Under the visionary leadership of Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), Portugal was the first European kingdom to reach out across the oceans expanding its borders and trade routes during the Age of Discoveries. Long excursions to unknown lands required that sailors and soldiers leave their loved ones behind, often for years at a time. “Saudade”, the longing for family and homeland, permeates Portuguese literature, poetry and music. The culmination of years of independent research and performance this program illustrates how women came to serve as sources of comfort to men—not only sailors and poets, but also the composers who, in the centuries since, found in these muses inspiration for their work. Lending particular significance to the research and performance of this literature for voice, piano, and guitar is the complete lack of published scholarly work on this topic.

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This hour-long program is contextualized by staging, movement and multiple media that allow the audience the freedom to put down the recital program and program notes and simply enjoy the narrative journey.