DCist Preview: Mariza @ Lisner Auditorium

Two years have passed since we last saw Portuguese vocalist Mariza, who delivered a memorable performance at the Music Center at Strathmore. The Queen of Fado, as Mariza is known, will be performing this Sunday evening at the Lisner Auditorium. She is the world's most prominent exponent of a style rooted in history and tradition, but fado clearly has universal appeal. Over the past decade, Mariza has not only performed in most of the world's great concert halls, but also at international events such as the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and Live 8 in 2005.

"Fado is about expressing emotions and the deepest feelings of the human being," Mariza told DCist through a translator. "Each person does have [their] own sensibility, of course, but music does have the power to join people."

Known for its haunting melodies and melodrama, fado expresses emotions in a way that transcends language and explores shared human experience.

"It crosses boundaries," said Mariza. "I have been experiencing this, as a lot of the audiences of my shows don't speak Portuguese but are able to understand the love or the pain of a poem."

The music is all the more powerful when delivered by a singer like Mariza, whose rich voice and emotive delivery capture the nuance of every phrase and lyric. Add her striking appearance, a long slender frame, draped in black, with her trademark short blonde hair, she leaves a strong impression.