FOLKJADA is a collective of musicians from different backgrounds, born out of the desire to prove a dialog between the traditional songbook of the Azores and classical music. After a workshop at the Cordas Festival, the collective returns to Pico to make its debut in the third season of Música no Forte, this Sunday, August 4, at Forte de Santa Catarina, in Lajes do Pico.

This is, on the one hand, a project whose aim is to give the musical roots of the Azores, which we believe are fundamental to understanding the cultural identity of the archipelago, and, on the other, to articulate this invaluable heritage with the more specialized avenues of music, to broaden their respective audiences, as well as breaking down preconceived boundaries between them.

Based on a string ensemble, a male voice with a Micaelense accent, and a viola da terra, the aim is to bring the sounds of the erudite canons to places where they normally have no place and, at the same time, to preserve, promote and disseminate traditional Azorean music.

The FOLKJADA collective, which is performing in Pico, includes Romeu Bairos – viola da terra and voice, Gonçalo Sousa – violin, Micaela Sousa – violin, Lídia Sousa – viola d’arco, Natália Ferraz – cello.

The Music in the Fort concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Santa Catarina Fort, with free admission. The MiratecArts project in partnership with the Municipality of Lajes do Pico is supported by the Regional Directorate for Culture and the INATEL Foundation.