The Portuguese actress, composer and singer Madalena Alberto will present in concert in London the songs of her debut album ‘Foreign Sketches – Live Studio Recording’ during the weeks to come.

The first concert will take place at The Library (235 Upper St, Islington) on the 30th August 2011. This will be followed on the 31th August at The Cavendish Arms (128 Hartington Road); on the 6th September at Bertrie´s Bar (2 Hartfield Way, Wimbledon); on the 21th September at The Libray (235 Upper St, Islington); on the 4th October at theTroubadour, (263-7 Old Brompton Road); on the 9th October at The Living Room (Unit 1 Tower Bridge House, St. Katharine Docks, East Smithfield); and on the 21st October at The Cavendish Arms (128 Hartington Road). Further dates to be announced.

Apart from that, on the 2nd September 2011 Madalena Alberto will perform as a guest star in Shimi Goodman´s (CHICAGO, DIRTY DANCING) concert at The Pheasantry.

Madalena Alberto has spoken to us regarding these concerts: “Due to my work as an actress i haven´t dedicated or even thought seriously about my music until very recently. So these concerts will be a good platform for me to explore my work. To improve my skills as a performer, songwriter and guitarist. Playing my own music is so very different from performing in a show. I love getting lost, not worrying about technique or stage directions. It´s all about the moment. These concerts will be an exploration of that. And i am just getting started!”

Madalena Alberto played the role of Fantine in the acclaimed 25th Anniversary International Tour production of LES MISÉRABLES which finished at London’s Barbican Center on October 2010. Last Spring she performed in a new production of GODSPELL directed by Michael Strassen at the Union Theatre. With already a large career in musical theatre, she has starred in shows such as FAME (UK Tour), CHICAGO (Kuala Lumpur), ZORRO THE MUSICAL (West End) and OVER THE THRESHOLD (Edinburgh and Off-West End).

Madalena has also taken part of different concerts, such as the 4th and the 2nd Tim Williams Awards at London´s Cochrane Theatre (2009 and 2011); the Whatsonstage Awards Concert (2011), and the Giggin For Good concert at the Actors Church in Convent Garden (2011). Madalena performed alongside Ricardo Afonso and Sofia Escobar at the Golden Globe Awards in Portugal on the 29th May 2011.
Combining her work as an actress with her facet as a composer and performing her own songs is very important for Madalena: “It is vital for an artist to be able to express him/herself creatively as much as possible. I am so grateful that i have been able to combine these facets for which i am so passionate about. Acting and Songwriting are completely different vehicles, on the process and performance, but they both come from the same source of truth or discovery of the truth. ”

The album ‘Foreign Sketches – Live Studio Recording’ was released last March. In these “Foreign Sketches”, Madalena expresses universal feelings about emancipation, dreams, drugs, sex, betrayal and jealously, to name a few experiences we all connect with.

The audience reaction to this first work of Madalena as a composer has been extremely good so far, as Madalena tells us: “Well, so far the feedback that comes back to me is very reassuring and inspiring… People seem to appreciate my writing, my stories laid bare and the raw and hispanic flavour to them.”