Discover why Portuguese fado folk music fado sparkles on the UNESCO World Heritage List of living cultural heritage when festival favourite and mezzo-soprano Cláudia Ribas and ensemble perform a heartfelt repertoire in the summer evening.

Returning guests at Copenhagen Opera Festival will probably recognise the name Cláudia Ribas. You might have seen her enchant the Festival Stage with her glowing voice and strong presence, or perhaps you recognise her as one of the rebels on the opera party bus Ride! Sing! Repeat!

This year, you can experience the mezzo-soprano with her own chamber music ensemble, the van A'dam Ensemble, on violin, harp and double bass. On this summer evening, Cláudia Ribas will perform wonderful folk music from her native Portugal on the Festival Stage. You can look forward to Ribas' personal take on the yearning Portuguese genres of fado and canto alentejano in a hand-picked programme that spans traditional music and new compositions, with and without vocals.

Cláudia Ribas has been singing with the ensemble since she was a student at the Amsterdam Conservatory. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music and the Opera Academy, Ribas has been a member of the Frankfurt Opera Studio since the 2022/2023 season, where she has shone in roles including 'The Magic Flute', 'Le Vin Herbé' and, most recently, as Cornelia in 'Giulio Cesare'. You can also enjoy the mezzo-soprano in 'The Undoing of Carmen—or Eight Predictable Steps of a Partner Killing', which is returning to the festival after last year's much talked about world premiere, this time at the Edison.