At the entrance to the town of Lajes do Pico, we find the Fort of Santa Catarina, the stage for the MiratecArts project, “Music at the Fort,” in which the municipality of Lajes do Pico is a partner.

Over the next few Sundays, at sunset, classical, regional, traditional, contemporary, and even international sounds will echo around the bay of the first settlement on the mountain island. Kicking off the program on July 7, João Moniz, accompanied by his band Stepan Kobyakin and Johannes Haaf, will be joined on stage by musicians from Pico, Nuno Mendes, and Bruno Rosa.

Born on one of the “nine rocks in the middle of the sea,” João Moniz fell in love with music from an early age. At 6, he took his first steps in classical guitar lessons. In recent years, he has appeared on various regional and national stages, sharing his music, which echoes the term Vitorino Nemésio used to describe his way of being: “Azoreanness.” “Where do I want to be? Nine stones in the middle of the sea!” This is the essence of his songs: the connection to his islands, the feeling of belonging to a place that he believes is unique in the world, and the sensitivity of putting himself in the shoes of those who left this same place in search of a better life, but who yearn to one-day “return for good.”

All his songs were written in a small room, looking out over the lighthouse of his hometown, Ponta Garça, located on the south coast of the island of São Miguel. He has two original albums: EP SAUDADE (2020) and “Depois da Saudade” (2022). But it all started in 2019 when he released his first original song, “Saudade”, which not only earned him the EP but also a win in the “One Step For Music Fest” National Competition, allowing him to perform at one of the biggest festivals in the country, MEO Sudoeste. He won the National Competition “Angra Sound Bay 2020”, was nominated for the International Portuguese Music Awards as a New Talent 2020, and was a finalist in the international competition: “Musicando Carvalho Calero”.

During his career he has had the privilege of performing at the Teatro Micaelense, opening Ana Moura’s show; Coliseu Micaelense, opening Fernando Daniel’s show; he has shared the stage with Sara Cruz, Banda Harmonia Mosteirense, Cristóvam, Mariana Rocha; he has taken part in various festivals, including Monte Verde, São João da Vila, Bliss Vibes, Meo Sound Route and Cordas World Music Festival.

Música no Forte is free, and all concerts start at 19:30. For more information, visit miratecarts.com and follow musicanoforte on Facebook to keep up with the unique program. Summer is at the Fort!

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for their grant to support Filamentos (arts and letters in the diaspora) and other language and cultural projects at PBBI-Fresno State.