In Ponte de Lima, the artist behind ‘Margarida’ (Álvaro de Campos/Mário Laginha) performs alongside her regular musicians, Bernardo Couto on the Portuguese guitar, Bernardo Moreira on the double bass, and Luís Figueiredo on the piano.
From this small town, the creator of ‘E às Vezes Dou Por Mim’ (André Henriques/Filho da Mãe) travels to France to participate in the Musiques en Écrins Festival in the Grenoble region, invited by the Des Equilibres ensemble.
At Écrins, Cristina Branco showcases ‘Fado em Movimento,’ a project interpreting texts by Gonçalo M. Tavares, set to music by Florentine Mulsan, Fátima Fonte, and Anne Victorino d’Almeida.
The invitation was extended to the singer and guitarist Bernardo Couto, who will share the stage with the ensemble led by violinist Agnès Pyka.
The project aims to “promote the symbiosis between the contemporary aesthetics of violin and cello formations and the traditional Fado repertoire,” as stated by the Portuguese artist’s promoter.
Cristina Branco is set to perform on October 11 at the Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, with the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra (OSP) for the project ‘Amália na América,’ together with Fado singers Ricardo Ribeiro and Raquel Tavares, part of the National Theater of São Carlos/OSP season.
A new album from the Fado singer is also expected to release in October, according to a representative from her promoter.
Later this year, on December 17, the ‘Aula de Natação’ (Jorge Cruz) performer will take the stage at the main hall of Casa da Música, in Porto.
Next year, until April, Cristina Branco has ten foreign shows lined up in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
On January 13, she will perform at Les Passerelles in the French city of Pontault-Combault, near Paris. On January 24, the creator of ‘Rio de Nuvens’ (Natália Correia/Fado Carriche, by Raul Ferrão) will sing at Bürgerhaus in Dreieich, her only date in Germany.
On February 6, Cristina Branco and her musicians will play at Flagery in Brussels.
In March, she will perform in the Netherlands, where she has planned the remaining seven international concerts.
She will perform on March 21 at De Oosterpoort in Groningen, on March 25 at Haventheater in IJmuiden, the following day at Concertzaal in Tilburg, and on March 28 at Oostand in Middelburg.
In April, three more concerts are scheduled: the first on April 3 at Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, the next day at De Oosterpoort in Groningen, and on April 5 at Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht.
Cristina Branco, awarded the Amália Rodrigues International Prize in 2006, released the album ‘Mãe’ in 2023 where she deepens her connection with traditional Fado, “defining” her own sound, as she shared with Lusa.
The album follows a trilogy comprising ‘Menino’ (2016), ‘Branco’ (2018), and ‘Eva’ (2020), featuring seven Fados with poems by Lídia Jorge, David Mourão-Ferreira, Fernando Pessoa, and Manuela de Freitas, among others.
Last year, the singer held a series of concerts in Portugal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of April 25th with the album ‘Abril’ (2007), reinterpreting several compositions from José Afonso’s repertoire, including ‘Maio Maduro Maio,’ ‘Venham Mais Cinco,’ “Era um Redondo Vocábulo,” and ‘Coro da Primavera’.
