A Hearty Welcome to all participants, and guests to Porto, Portugal, for the 150th edition of the Forum Song Contest in August 2021.
Porto is Portugal's second city and is located in the northwest of Portugal on the Douro river estuary. It is known for its bridges, architecture, and portwine production in the surrounding areas.
Firstly, let's celebrate Portugal's victory in the previous edition, by revisiting the winning entry.
Here for one more encore is the talented Portuguese songstress Mara Pedro to perform Ímpeto:
Our host city for this special FSC edition is Porto, Portugal.
Porto is Portugal's second largest city, although the municipality of Porto has a relatively small population of 251 000, the metropolitan area has 1.7 million inhabitants, making it the second largest urban area in Portugal, and one of the major cities on the Iberian peninsula. In Portuguese, the name of the city includes a definitive article "o Porto" meaning "the Port", this is where the Spanish (and sometimes also used in English) name Oporto comes from.
Porto is one of Europe's oldest cities, and its settlement dates back many centuries to times when it was a Roman outpost. The Latin name "Porto Cale" has been referenced as the origin of the name of the country Portugal as a whole. In 1996 the city core was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar", and the historical center is also a National Monument of Portugal.
The history of Porto dates back to around 300 BC, when it was settled by Celtic peoples. Ruins of that era has been found in several areas. The city developed as an important commercial port during the Roman invasion of the Iberian peninsula. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Porto became an important center in the spread of Christianity in the area. In 711 CE, Porto fell to the Moors, and in 868, the area between the Minho and Douro Rivers, including also Porto, was reconquered and secured back to Christian hands. In this area the County of Portugal was proclaimed, which was the first step in the birth of the new nation.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Porto's shipyards contributed to the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. Also from the port of Porto, in 1415, Prince Henry the Navigator (son of John I of Portugal) embarked on the conquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta, in northern Morocco. This expedition by the king and his fleet, which included Prince Henry, was followed by navigation and exploration along the western coast of Africa, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery.
By the 13th century, the wine produced in the Douro valley was already transported to Porto in barcos rabelos (flat sailing vessels). In 1703, the Methuen Treaty established the trade relations between Portugal and England. In 1717, the first English trading post was established in Porto. The production of port wine then gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms. To counter this dominance, Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal established a Portuguese firm receiving the monopoly of the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for the production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; this was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe.
Known as the city of bridges, Porto built its first permanent bridge, the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge), in 1806. Three years later, it collapsed under the weight of thousands of fugitives from the French invasions during the Peninsular War, causing thousands of deaths. It was replaced by the Ponte D. Maria II, popularised under the name Ponte Pênsil (suspended bridge) and built between 1841 and 1843; only its supporting pylons have remained. The Ponte D. Maria, a railway bridge, was inaugurated on 4 November of that same year; it was considered a feat of wrought iron engineering and was designed by Gustave Eiffel, notable for his Parisian tower. The later Ponte Dom Luís I replaced the aforementioned Ponte Pênsil. This last bridge was made by Teophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eiffel. Seyrig won a governmental competition that took place in 1879. Building began in 1881 and the bridge was opened to the public on 31 October 1886.
In 1996, UNESCO recognised Porto's historic center as a World Heritage Site. Among the architectural highlights of the city, Porto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small romanesque Church of Cedofeita, the gothic Church of Saint Francis, the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of the churches of St. Francis and St. Claire, the churches of Mercy and of the Clerics, the Episcopal Palace of Porto, and others. The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace, the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in the Liberdade Square and the Avenida dos Aliados, the tile-adorned São Bento railway station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace.
In 2001, Porto shared the designation European Culture Capital with Rotterdam. Many renowned Portuguese music artists and cult bands such as GNR, Rui Veloso, Sérgio Godinho, Clã, Pluto, Azeitonas and Ornatos Violeta are from the city or its metropolitan area. Porto has several museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas, art galleries, libraries and bookshops. The best-known museums of Porto are the National Museum Soares dos Reis, which is dedicated especially to the Portuguese artistic movements from the 16th to the 20th century, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation (Museu de Arte Contemporânea).
The city has concert halls such as the Coliseu do Porto by the Portuguese architect Cassiano Branco, an example of the Portuguese decorative arts. Other notable venues include the historical São João National Theatre, the Rivoli theatre, the Batalha cinema and Casa da Música, inaugurated in 2005. The city has the Lello Bookshop, which is frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world.
Porto is your quintessential small European city. It has colorful buildings, narrow winding streets lined with cafés, castles, historic churches, and plenty of wine. Porto is small, walkable, and heavy on the charm. It is the perfect place to unwind. All of this makes Porto the perfect tourist destination in Portugal, with something to capture everyone's imagination. And to add to the long list of attractions and accomplishments, Porto is now also proudly the host city of FSC #150.
Our host venue for this edition is the Coliseu Porto Ageas.
The Coliseum of Porto is a Portuguese theatre and concert venue in the municipality of Porto, in northern Portugal, with a capacity for a standing audience of 4000. A leading venue for music and cultural events in Porto, the Coliseu is an example of Portuguese Streamline Moderne and Art Deco styles in the city of Porto.
Construction started in 1938 and the building was inaugurated on 19 December 1941. With changing tastes the theater hall was transformed into a cinema studio in 1971. Between 1997 and 2001, there systematic changes to the buildings interiors, that included the substitution of the electrical systems, the construction of new washrooms on all floors, the substitution of water supply, security and fire protection systems, the repair of the roof, recuperation of the dressing rooms on five floors and the elaboration of a new aesthetic with the building. In 2010 the Secretary of State for Culture ratified its classification as a Property of Public Interest.
It is now time to meet our gracious hosts for this edition. Let me introduce Pedro Tatanka and Sara Sampaio.
Pedro Taborda, better known as Tatanka or Pedro Tatanka, was born in 1986, in Sintra. He was named Tatanka by Vasquinho da Vila, a great admirer of the Sioux Indian culture, due to his resemblance to the great Indian leader. He started playing guitar at a very young age, when he was about seven years old. His parents, who recognized his merit and talent, enrolled him in a local music school, which led him to perform his first concert at the age of 10 years. In 2010 he became the front-man when the band The Black Mamba was formed. In 2021 The Black Mamba became known to the European audience when they represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest, with the entry "Love is On My Side". He is also proud to now be the host of FSC #150.
Sara Sampaio (born 21 July 1991 in Porto) is a Portuguese model and actress. She is best known for being a Victoria's Secret Angel, Giorgio Armani beauty ambassador and working for Calzedonia, as well as her appearance in the 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, a first for a Portuguese model. She won Portuguese Golden Globes in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019 for Best Female Model. She is also proud at the opportunity to host the 150th edition of FSC.