The cities of Lagoa and Tavira, Póvoa de Varzim, Braga, Bragança, and Vila Real, as well as Cidade da Praia in Cape Verde, will host over 100 musicians, including instrumentalists and singers, from the Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir.
This tour, as announced by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, “reaffirms its commitment to cultural decentralization and international exchange,” with performances featuring renowned guest conductors and acclaimed soloists.
The tour will commence on June 20 at the Carlos do Carmo Auditorium in Lagoa, featuring a program that spans a wide array of styles and periods, including ‘Contrasts and Orchestral Colors’ with works by Zoltan Kodály, Jacques Ibert, Doreen Carwithen, Samuel Barber, Johann Strauss II, Edvard Grieg, Giacomo Puccini, and Paul Hindemith.
The orchestra’s concert will be conducted by maestro Clemens Schuldt, with flautist Sónia Pais as the soloist. This repertoire will be presented the following day, June 21, in Tavira at the António Pinheiro Cineteatro, and prior to the tour on June 17, at the Grande Auditório Gulbenkian, in a free entry concert as part of Lisbon Festivities.
On July 12, the Gulbenkian Orchestra will perform at the Póvoa de Varzim International Music Festival, under the direction of maestro Miguel Sepúlveda, with a program including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica,’ and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. The soloist will be pianist Momo Kodama, acclaimed by The New York Times and BBC Music Magazine for her album ‘La Vallée des Cloches,’ which features ‘Miroirs’ by the French composer.
The following week, the orchestra will perform in three northern cities: in Braga at the University of Minho’s Medieval Hall on July 17, in Bragança at the Municipal Theatre on July 18, and in Vila Real at the Municipal Theatre on July 19.
In these concerts, the orchestra will be conducted by maestro Izabele Jankauskaite, with violinist Bin Chao as the soloist. The program, common to all three concerts, includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and Andrea Tarrodi’s contemporary work ‘Camelopardalis.’
“The tour concludes with a culturally significant event, with two concerts by the Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir in Cidade da Praia,” Cape Verde, on July 25 and 26, as stated in the announcement.
These two concerts will focus on the album ‘Cretcheu’ by Cape Verdean musician, composer, and former Minister of Culture Mário Lúcio, alongside the piece ‘Ó Serpa’ by Eurico Carrapatoso. This program will be conducted by maestro Rui Pinheiro.
On September 6, the Orchestra will kick off the 2025-2026 Gulbenkian Music Season with the usual open-air concert at Vale do Silêncio in Olivais, Lisbon, under the direction of maestro Pedro Neves.
In October, they will return to the foundation’s Grande Auditório, conducted by chief conductor Hannu Lintu, with a program dedicated to the works of Magnus Lindberg and Richard Wagner.
