Mônica Vasconcelos

After a successful debut performance at Kings Place in 2011, Brazilian star Mônica Vasconcelos returns with a new show Rise Up and Dance: Brazilian Freedom Songs. Fifty years ago, a military coup in Brazil marked the beginning of a long dictatorship and coincided with one of the most creative periods in Brazilian popular music. Mônica Vasoncelos has been searching for the stories behind the Freedom Songs from this period and has reworked them in with a team of top musicians from Brazil and Britain.

São Paulo born Brazilian singer and songwriter Mônica Vasconcelos has been living in the UK for over a decade. She has recorded 7 albums to date.Her musical journey includes partnerships with, amongst others, UK rock legend Robert Wyatt (on her album "Hih") and Brazilian master guitarist and composer Guinga (on her album "Gente"). She can also be heard singing the duet “Just As You Are” with Robert on his album "Comicopera”. She has toured the UK with Guinga and has sung in London with Brazilian bossa nova icons João Donato and Marcos Valle. Leading her bands Nóis and Nóis 4, Mônica has played support gigs for Bryan Ferry, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim,Joyce, Gilberto Gil and Courtney Pine. In the early Summer of 2014, she released the London Bossa DVD, which features a music performance and a documentary. It brings together some of Mônica's long standing collaborators and friends, and celebrates their 20 years of music-making in the London where they all met. Among the DVD guests are Steve Lodder, Ife Tolentino, Paul Jayasinha, Chris Wells, Dudley Phillips, Adriano Adewale and Robert Wyatt.