The First
All-Female Fado Quartet
2026 “Lianor” Debut Album
“Lianor” is more than a title; it is a symbolic territory. On the surface, it evokes Camões and his ideal woman — young, graceful, almost ethereal, walking barefoot towards the fountain. At a deeper level, it evokes her necessary opposite: Luísa, a concrete, repetitive figure, trapped in the endless climb up Calçada de Carriche, where work, exhaustion and submission accumulate like stone upon stone. Between Lianor and Luísa lies an ancient tension, still unresolved. A duality that has crossed centuries of representations of women.
Between traditional themes and original compositions, “Lianor” expands the place of women in Fado — not only as the central voice, but also as instrumentalist, composer and artistic thinker. Here, women cease to be an image and become creative matter.
2026 Singles from “Lianor”
2026 Live presentation of “Lianor” at Teatro Sá da Bandeira
“More than Fado, it is a musical encounter, a kind of emotional intimacy that unfolds in every song, making it the listener’s own through a total surrender to musical pleasure.”
João Paulo Pombo, radio host at DIANA FM
Laura Rui - voice
Sónia Sobral – accordion
Joana Almeida – classical guitar
Susana Castro Santos – cello
Shall We Take the Stage?
2026 Workshop
A workshop aimed at young musicians, offering tools to manage performance anxiety; creating space to discuss the challenges of musical performance; and encouraging reflection on gender equality in the arts sector.
Sessions have already taken place at the Academia de Música de Santa Maria da Feira and the Academia de Música do Orfeão de Ovar.
31 JUL 2023
Concertos em colaboração
com AGA Khan Master Musicians
Em Julho Amara Quartet subiu ao palco com AGA Khan Master Musicians no Centro de Congressos da Alfândega do Porto e no Centro Ismaili, Lisboa.
Um encontro muito feliz entre a música do Mediterrâneo e Oriente Médio e o Fado.
Amara Quartet at Jazz à Rabat Festival 2026
On September 24, 2026, at 7:30 PM, Amara Quartet will perform at Parc Hassan II in Rabat, as part of the 28th edition of the Jazz à Rabat Festival.
On this occasion, the quartet will bring together its Fado universe with the musical language of Moroccan percussionist Khalid Kouhen, in a musical encounter between Portugal and Morocco.
The collaboration explores new sounds and dialogues between tradition and contemporary music, while keeping Fado at the heart of Amara’s artistic identity.
The concert is part of the festival’s international programme, bringing different cultures and musical languages together through artistic creation. It will also be an opportunity to present the world of Lianor, Amara Quartet’s debut album, to Moroccan audiences.
2026 A Música Portuguesa a Gostar Dela Própria
In Oliveira de Azeméis, Amara recorded for the project A Música Portuguesa a Gostar Dela Própria, performing “A Força de Ser Mulher”, one of the songs from their debut album, Lianor.
Through this composition, Amara celebrate the strength, courage and freedom of being a woman, in a contemporary expression of Fado that reinvents itself without losing its connection to its roots.
TOUR 2025
China, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal
In 2025, Amara Quartet took their Fado beyond borders on an international tour through Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and China. Throughout the tour, the quartet presented its music in a variety of contexts and venues, from theatres and concert halls to international festivals, creating bridges between Portuguese tradition and different audiences and cultures.
In China, Amara gave six performances, including concerts in Beijing, Xi’an, Longchang, Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as a performance dedicated to Portuguese and Western music in a special collaboration with Chinese musician Tang Wenting, on the pipa.
The tour continued an international journey already marked by appearances at the Festival Ethnos (Italy), She Arts Festival (Egypt), Visa For Music (Morocco) and EXIB Musica Showcase (Portugal).
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Collaboration with
AGA Khan Master Musicians
In July 2023, the Amara Quartet took the stage alongside the Aga Khan Master Musicians at the Alfândega do Porto Congress Center and the Ismaili Center in Lisbon. This joyful meeting of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music with fado was repeated on July 4, 2024, to celebrate Imamat Day, this time featuring the renowned Chinese musician Wu Man on the pipa. The event was graced by the presence of Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Prince Hussain Aga Khan, and his wife, Princess Fareen.
AMARA
QUARTET