Bom Dia!

My name is Liz Rosa, and I am a Portuguese-American and Italian-American musician based in New York City. I have long wanted to create a piece of music that represents my family legacy and the cultures I grew up in, and the first of these musical works will be a six movement, multimedia piece honoring the paternal side of my family called Os Antepassados for Bassoon and Concert Band. The fully realized work will include the solo bassoon and concert band music, with accompanying original artwork by my maternal cousin, Jam (@madewithjamshands). This project is currently in development, and I'm thrilled to share with you where I am in the progression of this project and how you can support the next phase of its production.

With your help, Os Antepassados can become a musical work that engages audiences with the powerful question: What have our ancestors given us the strength to become?

“Os Antepassados” is Portuguese for “The Ancestors,”. Each of the movements in this piece will represent one of my Portuguese family members: my Father, George, Grandparents Antonio and Hilda, Uncles Tony and Danny, and Titi ("Aunt") Judy. The resulting music will be a love letter to each individual’s impact on my life as a musician and aims to capture their unique spirits through the music they've known and loved as Portuguese-Americans. Through the heavy influence of the album my father, uncles and aunt created more than 50 years ago (Os 4 Rosas), as well as the music I have been fortunate to perform with my family over the years, Os Antepassados has a strong concept that is just waiting to be brought to life!

Os Antepassados Development: Phase 1 (We are currently here!)
Over the last several years, I have collected music from Portugal, performed several of my family's most meaningful songs alongside them, and created the outline for this piece. Currently, 5 of the 6 movements have a musical sketch written out ready to be put to sheet music! The music combines musical references to Os 4 Rosas with musical representations of my relationship with each family member, with each movement creating a different environment unique to the person.

For example: The movement representing my Vovô (Grandfather) will feature his favorite folk song from Boticas, his village in northern Portugal. This song, Rinção Trasmontana,was recorded by Os 4 Rosas in 1974. In writing Os Antepassados, to the best of my knowledge, this will be the first written version of the song. My father's movement will feature a duet between bassoon and trumpet, since he played the trumpet. The music in his movement will highlight music we've performed together through the years. My Uncle Tony plays guitar like nobody's business, so his movement will feature electric bassoon! I have memories of my Uncle Danny from when I was very young, and I'm excited to musically write out what "Marvin's Magic Drawing Board" means to us in his movement. Shortly after my Titi Judy passed away, I wrote a song that will be the driving force of her movement.

After a few more weeks of sketching and researching with my family, I will begin writing out the solo bassoon part for Os Antepassados. This process will continue through January 2027, when I hope to begin writing out the concert band accompaniment for the work.

As I prepare for the next phase of development for Os Antepassados, I have found that there are some pieces missing in my outline. I have the song that strongly represents my Vovô and Boticas, but I haven’t yet found the song that captures Lisbon, representing my Vovó (Grandmother). Additionally, I want to be sure that the concert band parts for this piece not only represent my family members, but the Portuguese and American musical styles that they experienced.

I also have some unanswered questions as I think about developing this project, such as:
- What makes a Portuguese concert band different from an American concert band?
- How might Portuguese fado music influence the bassoon solo sound in this piece?
- Can I create music that bridges the gaps between cultures, and allows musicians in both Portugal and the United States to experience this work?
- As an educator, how can I also create educational material to accompany this work so others can learn about this music and connect to their own families (both given and chosen) in a positive way?

These questions take me to Portugal for the next phase of this project. While the piece will mostly be written in the United Staes, this music can only be finished in Portugal.

I am honored to have been accepted to the HANGAR Artist Residency in Lisbon, Portugal in early 2027 to realize phase 2 of this work authentically in the place where my Vovó Hilda spent a large portion of her life! During this time, I'll be researching the Portuguese music traditions of banda filharmonica and fado, and utilizing my time immersed in the culture to write the movement Hilda, as well as orchestrate the concert band parts for Os Antepassados in a way that reflects the combined cultures and influences of Portugal and the US. Spending time in Lisbon is integral to the completion of the work, as it allows me the time and space to engage and connect with the musical traditions of Portugal in order to write a piece that not only offers an authentic representation of the country, but would allow its musicians to perform the work in the future.

About the Dontaion Tiers

The Advocate and Discovery donation tiers for this fundraising campaign support my research endeavors in Lisbon as I collect information on Portuguese music history and traditions like fado and bandas filharmonicas through attending performances, visiting museums like the Fado Museum of Portugal. Starting at the Supporter tier and above, your support directly impacts the scope of the project as I aim to turn this research into authentic instrumentation and create educational materials to present to schools and Portuguese-American cultural groups across the United States when I return. On the Grand Supporter and Great Grand Supporter tiers, your support for my overall travel, residency, and artist commission costs earn you an exclusive first look at the piece when it is finished.

I'm also happy to share that at most donation tiers, you will gain exclusive access to the behind-the scenes blog for Os Antepassados, where you can regularly keep up with its development and interact with fellow supporters!

Once the piece is written, my goal is to engage audiences with my own answer to the question "What have our ancestors given us the strength to become?" in hopes that they will feel inspired to reflect on the strengths their own families (both biological and chosen) have given them. This project also offers the opportunity for audiences to learn about music history and Portuguese-American culture. The world premiere of the full multimedia presentation is currently set for 2028, and presentations of the work will be presented on a smaller scale in 2027-2028 in the form of educational outreaches and in Portuguese-American spaces around the United States.

At its core, I want to write music that is as entertaining, informative, and exciting to hear as it is to perform. It’s what my ancestors gave me the strength to do! I hope you’ll join me on this endeavor, and I thank you in advance for your time.

With your support, Os Antepassados comes to life!

Ate ja!