The musical project, produced by MiratecArts, with composer and musician Evandro Meneses, SOLO9VIOLA, has been nominated for “Best Live Performance” at the Iberian Festival Awards.

The Iberian Festival Awards is an event organized by Aporfest – the Portuguese Association of Music Festivals, which recognizes and rewards the contributions of music festivals, festivities, and cultural events, as well as artists and service providers, thus enhancing the entire industry. The gala will take place on March 15, 2025, at the Pavilhão Multiusos 25 de Abril, in Almancil, Loulé, in the heart of the Algarve. The public can vote for their favorites until January 17 by following the platform from https://www.talkfest.eu/2025-nominees – search for SOLO9VIOLA and cast your vote. Don’t forget to vote for the Cordas World Music Festival, where SOLO9VIOLA was born, a festival nominated in several categories, including Best Small Festival.

SOLO9VIOLA, in three movements, is a show that takes us from the original present to the potential future of the Viola dos Dois Corações, as well as new arrangements of traditional songs, in a movement that takes us on a journey through the 9 islands of the Azores, thus highlighting the region’s most unique instrument. The show has toured Italy, Spain, and Uruguay and arrived in Flores (the seventh of nine) last month. Gabriela Silva, the matriarch of the artists from the island and Europe’s westernmost point, wrote: “SOLO9VIOLA – a serious case of quality. Evandro is no ordinary viola player. He has a deep knowledge of each of the fifteen strings that he caresses perfectly, extracting all kinds of sounds from them.” His comment has been echoed by producers from Montevideo to Prague. You can follow the project’s journey on the SOLO9VIOLA Facebook page.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for sponsoring FILAMENTOS.