In the year that marks the 25th anniversary of Amália Rodrigues' death, the Fado Cale Association and the Fundão City Council decided to organise an event that is not just "concerts", but that brings together a wide-ranging line-up and includes the tenth edition of the Amália Rodrigues Competition.

During the three days, fado singers such as Camané, Teresinha Landeiro, Flávia Pereira, Joana Amendoeira, Nani Medeiros and Ana Paula and Custódio Castelo will perform.

"We decided to turn the tenth edition of the competition, of which Celeste Rodrigues and Fábia Rebordão were part of the jury, into a festival. This program is bold, with renowned names, and has a very broad and diverse aspect", stressed, in statements to Lusa, the councillor responsible for Culture, Alcina Cerdeira.

The privileged stage will be the Octagon, but the festival will extend to the Business and Services Center, the Fado Cale Association, the Church Fundão Parish Church - where Amália was baptised and where a fado mass with José Quaresma is being held - and restaurants participating in the Flavors of Autumn Gastronomic Festival, where fado singers Ana Lopes and Lara Rodrigues will perform at meals.

The president of the Fado Cale Association, Leonel Barata, recalls that Amália's eight siblings, including Celeste Rodrigues, were born in Fundão, her aunts, with whom she spent time, lived on Rua da Cale, her parents just a few metres away, and the municipality is planning the themed house O Lugar de Amália on the same street, a connection that leads the municipality to remember the fado singer in an event that allows the public of the region to “bring all these fado singers together in a three-day festival”.

“Some of these fado singers have already come to the region, but this is an opportunity for the public to see them these days and I hope it will be an opportunity to see fado singers they have never had the chance to hear before”, said Leonel Barata, also a musician.

According to the person in charge, the success of the initiative “depends on the turnout it has”, he hopes it will be “the first of many” and, although he expects the festival to “establish itself in Beira Interior”, he stressed that “the idea is for it to become a national and Iberian event”.

“We want it to be on the map of fado festivals, to be a reference”, added Alcina Cerdeira.

With the inclusion of the 10th Amália Rodrigues Competition, the aim is also to promote and encourage new performers.

“We want to make Fundão a centre for creating territorial dynamics and diversifying the fado experience”, highlighted Leonel Barata, in statements to the Lusa news agency.

The general ticket costs 25 euros and the programme goes beyond music.

The book “Amália Rodrigues - origin, roots and history", by José Barata de Castilho, a walking tour to visit the fado singer's geographies in the city, a musical instrument workshop with Óscar and João Cardoso, a photography class in concerts, a workshop on writing poetry according to fado metrics and the screening of the documentary about Amália Rodrigues, by Manuel Mozos, “Diva, simply a tribute“, are planned.

After the concerts, there will be fado vadio at the headquarters of the Fado Cale Association.