Portuguese Music in Conservatories

The project Portuguese Music in Conservatories consists on the realization of classical music concerts in the auditoriums of schools and conservatories of music in the country where works of Portuguese composers are presented, with special emphasis on new repertoire. The concerts in these places were conceived as an alternative to the traditional circuits (theaters, concert halls…) to facilitate the approach to the target audience of this project, which consists mainly of students and music teachers. The performances are accompanied by an oral presentation of the works interpreted – focusing in particular on the historical context of the compositions, on formal, technical and aesthetic issues – which should facilitate the audience’s understanding and appreciation.

The idea for this project was born from two fundamental needs. On the one hand, the Portuguese repertoire has always been sparsely interpreted, and knowledge about a good part of it has been completely ignored. Whether due to lack of investment or other incentives, these facts have given rise to prejudices about Portuguese music that have become widespread throughout the country. It is, therefore, urgent to create stimuli to combat the lack of interest and the prejudices that have been perpetuated over time. On the other hand, in recent decades, the rehabilitation of the Portuguese musical heritage has been a difficult and lengthy process. This depends in part on the sustainability of the music publishing market which, for various reasons, has been severely penalized. Without current music editions, there is no dissemination of the works of our composers, and without this dissemination, the entire heritage that belongs to us is condemned to oblivion. It is therefore urgent to make the public aware of the problems that music publishing suffers and of the good practices that can be decisive for the future of Portuguese music creation.

This project already has three editions held in 2016, 2018 and 2023 in partnership with the Portuguese music publisher AvA Musical Editions and has been embraced by the following national music education institutions:

  • Academia de Amadores de Música de Lisboa
  • Academia de Música de Paços de Brandão
  • Conservatório de Música do Choral Phydellius
  • Academia de Música de Santa Cecília
  • Conservatório de Música de Coimbra
  • Conservatório Regional de Música de Vila Real
  • Conservatório Regional de Música de Viseu Dr. José de Azeredo Perdigão
  • Escola Artística do Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian de Aveiro
  • Conservatório de Música e Artes do Centro

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