Anna Ferrer took us by storm at the end of last year with an album that fits in with a reworking of different variants of Spanish folk music that has been happening with a generation of new artists. From Menorca, Anna Ferrer works on Parenòstic ideas of local folklore. It is not just a question of sound, but of tradition, habits, and imagination. Even language. This reworking, whether by Ferrer, her contemporaries such as Tarta Relena, or, on another level, Marina Herlop (who visited us recently), has a strong academic foundation and sets out on a new path that is not accidental but sustained by ideas of the new and of how to recreate a new folklore that neither imitates nor limits the old.
Anna Ferrer’s voice is central to her music. The keyboards and guitar exist to create a soundscape, but the primary sensation of this music is the voice. The instrumentals are skeletal, a kind of basic orientation for what arises, which does not exist in a vacuum. The voice therefore occupies the space, and can be heard even when Anna Ferrer is not singing, like an echo. This is perhaps the main difference between Ferrer and other examples in the same vein, from Spain and elsewhere: she seeks a more earthy, guttural connection with the idea of folklore.
Heard like this today, this idea of tradition and folklore is more connected to origins/roots than might be suggested. That is, Anna Ferrer feels more earthy than her contemporaries, as if by exploring the past and tradition, she realizes that there is no other way out but to explore the rarest depths of this sound. In the songs we know, Ana Ferrer unveils the guttural nature of the earth, the weight of the secrets of the past through a voice that is heard and echoes through these sounds of the earth. Menorca is the point of origin, the destination is the world. And that now passes through Lisbon. AS

Marta Fonseca is a classical guitarist from Portugal with a varied and dynamic musical career. Winner of many competitions throughout Europe, she performs a wide range of styles and periods from baroque and classical to contemporary and folk, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

“This is a perfect example of great musicianship. Marta Fonseca blends extreme technical agility with an impeccable sensitivity to harmony and timbre. Amazing musician.” – by pianist Francisco Cabrita.

In 2023, Marta started “Duo Arco da Velha” with violinist Vasco Sequeira, combining classical and Portuguese folk music, including original fado arrangements. They have been actively performing in Maastricht, with concerts in venues such as the

Limestone Bookstore, the Willem Hijstek Hall, and the Sint Pieter Hall. They are occasionally mentored by musicians such as the guitarist Carlo Marchione and the violinist Kyoko Yonemoto, among others.

Marta Fonseca also performs in a quartet project called “Fado Meets Mozart” with guitarist Eduardo Cal, saxophonist Silvia Martín and violinist Vasco Sequeira. It’s a quartet that started as a university project in 2023 and quickly became professional, performing all over the Netherlands. Their performance focuses on a piece written by them based on a composition by Mozart crossed with elements of fado. Their work focuses on expressing ‘saudade’ – the deep feeling of nostalgia and longing that is intrinsic to Portuguese culture – through a mixture of music, poetry, spoken word, and visuals.

Recently, Marta began collaborating with Portuguese pop singer A Sul, doing classical guitar arrangements for her latest album. Together, they have been performing an intimate duo concert across Portugal in the winter of 2024 and in 2025.

Marta Fonseca has been awarded in several international guitar competitions, including the audience prize at the International Guitar Competition of Madrid in 2022, second prize at the Albania International Guitar Competition in 2022. Throughout her musical journey, she has performed as a soloist on various stages, including the Panteão Nacional, the CCB, and the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon. She has also performed in several other cities across Europe, such as Amsterdam, Madrid, Groningen, Weimar, Basel, Trento, and Maastricht. Last February, she performed in a recital with soprano Leonor Vasconcelos at Morse Hall at the Juilliard School in New York.

The 21-year-old artist is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in classical guitar at the Conservatorium Maastricht, studying with Carlo Marchione.