Viva Portugal!

The Tri-County Symphonic Band, under the direction of Philip Sanborn, will present a vibrant program of both traditional and modern Portuguese music titled “Viva Portugal!” on Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 pm in the main auditorium of the Fireman Performing Arts Center on the campus of Tabor Academy, 235 Front St., Marion, MA. The program will feature guest conductor Fausto Moreira and fadista Cláudia Madeira.

The concert will begin with an energetic pasadoble, “Hispanico” by Nuno Osório, that highlights the nimble trumpet work of Tri-County Symphonic Band member and Somerset, MA resident Tobias Monte. The band will then play a more modern rhapsodia that is reminiscent of the Açores entitled “Ilhas de Bruma.” This piece was composed by the venerable composer and conductor Amilcar Morais. “Minho e Galiza” is a Portuguese concert march by Miguel de Oliveira that was recently edited by Brown University professor Matthew McGarrell. This march is an excellent example of the wealth of Portuguese marches in the band tradition. The first half of the program will close with a modern band piece by one of the most well known living Portuguese composers of band music, Luís Cardoso. Cardoso’s “Gaudium” is a wonderfully crafted work that uses a variety of tonal textures as well some stunning solo passages.

Fausto Moreira will conduct the second half of the program. Fausto Manuel Nunes Moreira was born in 1963 in Samel near Vilarinho do Bairro, Portugal. He began his musical studies in the school of the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões and, in 1984, served with the Banda da Região Militar do Centro. In 1986, he matriculated in the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra where he studied clarinet and other musical disciplines while assuming the position of Artistic Director of the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões and its Orquestra Juvenile. Under Maestro Moreira’s direction, the Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões has appeared in concerts throughout Portugal (including RTP television and radio programs), has toured to Spain, France and the United States and, in 2010, recorded its first commercial CD – available at afinaudio.com). He has continued various musical studies in pedagogy, conducting and performance, earning degrees in music from the Universidade de Aveiro. Currently, Mestre Moreira serves on the faculties of the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, the Escola de Música Municipal António de Lima Fragoso in Cantenhede, and the Escola de Música da Sociedade Filarmónica de Covões. He resides in Samel with his wife Adelaide and his daughter Inês.

The second half of the program begins with John Philip Sousa’s overture to the never staged operetta “The Irish Dragoon.” Sousa, one of the most famous Portuguese-American musicians of all time, weaved a clever assemblage of Irish jigs and lyrical song into this rarely programmed overture for band. Mr. Moreira will then lead the Tri-County Symphonic Band as they accompany Cláudia Madeira in a collection of traditional fado arranged by Matthew McGarrell. This medley, “Melodías para Sempre,” is a setting of five songs arranged especially for Ms. Madeira’s visit to the United States. Cláudia Madeira was born in 1982 in Régua, Portugal. A descendant of many generations of farm workers, Cláudia began learning music from her father as the family worked in the vineyards of the Douro River Valley. Her formal musical education began at age nine in the Colégio Salesiano, where until age 15, she sang in the church choir. In 2007, Cláudia participated in the third edition of Operação Triunfo, a RTP television production that helped rekindle national interest in Fado. This began frequent appearances on popular television shows such as Praça da Alegria and Dança na Praça. She also has performed in theaters and clubs throughout Portugal, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, China the United States and Canada. In 2013, Cláudia released her first CD, “Fado fora de Portas.”

The concert will conclude with Maestro Moreira at the podium conducting Luís Cardoso’s “Volta a Portugal.” This piece is a musical tour of the country with some of the most recognizable melodies from each region and is a fitting way to end a festive concert of exciting Portuguese music.

For more information, please visit http://tricountysymphonicband.org. Tickets are $15 for adults, students $5, children 12 and under are free. Tickets may be purchased at the Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth and The Bookstall in Marion. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

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