For the first time in its history, the Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) will step outside India and travel to Birmingham later this month. A highlight of this mini edition will be the fado and jazz performances featuring Goan artistes
ADITHI SHARMA | NT BUZZ
Having begun as an interdisciplinary festival in Goa ten years ago, the Serendipity Arts Festival is marking its 10th anniversary with aplomb as it goes international. The mini edition will be held in Birmingham from May 23 to 26.
A highlight is the fado and jazz performances curated and musically directed by composer and Indus Creed member Zubin Balaporia, which will explore the breadth of India’s musical traditions—beyond its cinematic soundscape. “The idea is to present Indian music in all its layered glory—from fado to jazz, reinterpreting the styles for the new generation,” says Balaporia.
The musician who will also perform on keyboards, will be joined by a versatile ensemble including Gino Banks (drums), Sheldon D’Silva (bass), Nadia Rebelo (vocals), Omar Loiola Pereira (vocals and guitar), Nastya Saraswati (first violin), Dielle Braganza (second violin), Vian Pereira (cello), and Shirish Malhotra (viola). Rajiv Kenkre will be the sound engineer across all performances. The band remains fixed for both the jazz and fado performances while classical musicians Braganza, Malhotra, and Pereira would join in for the fado stage.
Balaporia emphasises the importance of inter-genre collaboration in shaping the show by reimagining fado and jazz, sharing that working on the fado concert involved careful musical arrangement. “It’s not about just imitating the tradition. It’s about bringing a new Goan sensibility to the fado,” he says, adding that this format was first explored at Nagalli Hills in Goa last year, and was much loved by the audience- both young and old. “The instrumentation we’ve created allows the songs to travel across moods and languages. Whether it›s fado, jazz or Indian folk, this line-up makes room for every voice.”
Lead vocalist Rebelo shares, “I’ve always felt that fado and jazz have a lot in common—both demand a deep emotional connection and a willingness to go beyond the notes to truly express something personal.” She recalls fond memories of having previously shared this stage with Ustad Zakir Hussain for SAF 2023. “Sharing that platform with him filled me with immense gratitude. I was scheduled to perform one song with him and the rest of the ensemble, but in a beautiful, unscripted moment, he turned to me and asked me to sing another. That gesture made me feel appreciated beyond words,” she says.
Rebelo, who will be a lead vocalist in both the jazz and fado sets, sees this project as an opportunity to merge authenticity with innovation. “It’s been a very collaborative process,” she says. “Zubin’s arrangements allow each of us to bring our style, and give us the space to express fado like never before, opening up a whole new way for audiences to experience it. This concert is a rare chance to blend genres that aren’t usually seen together on stage. It’s exciting to bring that to a new audience.”
Pereira meanwhile describes the upcoming concert as not only a musical performance but also a personal and cultural expression. “As a Goan, fado resonates with our Lusophone history. Jazz and fado, both styles of music, are popular and loved in Goa, so I’m delighted that we have the opportunity to perform both abroad,” he says.
He further describes the project as a musical conversation that’s as much about discovery as performance. “The whole purpose of the concerts is to bring a fresh perspective to the audience in Birmingham,” he says. “Audiences coming to these festivals come knowing and hoping they will hear something different. So it’s my sincere desire that what we will be performing will be of keen interest to the
audiences there.”
