Vasco Martins, born in Queluz, Portugal in 1956, is a Cape Verdean musician and composer. He began his musical studies in 1974 and was a member of the band Colá in 1976. Martins later studied with Fernando Lopes Graça in Portugal and Henri-Claude Fantapié in France. In 1979, he recorded his first LP, Vibrações. Returning to Cape Verde, he founded the Baía das Gatas Music Festival in 1984. Throughout his career, Martins released numerous albums, including Quinto Mundo (1989), Eternal Cycle (1995), and Memórias Atlânticas (1997). He is notable for being the first Cape Verdean to compose symphonies, with works such as "Celebração do equinócio de Março" and "Erupção". Martins also composed chamber music, piano works like Piano Azul (1998), and electronic music. In 2009, he premiered the opera Crioulo at Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.
