Sopa de Pedra

Portugal

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Sopa de Pedra are a ten-woman vocal ensemble reinterpreting traditional Portuguese regional songs as well as constructing their own folk-inspired arrangements of works by contemporary composers, weaving complex, challenging and mellifluously intertwining vocal arrangements into a mesmeric, multi-layered performance. They take their name from the emblematic Portuguese soup, in turn named after a folk tale that has to do with the act of sharing in times of need. They sing a cappella, occasionally enhanced with minimal use of percussion. Women’s life-experience is a constant thread in their choice of songs, carrying themes of work and beauty, danger and survival, childbirth and the perils of love. Two sisters and a trio of cousins are among the members, most of whom have known each other since their schooldays; a community of breath, poetry and song.