Valdisa was born in João Pessoa in the state of ParaÃba in Brazil. She was always very interested in music, so much so that she taught herself to play guitar at the age of twelve. At sixteen she was invited to take part in the 2nd University of Paraiba Music Festival, where she took 2nd place. From there she began her musical career, participating in the recording of various jingles for commercials and political campaigns. She worked as a backup singer for several famous local artists such as Ricardo Fabião, Tadeu Matias, Fuba, Katia de França, and others. She was a soloist with the vocal octet Rendez Vox, led by conductor and composer Carlos Galvão, current director of the Escola de Música de BrasÃlia, with which she traveled to several cities throughout Brazil. She also participated in the acclaimed Canta Nordeste, serving as official backup singer of the entire event as well as of several other projects and cultural movements in her city, among them the Mario de Andrade Project and Skulamba. She also sang with the Chorale of the ParaÃba Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eliazar de Carvalho, and sang with one of the greatest pre-Carnaval groups in Northeastern Brazil, As Muriçocas do Miramar, for three years.Valdisa studied law and struggled to reconcile her musical and academic lives. She moved to BrasÃlia shortly after graduating in 1997 and practiced law for about two years. While in BrasÃlia, Carlos Galvão encouraged her to study at his music school and thus she decided to take the musical path once and for all. In 2001 she moved to the U.S. and since then she has sung in the states of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. With a strong voice and an interpretive style that is at once dramatic and intense yet sweet, Valdisa is a natural, who wins over audiences and elicits raucous applause and high praise. She has sung at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Harvard University, MIT, Umass Dartmouth, Boston College, Bunker Hill Community College, the Rhode Island Latin American Film Festival, and the Lowell Folk Festival. She opened for acclaimed Brazilian singer Virginia Rodrigues at Johnny D's in Somerville MA and sang at a concert honoring Heitor Villa-Lobos at the Winchester Music School, as well as at various other events at music schools throughout New England. Valdisa is also constantly being invited to sing at almost all the events staged by the local Brazilian community, among them the famous Brazilian Independence Day and the New Bostonians Community Day, which she has participated in for several years.
