panaji after a two year long hiatus due the pandemic kala academys department of western music in collaboration with the institute menezes braganza panaji will perform a classical music programme on august 19the concert which will be held at the institute menezes braganza premises will include solo duo and quartet performances in strings piano classical guitar and voicemaestro fr romeo monteiro who directs kala academys department of western music will conduct the symphonic orchestra comprising 50 musicians along with amanda gonsalves rodrigues as the soloistmonteiro a diocesan priest trained in music first at kala academy under maestro fr lourdino barreto and then in rome at the pontifical institute for sacred music at the pontifical athaeneum of st anselm the department of western music of kala academy celebrates founders day on august 20 however for the past two years the programmes could not be held due to the pandemicaugust 20 is the birth anniversary of maestro antonio fortunato figueiredo 19081981 a genius musician from loutolim figueiredo began his musical education in the parochial school in loutolim at 19 years he went to portugal and took classes at the conservatorio nacional de lisboa graduating with a higher education degree in violin in 1932 from there he proceeded to paris to study at the faculty of music and musicology at pariswhen he returned to goa in 1952 he convinced the then portuguese government to begin the academia de musica da india portuguesa modelled on musical education given at conservatories in europe in 1970 the academia was absorbed into the kala academy goa and is supported by the state government under the aegis of the directorate of art and culture it was the first institution in india to impart a wide range of systematic courses in the western classical genre monteiro said