2025 Fado at The Pines Musicians
Mariana Arroja Trio
Mariana Arroja
A journey of Portuguese “Fado” and Harp along with Mariana Arroja trio.
Mariana is a singer, composer and producer, who is one of the most versatile artists in Portugal. Her music incorporates elements of World Music and promote Portuguese arts that are becoming extinct.
Considered by many as the embodiment of the word “Saudade”, she has gained a loyal following for her soulful and captivating performances. Mariana is interested on the impact of Fado music and in exploring distinct sonorities within the style, leading to the incorporation of unique elements such as harp.
Along with Pia Salvia on harp and Richard Miller on guitar, this trio will bring you storytelling, Fado and Jazz in a unique musical experience not to be missed.
Musician Biographies
1. Mariana Arroja
Dr. Mariana Arroja is an award winning singer, composer, producer (and a neuroscientist) from Portugal and considered one of the most versatile artists of her generation.
Mariana has performed internationally and nationally in acclaimed festivals and venues such as Celtic Connections, Traverse Theatre, Casino de Espinho, Porto stadium, etc. Mariana is very interested on the impact Fado music has on the listener and much of her musical journey has been exploring different sonorities along with Fado, leading to various projects and collaborations. One of these Fado & Harp, a unique project that originated in Scotland along with Adriano Sangineto that received national attention. She recently released an EP “Scented Soul (Alma Perfumada)” in Los Angeles, a project that blends Fado with New Age, and toured in Brazil, Portugal, US and Spain.
Mariana´s music has gained the attention of musicians such as Yamandu Costa. In 2024, she recorded her first album “My name is No One” at Yamandu Costa´s studio, a project with lyrics by Maria Manuel Cid, one of the greatest Fado lyricists, and counts with the participation of musicians such as Bebe Kramer & Manel Ferreira. She is currently filming her second documentary about the life of Maria Manuel Cid and preparing the release of her album.
One of Mariana´s interests is promoting arts in danger of extinction. Her song and documentary, “The Portuguese Calçada Knows You (A Calçada Conhece-te)” was included in Portuguese calçada´s UNESCO World Heritage application. This project was idealized, produced and written by Mariana, directed by André Badalo and gained wide national and international press interest. The work was first presented in Lisbon at the prestigious Padrão dos Descobrimentos in a full house event with the main KOLs in the field, including the Portuguese Culture Councilor and the President of EGEAC, and it had the support of institutions such as Sogrape and Associação Calçada Portuguesa. Moreover, it was highlighted as a major contribution to the UNESCO application by the Lisbon City Council, won Bronze Award for Best Short Documentary at Los Angeles Independent Shorts Awards and was shortlisted for the Cannes Short Film Festival. The project is currently being promoted internationally and was recently presented in Los Angeles at 2220 Arts and at Vogue Theatre in San Francisco to celebrate Portuguese Language Day, an event organized by the Portuguese and Brazilian consulates and with the support of the Instituto de Camões.
Mariana has performed internationally and nationally in acclaimed festivals and venues such as Celtic Connections, Traverse Theatre, Casino de Espinho, Porto stadium, etc. Mariana is very interested on the impact Fado music has on the listener and much of her musical journey has been exploring different sonorities along with Fado, leading to various projects and collaborations. One of these Fado & Harp, a unique project that originated in Scotland along with Adriano Sangineto that received national attention. She recently released an EP “Scented Soul (Alma Perfumada)” in Los Angeles, a project that blends Fado with New Age, and toured in Brazil, Portugal, US and Spain.
Mariana´s music has gained the attention of musicians such as Yamandu Costa. In 2024, she recorded her first album “My name is No One” at Yamandu Costa´s studio, a project with lyrics by Maria Manuel Cid, one of the greatest Fado lyricists, and counts with the participation of musicians such as Bebe Kramer & Manel Ferreira. She is currently filming her second documentary about the life of Maria Manuel Cid and preparing the release of her album.
Mariana has a degree in Pharmacology from King´s College London, PhD in Neuroscience from University of Glasgow and studied Performance and Composition at California Institute of the Arts with Luciana Souza, David Roitstein, Steve Lehman, Vardan Ovsepian, Eyvind Kang and Aashish Khan.
Mariana, a nomad who embraces all the cultures she visits, combines her Portuguese Fado influence with sounds from around the world, telling stories of the people and places she visits through her songs.
Richard Miller
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to an American father and Brazilian mother, Richard Miller’s recent credits include: a special performance for Pope Francis; a White House performance for President Obama; a residency at Club Bonafide in New York City, a cross-country solo tour entitled “A Rhythmic History of Brazilian Music,” and music director for the premiere of Olivério, A Brazilian Twist at the Kennedy Center and for its production in Los Angeles in 2019. Richard is featured on the Grammy award nominated recording Virtual Birdland, with Paquito d’ Rivera, Arturo O’Farrill, and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Richard now resides in Southern California and has been playing and touring with singers Vanessa Falabella and Mariana Arroja. A long-time practitioner of yoga and surfing, Richard created Balanced Guitar, a guitar, yoga, surfing retreat that takes place in Costa Rica (www.balancedguitar.com).
Pia Salvia
Award-winning Belgian harpist and vocalist Pia Salvia is a unique artist in the world of modern harp. After graduating summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music, she moved to NYC for several years and recently relocated to Los Angeles. Salvia has travelled the world, exploring different musical traditions and infusing elements from those diverse genres into the world of the harp which creates a new sound unlike anything heard before. Her original music merges elements of Jazz, Pop and World Music. She was invited to perform in numerous festivals such as the Festival Mundial del Arpa in Paraguay; Vancouver Island Music Fest in Canada; Festival Internacional Arpa Sentmenat in Spain, Encuentro International Maestros del Arpa in Colombia, Boston Harp Festival in the USA and Gaume Jazz Festival in Belgium, to name a few. Salvia is also an educator and travels around the world presenting her master class program for harpists of all levels.
Mariana Arroja Music links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8cHkjidmSQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpvQnTuSgxw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJD3j_WbJg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnWZHgx_3IQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8899JUuvbI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7j18Six_tU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcH6KmpzgCY