SOCORRO DE ST. CRUZ
Konkani songs commonly known as kantaram are the soul of the Goan culture. Over the years the kantaram have been kept alive in the hearts of Goans spread across the globe by people like late Alfred Rose with his popular and catchy songs and late Chris Perry who has enriched the Konkani kantar with everlasting and modern music. And now, walking in their footsteps is Socorro Fernandes from Santa Cruz who has made an immense contribution to the Konkani ‘kantar’. He has strived to popularize Konkani music among the Goans and Konkani speaking people all over the world. His idol from a very young age has been, and will always be the legendary Alfred Rose, so much so that his compositions are based on the same lines as Alfred Rose’s songs.
Born on 8th July 1960, Socorro Antonio Agnelo Lourenco Fernandes popularly known as Socorro de St. Cruz has been a phenomenon on the Konkani stage today. His popular songs, conveying values to the youth and the society at large, have gained him due recognition.
His sweet and melodious voice has captured and enthralled the hearts of many Goans, both in Goa and abroad. He has been serving the Konkani stage for over 33 years as a professional stage artiste, besides being a lyricist and composer. With his thought provoking songs in several tiatrs and musical shows, this stage artiste continues to win appreciation and admiration from the Konkani audience.
Singing Konkani songs on varied themes with confidence and nostalgia is Socorro’s forte, besides being an acclaimed actor and producer on the Konkani stage. He proudly says that music runs in his family, as his late father was an accomplished musician who would pull crowds with his baritone, trumpet and violin. He played for the band ‘Band Cota’ during his time.
Socorro first stepped on the stage at the tender age of 11 at Bando, Santa Cruz in 1971. He sang two comedy solos ‘Kazar’ and ‘Pottant Zanv’ penned specially for him by Seby Mascarenhas from Vasco in a tiatr named‘Bensak Lagon’ written and directed by Arthur Fernandes on the occasion of the feast of St. Sebastian. People showed so much appreciation for the first song that, he got encore for five times and three times for the second one. Very soon, he was picked up by the professional tiatrists. A tiatr artiste Lourence Azavedo introduced him to an illustrious tiatr artiste of that time, Remmie Colaco. Socorro made his debut on professional stage in Remmie’s tiatr ‘Kiteak Upkarlem’ at Sanvordem in the year 1981. In due course of time he blossomed into a successful and acclaimed stage artiste. Thereafter, he started writing his own songs, ‘Bhavacho Adhar Bhoinnik’ being his first composition.
Later Socorro made it a yearly affair of writing his own tiatrs to be staged for the feast in his ward Bando. So far he has written and directed 12 tiatrs, ‘Favo Naslem’, ‘Kitem Fuddar?’, ‘Koslo Faido?’, ‘Konn Vaitt?’, ‘Kallo Fator’, ‘Zanna Zaunk Zai’, ‘Tujea Faideak’, ‘Mhaka Tench Tuka’, ‘Kornneanchem Farikponn’, ‘Kallzak Faxi’to name a few which he performed in his village. He also tasted great success on professional stage by showing his 4 tiatrs, ‘Mhaka Tench Tuka’, ‘Vat’, ‘Kantte’ and ‘Hanv Porot Yetelim’ which he performed all over Goa. Besides this, he broadcast four songit khells, ‘Okhondd Fator’, ‘Koslo Faido?’, ‘Rontto’ and ‘Tujea Faideak’ on All India Radio-Panaji. In 1990-91 he has also participated in Kala Academy’s Tiatr Competition with his tiatr,‘Kornneanchem Farikponn’. He also rendered his songs on AIR and Goa Doordarshan.
Besides his own tiatrs, he has acted in over 80 tiatrs with senior directors like M. Boyer, C. Alvares, Prem Kumar, John Claro, C. D’Silva and Joe Rose among others. He also acted with present generation directors like Prince Jacob, John D’Silva, Milagres de Chandor, Wilmix-Sharon, Pascoal Rodrigues, etc.
In between he teamed up with Aniceto, another talented singer from his village and started singing Duos. Later on Bab Andrew joined them and formed a Trio. Most of their songs are focused on religious and secular topics. This Trio became very popular and has been very much appreciated by the audience.
During his trips abroad, Socorro won accolades from the Goans settled in the Gulf and European countries. Goans across the world will certainly remember and love to listen the songs of this soft-spoken artiste which in turn will bring them closer to their homeland.
Till date, this artiste has created over 700 Konkani songs on different issues related to Goa and he also has to his credit around 23 audio albums like ‘Fatima Saibinn’, ‘Festacho Dis’, ‘Valor’, ‘Dormachim Tin Thikam’, ‘Devak Sodta’, ‘Bogsonnem’, ’Dev Kallzant Ravta’, ‘Dita Toxem Gheta’, ‘Sat Dis’, ‘Sunami’, ‘Tin Chimtteo Mati’,‘Jezuk Zoi Zoi’, ‘Xikxa’, ‘Challis Dis’, ‘Niz Gõykar’, ‘Potugez Passport’, ‘Bharat Amcho Des’, ‘Don Rupam’,‘Natalamcho Kusvar’, ‘Dev Nhidonk Nam’ ‘Golden Hits’, ‘Best Hits’, ‘Devachim Rochnam’ and 8 VCDs like‘Aslo Thoimch Pavlo’, ‘No Time’, ‘Fashion’, ‘All the Best’, ‘Old Is Gold’, ‘Amkam Eleisanv Naka’, ‘Tension’, and ‘Time Pass’. He proudly says that his enterprising wife Libania (Liby) has been an inspiration behind his success. Production of all his audio albums/VCDs and their marketing has been her forte.
He has rendered his voice in several Konkani albums of other producers too. Some of Socorro’s popular songs include ‘No Time’ and ‘Tuka Pois Kelo’. He has won five times Best Singer Award in the tiatr competitions organized annually by Kala Academy Goa, besides several prizes in singing contests. His audio album,‘Natalamcho Kusvar’ was adjudged Best Konkani Album of the Year at Konkani Song & Music Awards 2012 organized by Tiatr Academy of Goa. He was also felicitated by various organizations including Kala Academy for his outstanding contribution in singing during their Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Tiatr Competitions and Jack Sequeira Puroskar by Songit ani Somajik Kala Kendra, Taleigao.
Due to his involvement in his first love, Konkani stage, Socorro who was a very brilliant student had to quit after studying up to S.Y.BSc as simultaneously he took up a job as a Laboratory Assistant in a school which was of his liking. He was looking for a particular half day job so that he could get more time to devote for tiatr activities.Although a Lab Assistant he also possess good teaching abilities and teaches most of the subjects like Maths, Science and Konkani in his school.
His legacy in singing is carried forward by his daughter Sonia who accompanies him in duets on the Konkani stage and his younger daughter Priyanka is also following in his footsteps. While continuing his dedicated service to Konkani stage, Socorro who reminisces that at the age of 12, he dreamt to be a musician like his father and had even began learning to play a trumpet, but tiatr took him to some other world. And now, he is on the verge of fulfilling his long pending dream. On his 53rd birthday his younger daughter gifted him a new trumpet and he is about to complete the full course to be a full-fledged trumpeter.
