Teresa Gabriel

Teresa Gabriel is a Portuguese singer, song writer, guitarist and composer. Her music shows a big variety of influences ranging from blues, folk , ethnic music but also electronic music. She was classicaly trained in voice at the same time she was studying Philosophy and Journalism in University, whaving some experiences in theater as well, as a writer and actress, and started practising and studying YOGA, Reiki and energy healing, and shamanic healing.

In 2001, at only 18, her song "Dream Sister" was included in a national compilation for new talent, "OPTIMUS 2001", alongside such now big names in Portugal, like Terrakota and Toranja.
This opened the doors to play the FNAC circuit, small theaters, and the biggest festivals (Vilar de Mouros 2001, Sudoeste 2002), culminating in her opening for Portishead's Beth Gibbons in the coliseums of Lisbon and Porto, for 3000 people with great reviews and feedback, in April 2003.
In 2003 and 2004 she travelled around Portugal, and spent some time in Coimbra and Porto, expanding horizons, and also playing in small clubs and theatres with different formations of of musicians (sometimes violin, cello, guitar and bass, others just a percussionist) and busking from time to time, but it was time to go further.
In 2005 and 2006 she embarked on a sort of "musical pilgrimage", and she became nomadic for two years, falling in love with the magic of Barcelona and it's bubbling and spontaneous artistic scene, and discovering the immense acoustic circuit of London.
She also became fascinated with world music, especially Bulgarian choirs and Indian music, and started to collaborated with the Hinduistanic duo of sitar and tablas ALAP, recording the vocal track on their debut album "Thar". They played in Belem Cultural Centre is Lisbon, in the Andan?as Festival 2005 and Colombo Festival 2005 in the island of Madeira.
She also collaborated with Olive Tree (drums and didgeridoo project), Orchid Star (having played with them in the Kingston Green Fair and in The Sunrise Celebration in 2006), and Jamie Woon.
2006 was a great year with lots of expansion and creativity, with a reborn sence of freedom, discovering new music and new cultures, playing in alternative spaces in Portugal like Contagiarte and 555, the huge BOOM festival, the Vagos acoustic festival and Andan?as festival.
Teresa also explored the surrealism of Mexico and the mystical music of Turkey - she attended the Mevlana festival, researching Sufi music and Rumi's poetry.
The final part of 2006 and beggining of 2007 was filled with gigs in England (The Synergy Project, The Ginglik, The Vibe Bar, The Joogleberry Playhouse in Brighton, Rubicon, Green Note, The winelight club in Norwich, Cargo, The comedy pub, Guerrilla Zoo performance space, Sunday Sounds, Vortex, Ramjam in Kingston, Small World stage @ the 491 gallery).
Teresa played a track with Terrakota in the release of their album in Aula Magna in May 2007 , collaborated with Ruben Branco from OCO in the musical-performance MYTHOFACTA, played in CREW HASSAN, MUSIC BOX and MAXIME, CONTAGIARTE, PROJECTO SINERGIA, CABARET EVO?.
She is also collaborating with AMBIENS INDAGES, a chill out project which has played in AVIS a RASGAR 2007, FREEDOM festival 2007, BOOM festival 2008, and the Synergy Project in 2006, .
in 2008, Teresa started doing HEALING THROUGH SINGING workshops, a more therapeutic, catharthic, playful and instinctive aproach to music, (in which people tap into their own essence, using the delicate alchemy of the ancestral medicine of music to cleanse emotions and mend inner wounds to re-connect with personal power and creatitivity, using group energy dynamics to create architectures of harmonies and let the sacred power of sound purify), and SOUND HEALING JOURNEYS with tibetan bowls and voice with Lobsang Dorje.
Teresa also collaborated with AMALGAMA, a dance group greatly influenced by butoh, sufism, mysticism and spirituality, composing some music.