Sonia Tavares - Singer
Toronto native Sonia Tavares quickly discovered her passion for music at a very early age. As a classically trained pianist and vocalist born to Portuguese parents, she was immersed in the traditional sounds of her cultural roots since infancy. In her mid-teens, she heard the singer Dulce Pontes for the first time and immediately fell in love with her voice and the style of music she was singing, fado. And, it was at that moment that Sonia’s desire to explore Portuguese song as a musical direction solidified.
She released her debut fado CD entitled “Reformação” in 2007 and set her eyes on the world music community. When CBC’s Sonia Arab, producer for “Metro Morning” with Andy Barrie, Toronto’s number one morning radio program, heard Reformação, Sonia’s future as CBC’s new darling was solidified. Reformação rang its way throughout CBC radio and soon, what started out as a live performance and interview on this popular radio show turned into numerous appearances on various CBC radio programs including Canada Live, Big City, Small World and a special appearance on Sounds of the Season. That year Sonia also performed in Toronto’s inaugural Luminato Festival and showcased her talent at The Ontario Council for Folk Festivals. In 2009, Sonia was selected by CBC Radio 2 as one of Canada’s 50 up and coming artists and was featured in a 10-part showcase series for Canada Live entitled “Next”.
Sonia now finds herself immersed in a new musical idea. In what she is calling the “Vibrante Project”, Sonia sings songs in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French, having a wide variety of musical styles and cultural richness to bring to life. The word “vibrante” means vibrant in each of the four languages and properly expresses the feeling and message she is trying to convey. Sonia will launch the Vibrante Project with a concert in Toronto in April, but the group has already tasted international success. On February 22, Sonia will be featured in a documentary-style TV show in Japan entitled “Amazing Voice” and the Vibrante Project performs for the very first time on this program. Sonia was hand-picked to represent Canada for this NHK production.
