Lyric music in Portuguese will grace Macao’s Dom Pedro V Theatre this Saturday evening, bringing to the stage award-winning singers, accompanied by piano, to revive a musical heritage from art songs to opera. 

Viagem Vocal: Quatro Séculos de Música Lírica em Português (Vocal Journey: Four Centuries of Lyric Music in Portuguese) will be held for one night only inside the 19th-century UNESCO-listed building as part of Junho, Mês de Portugal – a month-long celebration of Portuguese culture in Macao.

Spanning the Baroque era to present day, the recital will feature a cast of award-winning musicians, including Portuguese soprano Sílvia Sequeira, Hong Kong mezzo-soprano Ashley Chui, Macao baritone Chris Kun Hang Iek, and French pianist Arièle Zanini.

Although less widely known than its German, French, or Italian counterparts, art songs in Portuguese have travelled the globe and are considered hidden gems of Lusophone vocal tradition.

[See more: ‘Junho, Mês de Portugal’ kicks off in Macao]

“Performed by promising young singers from Portugal, Hong Kong, and Macao, the recital offers a comprehensive overview of opera and art song in the Portuguese language,” comments Michel Reis, programmer co-producer and consultant at Xcessu, speaking to The Bay. 

“Revisiting or discovering classics that highlight the connection between Portuguese-speaking countries and regions is a meaningful way to value Macao and Hong Kong as territories of cultural encounters between East and West, rooted in the belief that music-making is the best way to foster intercultural dialogue,” he adds. 

The recital is in collaboration with the Cascais Opera International Vocal Competition and with the support of the Consulate General of Brazil in Hong Kong, in co-production and programming with Xcessu Ltd. (Macau) and OperaLab (Hong Kong).

Recital tickets are priced at 100 patacas and the curtain goes up at 7:30 pm.