June 14th || 14h30

An open workshop where participants can get their first taste of the Hurdy-Gurdy

Instructor: João Ferreira Martins is a multi-instrumentalist with a particular interest in Portuguese stringed instruments. As a fado accompanist and concert performer, he has shared the stage with artists such as Ana Bacalhau, Ana Laíns, António Pinto Basto, Celeste Rodrigues, Helder Moutinho, João Chora, João Gentil, Micaela Vaz, Miguel Calhaz, Maria da Nazaré, Paulo Tato Marinho, Quiné Teles, Uxía, Florência, Marco Rodrigues, Marco Oliveira, and many others. In the context of fado, he has recorded three albums entirely dedicated to the Portuguese guitar as a solo instrument.

In recent years, he has also devoted himself to studying and teaching the Hurdy-Gurdy, having learned from some of the instrument’s leading players, and teaching it at the Ponte Velha School of Traditional Music. He is the founder and mentor of the Sanfonas da Ponte Velha project, as well as of Cotovia Arisca. He is also a member of the trio “Sussurros do Levante”; a Swedish music duo with Sérgio Calisto; the lineup of João Morais’s project ‘O GAJO’, participating in the creation of arrangements and the recording of the album “Trovoada”; and the lineup of the project “Criatura”.