The minister has pledged to initiate the process for establishing the Orquestra Regional do Alentejo, affirming the commitment either in her current capacity or through ensuring the transition of this initiative to a future government administration.
Dalila Rodrigues shared these remarks during the inauguration ceremony of John Romão and Manuel Veiga as the artistic and executive directors, respectively, of the managing association for Évora 2027 Capital of Culture, held in Évora.
Commenting on the appointment of these new leaders at Associação Évora 2027, the minister referred to positive excerpts from the international selection jury’s notes and expressed satisfaction with the decisions.
“Today marks the formation of a team poised to make Évora 2027 a triumph, with guaranteed success,” she enthused.
Regarding the commitment to create the Orquestra Regional do Alentejo, the minister indicated plans to call for tenders to secure state incentives for the orchestra’s development.
“The goal is to provide regional orchestras, including the Alentejo’s, with stable operational conditions over a four-year cycle in each selection process, with an allocation of around one million euros,” she explained.
The government, she added, aims to foster a shared responsibility among the Central Administration, municipalities, and other potential partners, such as Associação Évora 2027, regarding the Alentejo project.
“I see in Évora 2027, in its president Maria do Céu Ramos’s commitment, competence, enthusiasm, and availability, the ideal partner to ensure the sustained existence and fortification of the Orquestra Regional do Alentejo in the future,” the minister stated.
Maria do Céu Ramos, president of Associação Évora 2027, highlighted in her speech that the Évora 2027 bid book outlined an investment of 27 million euros for equipment and 49 million for cultural and artistic activities.
However, neither component was “fully secured by January 2025,” prompting the association’s leadership to take necessary actions to include the equipment foreseen in the bid book in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) reprogramming, she emphasized.
Maria do Céu Ramos confirmed that the European Union has recently approved a grant of 26 million euros for cultural equipment construction, to be completed by August 31, 2026.
The available time is “very short,” hence the path ahead is arduous and complex until the completion of the works, but collaborative efforts with partners will persist, she promised.
She also revealed that “29 out of the 34 million euros in government funding for the artistic and cultural program, part of the overall 49 million package, are already planned.”
Efforts to secure the remaining five million euros designated for the state are “underway and well on track” with the managing authority of the Alentejo 2030 program.
Maria do Céu Ramos remains optimistic about “feasible solutions” for the Évora City Hall’s 10 million euros investment and emphasized the “solid partnership” with the Community Intermunicipal of Central Alentejo (CIMAC) for the remaining five million designated for artistic programming.
In his address, Évora City Hall President Carlos Pinto de Sá, who also chairs the association’s general assembly, underscored the potential for a “substantial qualitative leap in preparing Évora 2027,” reaffirming the municipality’s strong commitment to collaborating intensively with the initiative.
