3Stages Presents ANA MOURA AND THE POWER OF FADO, 3/7

International songstress Ana Moura has emerged as one of Portugal's leading voices of traditional Fado (which means "fate"; fado is her country's soulful answer to the blues). She embarks on an extensive national tour, including a performance at Three Stages that will embrace both the emotional folk music of her country and her own pop sensibility.

"Moura's physical beauty is undeniable, but her mesmeric appeal radiates from within, even if you don't know a syllable of Portuguese. Her ability to alternately whisper, growl and ring like a silver bell are the hallmarks of a fine singer, not just another pretty face."-NPR-All Things Considered

Ana Moura will perform in Three Stages on Thursday, March 7* at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $19-29. Premium tickets are available for $39. Students with ID's are $12. Tickets may be purchased online at www.threestages.net, from Three Stages Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Three Stages is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Her performance at Three Stages comes on the heels of Ms. Moura's fifth studio album and Decca debut, Desfado. The 14-track album was co-produced by multiple Grammy-winner Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux) and recorded at the famed Henson Recording Studio in Los Angeles. Desfado also features the legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock on Dream of Fire and quintessential saxophonist Tim Reis (Rolling Stones) on Havemos De Acordar. Her performance will showcase three tracks in English including a vulnerable rendition of Joni Mitchell's Case of You, Dreams of Fire and the achingly soulful Thank You.

Ana Moura was born in Santarém in 1979. Her family moved to Coruche where Ana grew up enjoying the music of Fausto, José Afonso, Ruy Mingas, music from Angola and Fado. Those were the melodies that were sung in the evenings at the Moura family home. Singing was a part of family life, so much so that any family meeting would end with a singing match. Although they sang a bit of everything, Ana acquired a special fondness for Fado. At age six she would sing her first Fado, Cavalo Ruço. As she became a teenager, Fado was left aside and Ana became interested in other genres. It was with that curiosity for other types of music, in those teenage years - a time of discovery and rebellion - that 14 year old Ana arrived in Carcavelos, in the outskirts of Lisbon, to finish high school. She enrolled in Academia dos Amadores de Música where she formed her first band with some school friends.

Although she would sing other genres, Ana's voice rapidly gained a natural Fado tone to it and so, even with a rock band, she managed to include a Fado or two in her repertoire - usually Povo que Lavas no Rio by Amália, who was her current main influence as a singer.

Destiny then played a role, taking Ana to a bar in Carcavelos where she sang a Fado. In the audience was guitar player António Parreira who, quite impressed, introduced her to several Fado houses. Then, at a Christmas party for musicians and Fado singers, Ana Moura met the very people who would populate her nights from then on, and she was invited to sing. This time, it is Maria da Fé, co-owner of the prestigious Fado house Senhor Vinho, who was taken by her raw talent and invited her to sing at her Fado house.

It is during that nightlife in Senhor Vinho and other Fado houses that her singing matured. Now she had been given other reasons to sing, without killing her spontaneity. The rest is history.

Ana Moura' "smoky contralto" (New York Times) has grabbed the attention of music lovers from around the world. In 2007, Moura joined the Rolling Stones on stage where she sang No Exceptions with Mick Jagger, which she also later recorded for Tim Ries' Rolling Stones Project 2-(2008) along with her own interpretation oF Brown Sugar. The talented chanteuse has also shared the stage with Prince in Lisbon (2009) after he discovered her music online and then travelled to Paris to see her perform. During her live performances, Mora takes her audience on a musical journey through the traditional genre, yet pushes the boundaries for a new generation to explore.

Three Stages: Inspire, Include, Instruct!
Three Stages at Folsom Lake College presents touring artists from around the world; partners with the best regional arts organizations, and supports productions by FLC students and faculty.

Three Stages at Folsom Lake College is a $50 million performing and visual arts center that opened in February 2011. Located on the campus, Three Stages includes three intimate performance venues (850, 200, 100 seats), an art gallery, a recording studio, ample rehearsal and classroom space, a full service ticket office plus all the amenities of a state-of-the-art performance venue. Parking is free on weekends and for those buying tickets in advance.

A renaming of Three Stages is currently under way. The new name, Harris Center for the Arts, honors Dr. Brice Harris, Chancellor Emeritus of the Los Rios Community College District, for his many contributions to the Capital Region, including providing the vision and leadership that led to the opening of this regional arts center.

Event Summary

What: Ana Moura
When: Thursday, March 7* at 7:30 pm
Where: Three Stages at Folsom Lake College
10 College Parkway
Folsom, CA 95630
Tickets: Tickets are $19-29. Premium tickets are available for $39. Students with ID's are $12. Tickets are available online at www.threestages.net or from Three Stages Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 (Monday through Saturday, 10 am-6 pm, and two hours before show time)

*Date has changed from that originally published in the Three Stages season brochure.

To post a comment, you must register and login.