University of Southampton Voices, Monica Vasconcelos

Following hugely successful explorations of The Kinks’ Village Green Preservation Society and some of the best-known spirituals with last year’s The Year of Jubilee, University of Southampton Voices are back! This time they are joined by Brazillian singer Monica Vasconcelos, whose songs of resistance from her acclaimed album The Sao Paulo Tapes, have been given new choral arrangements by musician and USV Choir Director Harvey Brough.

The Sao Paulo Tapes is a collection of protest songs written by some of Brazil’s greatest song poets as a response to the military dictatorship that took over the country between 1964 and 1985. Many of the writers were censored, imprisoned or fled to the UK , and underneath the infectiously joyful spirit of the music there are messages of defiance and resistance, giving the songs an added weight and depth.