After two highly successful editions of a cycle as special as the Encontros Sonoros Atlânticos, it is important to ensure continuity and innovation, in a consistent and balanced way; to build on what has been built, while taking risks.

The ideas behind the inaugural edition of Encontros remain unchanged: a deep connection to the Azores, Francisco de Lacerda's land of origin, and its places and communities; and, based on the tutelary figure of the Azorean composer, a determined commitment to our music and our musicians, with special emphasis on the new generation of creators and performers.

But in this year's edition of Encontros, we want to strengthen our ties with the local artistic community, giving the stage to Portuguese performers and reinforcing partnerships with their institutions. We also want to intensify our fierce and unwavering commitment to Portuguese musical creation, without aesthetic prejudice.

In a particularly challenging year in terms of budgets, we designed the program with the strong conviction that art and culture play an essential role in our community life: they are perhaps the most effective way of fighting barbarism, of replacing dehumanization with empathy, of taking us one step further away from the abyss. But for them to be able to do this, they need to be supported in a coherent and sustained way that allows artists to experiment, fail and start again - and then fail better. At the Francisco de Lacerda Association, we see a new edition of Encontros as another step towards sustained support for Portuguese music and culture. A step that we hope will be one of many.

So, this year we will start the cycle in the Jerónimos Cloisters with a tailor-made concert: with a first part of Portuguese music for string quartet, ending with a genealogy of Portuguese song, combining Francisco de Lacerda with arrangements by Fausto, Janita Salomé and Amélia Muge, performed by soprano Bárbara Barradas. We then head to São Jorge, where the usual inaugural island concert in the ruins of Francisco de Lacerda's house in Fajã da Fragueira, Calheta, will be given by guitarist Mário Delgado.

Next up is Terceira, where there will be a concert for voice and piano by Filipe Raposo and Rita Maria at the Angrense Theater. On the island of São Miguel we'll have two concerts: one at the Domingos Rebelo School, by the Nª Srª das Neves Philharmonic; and a carte blanche for the composer Igor Silva at the Arquipélago Contemporary Arts Center, two partnerships with high-quality local structures that we're very excited about. We ended the cycle in Lisbon, with the concert presenting the Francisco de Lacerda Fundação Millennium bcp Composer Prize, at the Portuguese National Library.

Vasco Mendonça
August 2023


CONTACTS

General: associacao@amusicaeomundo.com
Communication: comunicacao@amusicaeomundo.com


PROJECT DIRECTION
Filipa Lacerda,
António Câmara Manuel

ARTISTIC DIRECTION
Vasco Mendonça

PRODUCTION DIRECTION
Ana Calheiros Soalheiro

COMMUNICATION AND PRESS RELATIONS
Helena Marteleira

GRAPHIC IDENTITY AND WEBSITE
Inês von Hafe Pérez

EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION
Francisco de Lacerda
A Música e o Mundo Associação Cultural

CO-PRODUCTION
DuplaCena


António Câmara Manuel, Filipa Lacerda, Vasco Mendonça, Ana Calheiros

Associação Francisco de Lacerda