Sonia Shirsat, a Goan Fadista enthralls the Goan-Portuguese audience in Mississauga (Toronto) Canada! Sonia Shirsat gave a thrilling performance in front of a sold-out audience on November 3rd, 2012 for the Inter-Cultural Evening at the Portuguese Cultural Centre in Mississauga. Accompanying Sonia were great musicians from Portugal and Canada. Goans who were the majority in the audience enjoyed Sonia’s concert which was mostly in Portuguese with a sizable Konkani ‘tempera’ sprinkled to make the Show unique and closer to home. Sonia started with the traditional Portuguese Fado, accompanied by Portuguese musicians Manuel Moscatel on Guitarra Portuguesa, Valdemar Mesdoubi on Viola Fado and Sergio Santos on Double Bass. Sonia slowly strayed into Indo-Portuguese fusion. I loved her “Barco Negro” rendition among other Fado favourites, which was very touching with the superb tabla play from Askok Dutta and the flute magic from Canadian Bill McBirnie. Next to Sonia Shirsat, the Concert was monopolized by a strong personality and a quality voice and music from another Goan from Portugal and Mozambique, Senhor Gonzaga Coutinho whose delivery of Portuguese and Konkani songs sent a familiar sense of Goan cultural nationalism through the audience. Gonzaga crooned songs from his vast Goan Konkani repertoire together with Sonia with the likes of “Hanv Saiba poltoddid voitam”, “Ya ya Maya—ya” and Mando like “Papachem license assam re maka” and many others. (too many to list) The session ended with the traditional Goan song “Adeus korcho vellu pavlo...” In short the concert by Sonia was a wonderful evening especially with her mellifluous and unique voice, she thrilled the Goan hearts with her voice and love for our Goan Konkani and Portuguese cultural music. The concert was followed by a Dance with the Santa Fe Band. Hats off to the tireless Goan-Portuguese organizers like Olavo Joanes, Lamberto Joanes and Oscar Monteiro who emceed the Show with his wife. The show started with a Portuguese dinner. N.B. On a personal note , I was thrilled when I was called on the floor by Sonia Shirsat. Bab Gonzaga Coutinho sang Happy Birthday to me in Portuguese and Sonia sang in Konkani for me on my birthday. Earlier Radio Mango also wished me Happy Birthday on their Konkani Radio and played my favourite song I wrote for Young Chico on my “Classic Goa” CD “Mandovichem Udok”. Silviano Barbosa, Nov 3, 2012 ,Mississauga, (Toronto) Canada .