Gisele João Headlines First NY Fado Festival

Gisele João, Portugal’s most widely acclaimed fado singer to emerge in this decade, headlined the NY Fado Festival this past weekend at the Schimmel Center. Jon Pareles of the NY Times had this to say:

“From her first song, “Madrugada sem Sono” (“Dawn Without Sleep”), Ms. João summoned a full spectrum of fado’s tempestuous passions, from hushed melancholy to eruptive, rough-edged, tearful peaks to aching resignation. Each of her ballads was its own drama, a white-knuckled journey through seismic emotions.”

Read the full review here.