“ORENDA” is a project by André ViaMonte that connects music to emotions. Concerned about mental health, artist André ViaMonte created an album whose songs were meticulously constructed to promote emotional expression.
The album’s tracks respect the different phases of emotions, from imbalance and negotiation to resolution, inviting the audience on a deep and transformative emotional journey. This safe space for intense expression allows listeners to scream, cry, sing, or simply listen, facilitating a genuine connection with their feelings.
Composer and music therapist, André ViaMonte became an artist closely linked to empathy, human emotions and communication through music. After “Via” and “Monte“, he decided to release another autobiographical album, “De Vez”, scheduled for October 2024 and which will be his first sung in Portuguese, but before embarking on this project he felt the need to leave a mark on the community, to contribute to a healthier society.
This is how he began to develop the concept of “ORENDA”, an Indigenous word — if not for the artist being a descendant of Brazilian indigenous people — that represents a vibrant force present in all of us, which can change our destiny and transform the world.
“We have a sick society, which doesn’t realize it’s sick, because it can’t express itself. Awareness about mental health is increasing, because there are many more cases of depression, but we always fall into a lack of emotional expression. We all know that we are moved by emotions, but we don’t know the importance of expressing them”, explains André ViaMonte. “I chose the voice as the primary channel, and I thought it would be ideal to create a music platform for people to express themselves.”
With a total of 16 tracks, “ORENDA” is an immersive journey through different emotions that is divided into three chapters. In the first, “As Above”, ViaMonte built instrumentals that reflect each of the emotions — fear, joy, anger, anxiety and sadness — and invited vocalists to express their emotions in the song in a visceral way, without any lyrics or strings attached.
Katia Guerreiro, Rui Sidónio (Bizarra Locomotiva), Huca, Orlanda Guilande and Ana Cosme were the voices that gave expression to each of the emotions, which in turn are linked to organs of the human body and five elements, according to medicine oriental Chinese, which conceptually influenced this work.
“Core”, the second chapter. The public is invited to listen to the same instrumentals, but this time with active participation. After all, we can all be artists. The idea is that listeners themselves can get involved in this dynamic, purely expressing their emotions, without constraints or filters, just as singers did before. More than being trapped, emotion must be converted into expression, which in turn can become art. Purging what is repressed can have artistic and cultural value.
Finally, the third chapter is titled “So Below”. The same chord progressions are used across five instrumentals that have been adapted into a meditation record. The idea is that, after releasing what’s inside, the audience can reflect on what happened in a moment of introspection.
The idea is that “ORENDA” can have a broad and diverse life, and that these soundtracks for emotional expression can be used in very different contexts, whether team building events or museums.
On August 2nd, in addition to chapters I and III, Chapter II “Core” begins to be made available weekly, It is composed of five instrumentals, which invites the listener to freely express their emotions through activities such as crying, screaming, singing and laughing, promoting emotional balance. Visual arts by director Miguel Marques will also be made available on YouTube that accompany this immersive sound journey to our core.
This week the highlight is the release of “Ventris Motus“, the instrumental referring to Chapter I, from the theme “Terra Serena” feat. Kátia Guerreiro.
“O R E N D A” serves as a complementary tool for self-knowledge and emotional awareness. By exploring ViaMonte’s music, listeners can gain valuable insights about themselves that can be integrated into therapeutic sessions with mental health professionals. In addition to providing immediate relief and expression, the album works as an emotional unblocker, helping individuals to better understand and deal with their emotions. This ongoing project aims to develop over time, reflecting the slow and permanent nature of the human emotional process. The initial inspiration for “O R E N D A” came during the “Insight Inside” exhibition at the Champalimaud Center, where ViaMonte participated in the creation of sound arts for artist Clo Bourgard’s exhibition that combined art and science. The live premiere of this chapter took place at Convento do Carmo, last January, in the context of a museum experience.
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