.
The Private Showcases will feature acts such as Lavoisier, PS Lucas, RAIA, and O Gajo, alongside displays from the WHY Portugal and Mais 5 label rooms. The program also includes a tribute to José Afonso, a celebrated Portuguese singer-songwriter, with a focus on his vinyl reissues and the Wanderer Songs project commemorating the Carnation Revolution’s 50th anniversary.
The conference will feature a session titled “Lusitanian Chordophones: Portuguese Folk Traditions on the Brink of Extinction,” which will discuss instruments like the violas amarantina, beiroa, and braguesa. Moderated by Nuno Saraiva, the panel will include experts Vasco Ribeiro Casais, António Bexiga, and Marta Pereira da Costa.
The 37th annual FAI conference will feature more than 175 artists from 38 countries and all 13 Canadian provinces, making it one of the largest in the organization’s history. The event aims to engage diverse communities through a variety of world music genres, including Appalachian, blues, Celtic, global roots, and beyond.
For more details, visit folk.org or Why Portugal.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central