A musical portrait of Guinea-Bissau, and pianist Ana-Maria Vera on surviving as a child prodigy

As a child prodigy, pianist Ana-Maria Vera made her concerto debut when she was nine, going on to record and perform with some of the world’s great orchestras (Philadelphia, Cleveland, London Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony). In a conversation recorded at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Ana-Maria tells Andrew Ford about spending her formative years on the stage, her significant musical relationships with violinist Ivry Gitlis and teacher Leon Fleisher, and how her organisation Bolivia Clásica brings concerts, festivals and workshops to places like the mountains of La Paz and the Uyuni salt desert. 

Guinea-Bissau is a small country with rich musical traditions. New documentary film Nteregu surveys the music of the country from pre-colonial and colonial times to present. Instruments like the kora, balafon (gourd resonated xylophone) and Tina (floating gourd percussion played by women) are featured, as well as the griots and musicians who pass on this music to the next generations. The film also looks to a hopeful future where the music is recognised for its cultural heritage and reaches far beyond West Africa. Andrew speaks to Manuel Loureiro, one of the film’s directors.