Lowell Memorial Auditorium hosts one of the most popular singers of the Portuguese fado style on Saturday, April 20, with "Sounds of Portugal, An Evening of Fado Music with Mariza."

Mariza (born Mariza do Reis Nunes but known simply by her first name) has sold more than a million records and broke big with her first album, 2001's "Fado em Mim." She went on to sing the Portuguese national anthem at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, then dueted with Sting on "A Thousand Years" for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

In March 2003, Mariza won BBC Radio 3's award for Best European Artist in World Music, in 2004 he won a European Border Breakers Award, and she was nominated for Latin Grammnys for Best Folk Album in 2007 and 2008.

Her most recent album is last year's eponymously titled "Mariza."

The show is presented by the Saab Center for Portuguese Studies at UMass Lowell. Proceeds will support the study of the language, literature and culture of Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world, including funding for student study-abroad opportunities, and academic and community cultural programming.