Portuguese Symphony Orchestra
with Cristina Branco, Raquel Tavares and Ricardo Ribeiro

In 1952, Amália Rodrigues won over American audiences when she sang at the La Vie en Rose nightclub in New York. Her success was repeated at prestigious venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall.

Amália's repertoire in the US combined traditional fados, fados-canção by Frederico Valério, traditional Portuguese songs and hits from Broadway and Hollywood. In 1965, she recorded two albums: Amália Canta Portugal, with traditional songs orchestrated by Joaquim Luís Gomes, and Amália na Broadway, released in 1984, with songs from the Great American Songbook.

In 1966, she was a soloist in symphonic concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, performing traditional Portuguese songs and fados, to great acclaim.

Amália's programme in America pays tribute to the fado singer's important connection to that country, through a repertoire composed of new orchestral arrangements. Premiered in September 2024 at the Belém Cultural Centre, the works are now being presented on the occasion of the closing of the 40th anniversary of the Luso-American Development Foundation at Carnegie Hall, the legendary venue that is sponsoring the debut of the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra in New York.