Rita Maria

Rita Maria studied lyrical singing at the National Conservatory of Music in Lisbon, and jazz at the Barreiro Jazz School, ESMAE (Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectacle) and also at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Rita’s music and career wanders between Jazz improvisation and Fado nostalgia, Experimentalism, and the fusion with World Music and Rock. She collaborated with the OJM (Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos), OHCP (Hot Clube de Lisboa Orchestra) with John Hollenbeck and Perico Sambeat, the BBJ (Big Band Junior) and Orquesta Andina (Ecuador). Rita also recorded albums with and for the following artists: Elias Meister, Yeray Jiménez, Nuno Costa, João Firmino, Afonso Pais, Kiko Pereira, Luís Figueiredo, Amélia Muge, Rão Kyao, Lars Arens Band Larga, Dixie Gang, Sayuri Shimizu. In 2016, she recorded the album Além das Horas (ENJA Records) with guitarist and composer Afonso Pais. For her achievements, Rita received the Artist of the Year Award, (RTP/Jazz Festival Awards 2018).

(This text is partly drawn from https://clavenamao.org/rita-maria/)

Photo credit: Márcia Lessa