While the Walt Disney Concert Hall is predominately reserved for the LA Philharmonic, there’s more than enough room for artists who are better described as icons. That happens to be the case for Portuguese fado singer Mariza, whose 25+ year career has led to a level of recognition in Portugal and to international audiences worldwide. On Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, she will be continuing the US leg of her global tour that will take her back to her home of Lisbon in November. The show will be the first of four shows as part of the 2024-2025 KCRW series at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the other three happening throughout 2025. Tickets are available now starting at $48.
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Words: David Sosa
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Origins of fado
Literally translated to fate from Portuguese, fado is a 200-year-old genre that was born in Lisbon, Portugal. Despite the specific origins of the genre still being shrouded in mystery and largely lost to history, the general consensus is that fado started off as a general song structure that gradually developed a distinct identity over the next two centuries. As it is known today, fado often explores melancholic themes, whether through the lyrics or through the vocals of a high-caliber singer like Mariza.
While there are varying styles of fado floating around, most fado music today consists of a singer accompanied by two guitars, specifically the Portuguese guitar or two violas. That rings true for Mariza, whose 25+ year career spans so many albums and songs, making it hard to pinpoint a single moment or track that exemplifies how much of a representative of fado she is.
Mariza’s acclaimed career
In a literal twist of fate, Mariza was raised in Lisbon, Mouraria, the same neighborhood where fado formed 150 years before her birth. However, she was born in Mozambique, a country that she honors to this day in her music that can be heard as far back as her debut album, Fado em mim. Since the release of that record, which bore fado in its title and firmly established Mariza as a forerunner of the genre, she’s garnered over 30 platinum albums in and beyond her home country. While she has many other accolades to her name, whether it be working with artists like Lenny Kravitz and Gilberto Gil or selling out Central Park, perhaps her biggest accomplishment is how iconic she is to Portugal, where her voice and preserving of fado has uplifted her from artist to representative.
How fate brought her to LA
A day prior to starting the leg of her US tour, Mariza took to Instagram and wrote in Portuguese, “For the next month, I fulfill the mission that honors me so much: to take the essence from Portugal borders. It’s more than music—it’s our soul, our spirit, and our culture echoing in every chord, in every verse.” Although her show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall is not the first time she has come to LA or toured in the US, the type of enormity that the venue brings out of its artists is sure to make the show carry far more weight than a typical gig. And between Fado em mim to her self-titled 2018 album, there’s more than enough material to haunt the hall long after her show is over.
You can catch Mariza on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where she will be celebrating her entire catalog across more than 20 years. On top of other shows in the KCRW series at the Hall, more than a few shows are scheduled for the October season.
On Oct. 25, 26, and 27, the John Williams co-curated program An Evening of Film & Music: From Mexico to Hollywood will take place, with the evening dedicated to Mexican and American cinema scores from the 1930s to the 1960s. If you’re looking for something more in the spirit of October, celebrate Halloween at the Halloween Organ, Film & Music: Nosferatu, where organist Clark Wilson will perform the score of the original 1922 silent film Nosferatu. A day later, on Nov. 1, is Día de Los Muertos with Dudamel, which celebrates the Day of the Dead through Latin American music conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
