Latest news and stories about classical music in Portugal for expats and residents.
In a programme dedicated to Schubert, the legendary pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja led the audience on a journey, chronological yet timeless, through the depths of the Viennese composer's imagination.
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (TNSC) is the guest 'main artist' for next year's Saaremaa Opera Festival in Estonia, according to the programme announced by the festival.
Fidelio, Carmen, Un ballo in maschera, and a Fado Night make up the Portuguese programme at the Estonian festival, from 20 to 25 July 2027.
Musicians Eszter Haffner, Edgar Moreau, Stephan Picard, Anna Samuil, Alexandra Scott, Matthias Samuil and Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro headline today's opening concert of the 12th Verão Clássico Festival in Lisbon, which continues until August 1st.
The singer, who taught at ESMAE and the Porto Conservatory, graduated in Munich and performed on the biggest national and international stages, from the Baroque period to contemporary works.
Performed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra, the album “Life is a Dream” is scheduled for release on August 21st.
The next season of the S. Carlos National Theatre, presented today in Lisbon, features 33 opera performances, 16 symphonic concerts, and seven chamber music programmes, which will take place outside the main building, currently undergoing renovation works.
Beethoven, Bizet, Verdi, Bach, Strauss, Camões: these are some of the names converging in the new programme for the opera house, which, while still closed for renovations, will travel through ten cities next year.
José de Pina comments on the mosquito swarm that disrupted a classical music concert at the Belém Tower, noting the recurring nature of unexpected incidents at such events in Portugal.
A brief note.
Croatian tenor Tomislav Jukić was crowned the winner of the 3rd edition of the Cascais Ópera International Singing Competition. The grand final took place on Sunday, June 7, at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. Jukić, currently a member of the International Opera Studio at the Opernhaus Zürich, impressed the international jury to take the top prize, as well as the Carlos Gomes / Amazonas Opera Festival Award. The final stage featured eight young singers from five countries, selected from a record 499 applicants from 59 nations. The finalists were accompanied by the Cascais Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Antonio Pirolli. Portuguese soprano Beatriz Maia also stood out, winning several special awards and future performance contracts. The organization has confirmed the 4th edition of the competition for June 2027.
Erbarme dich! is a rare triumph that manages the feat of combining academic inclination and the historical redefinition of the continuo with a visceral interpretation.
Portuguese soprano Beatriz Maia is among the eight finalists competing in the Cascais Ópera international singing competition. The final will take place on June 7 at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, featuring performances accompanied by the Cascais Symphony Orchestra. Artistic director Sergei Leiferkus highlights the competition's goal of fostering a new generation of Portuguese singers, noting that this year's edition received 499 applications from 59 countries.
An exploration of Carl Orff's iconic 'Carmina Burana', reflecting on its origins in the 11th to 13th-century Benedictine monastery manuscripts and a recent performance in Lisbon. The article discusses the contrast between the profane, often libidinous nature of the original medieval poetry and the sublime musical setting, particularly noting the irony of children's choirs singing verses about burgeoning romantic desire.
Gulbenkian Music will present more than 120 shows in the upcoming season, the first under the direction of Swede Fredrik Andersson. Classical repertoire and Portuguese composers are highlighted.
A musical event held in Oeiras marked the 40th anniversary of Portugal joining the European Union, featuring a programme focused on European Baroque music.
The 60th Sintra Festival features 14 concerts from 11 to 21 June, with a programme including musicians such as pianist Alexandre Tharaud, the award-winning Maat Saxophone Quartet, and orchestras like the Academy for Ancient Music Berlin.
French conductors Ludovic Morlot and Léo Warynski have been appointed as principal conductors of the Porto Symphony Orchestra and the Casa da Música Choir, respectively, in Porto, it was announced today.
Ludovic Morlot replaces Stefan Blunier as director of the Porto Casa da Música Symphony Orchestra, and Léo Warynski takes over the position from Paul Hillier, the founding conductor of the institution's choir.
The Lisbon Early Music cycle returns on May 14th, featuring a diverse programme of Baroque performances across various venues, including the Convento dos Cardaes, the Igreja do Loreto, and the Teatro São Luiz. Highlights include performances by Paolo Pandolfo, Evangelina Mascardi, and the Portuguese Baroque orchestra Divino Sospiro, culminating in the Portuguese premiere of Handel's 'L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato'.
Brazilian composer and musicologist presents 'Harry Crowl: The Genius and the Clarinet' this Saturday (18/04) at the Paredes Music Conservatory Auditorium in the Porto district.
Ten years after his first recital at the Casa da Música, the energy that Kholodenko managed to maintain from the first to the last bar of such a physically demanding work never ceases to surprise us.
Is it possible to “translate José Afonso for the cello”? Inspired by Paulo Gaio Lima, three young musicians set to work and proved that it is. Opinion by Nuno Pacheco
The musician was 87 years old.
1938-2026. Founder of the New Portuguese Philharmonic and the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, he promoted works by Portuguese composers such as Joly Braga Santos.
Álvaro Cassuto founded the New Portuguese Philharmonic and worked with both national and international orchestras. He leaves behind a vast discography, including the complete symphonies of Joly Braga Santos.
Composer and professor Sérgio Azevedo writes about the conductor — his “friend and mentor” — who died at 87: “Superb” in orchestral conducting, and demanding “with musicians, managers, and patrons.”
Conductor Álvaro Cassuto, who died today at the age of 87, was “one of the great creators and a reference figure in the history of contemporary music and musical dissemination,” states the President of the Republic in a note of condolence published on the Presidency's website.
The conductor and composer died this Monday, at the age of 87, at his residence in Guincho, Cascais.
