According to information available on the FAI’s official website, Portugal was chosen “due to the rich and diverse folk music” made in the country, which “includes Fado, but goes much further, with many unique regional traditions”.

The 37th FAI conference will present, in collaboration with the Portuguese music promotion and dissemination platform Why Portugal, “a more in-depth look at some of these traditions, as they are practiced by great contemporary artists”.

In total, there will be eleven Portuguese artists and projects that will perform at the 37th FAI conference, which will take place between February 19th and 23rd.

According to Why Portugal there will be “six official artist presentations, a panel on regional Portuguese string instruments and private presentations by four more Portuguese artists”.

The projects Bicho Carpinteiro, by Vasco Ribeiro Casais and Rui Rodrigues, and OMIRI, by Vasco Ribeiro Casais, the orchestra Retimbar, the collective Lusitanian Ghosts, the singer Joana Alegre, the guitarists João Diogo Leitão and Marta Pereira da Costa, RAIA (António Bexiga), O Gajo (João Morais), the duo Lavoisier and PS Lucas (Pedro Lucas) were chosen to perform in Montreal.

The 37th FAI conference features the participation of 175 artists from 38 countries.

The Portuguese delegation’s trip to Canada also includes “a six-day series of concerts on Toronto’s only fully immersive stage dedicated to the Canadian public.”

Between 14 and 26 February, Lighthouse ArtSpace “will transform into a vibrant showcase of Portuguese culture that is both a musical celebration and an unforgettable journey through the rich Portuguese landscape”.