Gonçalo Mendes
VOCALS
He formally began his career at Orfeon Académico de Coimbra and currently counts over 20 years of collaboration with several Coimbra’s Fado groups. Has already performed live a bit throughout the world and was invited to diverse records and TV shows.
BIOGRAPHY
He began his musical training in piano at the age of six and completed a total of eight years studying music. During that time, he also learned to play the classical guitar, which gave him an important impulse to enter the world of Coimbra’s Fado.
At the age of 14, he moved to Coimbra and soon was singing and playing in the city streets. He later joined the University, where he graduated in Mechanical Engineering and specialized in Production Management and Operations.
He formally began his career as a singer at the Orfeon Académico de Coimbra, standing out as a soloist and resident member of the Fado group of that academic body. It was also in the quality of soloist that he entered the Estudantina Universitária de Coimbra.
During his academic journey, he attended the monumental serenades of Coimbra academy, and was elected as a direction member of Fado Section of Academic Association of Coimbra. He participated actively in organizing the first edition of the event “Month of Fado”.
In 1996 he joined the fado and guitar Coimbra group ‘Verdes Anos’, with whom he continues to collaborate.
He has over 20 years of collaboration with several Coimbra’s Fado formations, in numerous presentations all over the world, such as the official Coimbra’s Fado presentations at Expo 98, in Lisbon, and trips to Macau and Italy representing Coimbra, as well as diverse tours throughout Europe.
He was invited to several recordings, such as Verdes Anos albums, in which he signed various songs. He also made some television appearances, of which he highlights the invitation to record a historic documentary about Coimbra’s Fado for “RTP”, with João Braga, Fernando Machado Soares, Artur Caldeira, Pedro Pinto and Paulo Soares, among others.