Dancas Ocultas and Nathalie Pires Come to NJPAC, 6/6

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents an evening with Nathalie Pires, the "ambassador of fado," co-headlines with Danças Ocultas in an exhilarating evening of contemporary Portuguese music Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 8:00 PM at Prudential Hall. Get your tickets now at NJPAC.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

New Jersey-born Nathalie Pires, the "ambassador of fado," co-headlines with Danças Ocultas in an exhilarating evening of contemporary Portuguese music.

Pires, whose hit album is Corre-Me O Fado Nas Veias ("Fado Runs in My Veins"), performs the soul music of Portugal in the most diverse communities throughout the U.S. Danças Ocultas is composed of four creative Portuguese musicians who have reinvented the folkloric sound of the diatonic accordion - also known as the concertina - for today's audiences.

From the time in her youth when she was first accompanied by a Portuguese guitar, Pires began to be noticed for her stage presence and bright tone of her voice. She has performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and showplaces throughout Lisbon.

Danças Ocultas (composer Artur Fernandes, Filipe Cal, Filipe Ricardo and Francisco Miguel) plays new music described as "impressionistic folk" on a time-honored instrument. Since releasing their self-titled album in 1996, the group's members have toured concert halls and festivals throughout the world and have collaborated with modern dance companies. "The interaction of these four accordionists is amazing," says FolkWorld webzine.

Almost like by the mystery of its origins, fado comes into little Nathalie's life, which still cannot explain if fado elected her, or was that thirteen-year-old girl who elected fado. What is perfectly clear is that from the time she was accompanied by a Portuguese guitar for the first time, fado took over her voice and her senses, a fado-singer was born, and immediately began to be noticed by the bright tone of her voice, stage presence, and the feelings transmitted every time she sang the beautiful songs of traditional fado, quickly becoming a serious case of popularity among the Portuguese communities in the United States of America. In her artistic career recorded her first album, "Corre-me O Fado Nas Veias" (Fado Runs In My Veins), which was awarded with the AUA (United Artists of America), " Lusíada Award" for "Best Fado Album of 2007" recorded in the USA.

In the several hundred performances in some of the most prestigious venues in the USA, highlight 'Carnegie Hall', the 'Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts' in Washington DC', 'United Nations' in New York', Boston State House' in Boston Massachusetts', 'NY Red Bull Arena' in Harrison New Jersey', 'BAM Brooklyn Academy Of Music' in Brooklyn New York', 'Central Park' in New York, 'International Portuguese Music Awards at the Zeiterion Theatre' in New Bedford Massachusetts', 'NY Botanical Garden' in Bronx New York', 'Philadelphia Museum of Art' in Philadelphia Pennsylvania', 'W Hotel - Union Square' in New York', 'NYC Drom' with the band 'Fado in Si Bemol', '( le ) Poisson Rouge', 'in New York, accompanied by the 'Manhattan Camerata', among many others venues of equal importance.

The diatonic accordion (named as 'concertina' in Portugal) is an instrument created in the first half of XIX century, later worked to perfection, by several European instrument makers and today it echoes memories coming from a different musical ambience: a time before the record and the radio inventions. But it continues being a 'dream machine' ready to invent possible futures and making senses.

In May 1989, Artur Fernandes, Filipe Cal, Filipe Ricardo and Francisco Miguel had a dream to look for and worked their musical performance skills meanwhile they studied the possibilities of taking this instrument away from folklore music ways, accepting what then was known as " the concertina will", but writing a new music for it. This was the time that led the band to its name and to its first record, Danças Ocultas (1996), with a repertory on which predominate Artur Fernandes compositions.

After that, came a adventuring time, less ingenuous and more artistic, resulting from the continuous contacts with other performers, from experiences on stage, from the first travels and partnerships, motivating the change of the group into a sharing creativity nucleus and leading to the recording of "Ar" the second record which affirms the beginning of a self musical grammar and shows some technical innovations like the use of a specially built "bass concertina".

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey -- where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over eight million visitors (including more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

Visit www.njpac.org or call 888.GO.NJPAC for more information. Get Social! Find @NJPAC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and use #NJPACmusic for updates, photos and more.

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