Madredeus

   Portuguese musical performing group of instrumentalists and singers, in a new pop music tradition, with a growing global reputation. It was formed by musicians in the late 1980s, who practiced in the Lisbon church and convent of Madre de Deus, also the site of a museum of Portuguese tiles. MadreDeus was formed by Pedro Ayres de Magalhães, contrabass. The group soon added acoustic guitars, cello, and accordion. A fado singer, the young Teresa Salgueiro, joined the instrumentalists later. In the 1990s, the group achieved international fame and celebrity in the music world with many successful concerts, records, and CDs. In 1995, music of MadreDeus was featured in a new film, Lisbon Story, directed by filmmaker Wim Wenders of Germany, thus opening a new phase of celebrity for the group. That same year, MadreDeus added a new instrumentalist, a bass, as the group performed in Brazil and the United States.