MÃOS QUE CANTAM

The choir’s repertoire includes songs by John Lennon (“Imagine”), Sara Tavares (“Eu Sei”), Jorge Palma (“Estrela do Mar”), Pedro Abrunhosa and Miguel Araújo, among others, which were presented to a wide variety of audiences (inside and outside academia). One should highlight the performance of the fado “Com que Voz”, by Amália Rodrigues, since it is the first time that a fado, an intangible cultural heritage and inherent trait of Portuguese identity, is translated into Portuguese sign language. One of the goals of this project is to publish a manual of signs relating to music.

Mãos que Cantam faced the challenge of creating a choir with deaf students that could interpret music not resorting to voice, but making use of Portuguese sign language. The project’s main goal was to integrate deaf students in the university community through music. Given its innovating and inclusive nature, it attracted media attention, and with the support of the Catholic University of Portugal it was possible to introduce it to the general public.