Panaji, Jan 22 (Inditop.com) An aesthetically restored 16th century chapel on a cliff on the outskirts of this city will serve as the perfect setting for a classical music festival next month.
The Monte music festival, which has become a regular fixture on Goa’s musical itinerary over the last few years, will feature European classical maestros Manuel Leao (guitar), Rodrigo Leao, Delia Verga and Alan Peach among others, Yvonne Rebello, a spokesperson for the organisers Fundacao Oriente, a social cultural organisation, said Friday.
“The three-day festival, which begins Feb 5, will also feature renowned Indian artistes like Kuchipudi danseuse Shalu Jindal and noted sitar exponent Ustad Chhote Rahimat Khan,” Rebello said.
The 16th century chapel and its courtyard, which hosts the Monte music festival, was built by Portuguese conqueror Afonso de Albuquerque and is now a state-protected monument. The chapel is on a cliff overlooking river Mandovi.
The chapel, which was in a dilapidated state, was restored in the early 2000s by Fundacao Oriente (Orient Foundation), a Macau-based Portuguese foundation aimed at developing and strengthening the historical and cultural relationship between Portugal and Asia.
