Mariano Lourenco (standing 4th from left) along with his group.
LONDON
The silver jubilee celebration of the ‘World Goa Day’ is scheduled at Hounslow on August 20 and one of the music performances will feature a 30-member group led by Mariano Lourenco.
Having won a number of awards at Mando and other music competitions in Goa, Mariano, who hails from Santa Cruz, has been promoting the traditional Goan Mando and Dulpod in the UK.
MUSIC IN GOA
A teacher at the Santa Cruz High School for 26 years, Mariano has been promoting Goa's cherished Mando and Dulpod for a number of decades.
After studying music with Maestro Jose Santana Cota, Mariano began composing his own Mandos and performed them with style.
For 33 years, he sang and played the guitar during Mass at the Cujira Chapel, while also training boys and girls in the late 1970s.
He also won a number of awards at the All Goa Hymns Singing Competition in Merces.
“I also participated in every Mando competition in Goa from 1980 until 1995, when I established the ‘Kalapurchim Kirnam’ Mando troupe. I won the prestigious Mando festival prize in 1994,” said Mariano.
His group won multiple prizes at Kala Academy, Chinchinim, Velim, Diwar, and at other Mando Competitions.
Mariano led a full-fledged choir ‘Marian Singers’ which sang devotional songs in Konkani and English for over 26 years until 2006.
Mariano then started a band called ‘Legacy’ in 1981, which performed at weddings and other occasions for about seven years.
“I also led the 'Goa Meu Amor' folk troupe, playing at Goa's top resorts for more than five years in the 1990s,” said Mariano.
In 1999, Mariano produced and released a music album ‘Goans in Harmony’ with his choir singers in Konkani and English.
“I also formed a serenading duo, providing entertainment for national and international tourists in well-known hotels such as the Cidade de Goa Hotel, Prainha Resort, the Taj hotel, and the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa.
MOVING TO UK
In search of better opportunities, Marian moved to the UK and now lives in Hounslow-London.
He has continued to pursue his passion for music, performing events such as birthdays, anniversaries, and other cultural get-togethers.
He also teaches boys and girls choir and solo vocals, piano forte, modulation, humming, vibrato, and polyphonic harmony.
Between generations of Goans both domestically and abroad, his music acts as a living bridge.
“I have a YouTube channel ‘Mariano Lourenco’, where viewers can watch my original music and traditional music such as Mando, Dulpod, Dekhnis, hymns, carols, etc.”
Lawrence Mascarenhas, a fellow Goan and cultural arts promoter of ‘Goen'chem Daiz’, offered Mariano and his group their first opportunity to perform in public in London, marking a significant turning point in his music career.
“Mariano and artistes like him are our “unsung heroes” of Goan culture—those who quietly but effectively preserve and advance Goan heritage and legacy,” said Lawrence.
Mariano and his 30-member troupe have been invite to perform at the silver jubilee celebration of the ‘World Goa Day’ at Hounslow on August 20.
Being a devoted Catholic, Mariano expresses gratitude to God for bestowing upon him music abilities and creativeness.
“I attribute my ongoing life and artistic career to a miraculous event that I saw first-hand, which was made possible by the intervention of Venerable Fr Agnelo D'Souza. This incident deepened my faith and changed the direction of my life and music. My wife, Lidia, and my entire family have also supported my skills and ambition,” says Mariano.
