PANAJI
Portuguese guitarist Marta Pereira da Costa, the first woman to play the Portuguese guitar professionally in Fado, will perform in Goa with Goan sitarist Ustad Chhote Rahimat Khan at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on September 24.
Costa was introduced to the Portuguese guitar by her father, who loved Fado and its distinctive sound. She had studied piano from the age of four and later worked as a civil engineer for eight years. In 2012, she left her engineering career to pursue music full-time.
Since then, Costa has taken the Portuguese guitar to international stages, including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center in the US. She said her focus has been on exploring the instrument rather than its traditionally male-dominated history, adding that more women are now learning to play it.
Her Goa performance will bring together Portuguese and Indian classical traditions. Costa has challenged Khan to play a traditional Fado on the sitar, while she will attempt a raga on the Portuguese guitar. The collaboration will rely on listening, improvisation and responding to each other’s musical styles.
The concert is being held as a fundraiser by Communicare Trust. Proceeds will support initiatives including music education, student projects and a vegetable garden and bakery at Little Angels, a home for differently abled boys.
