“It is a joy for me to present to you my first programming season at Casa da Música, an institution I greatly admire for its history, architecture, and people. It is a unique project in the world,” stated François Bou, the artistic director of Casa da Música, at a press conference held today to unveil the 2026 season program. The program will be organized in yearly cycles and festivals, as is customary.
François Bou described the program as an “aggregating and unified” one, aiming to “bring together all forces of Casa da Música around a unique project and reinforce the bonds,” emphasizing “one house, one program.”
“Roots and Resonances” is the anchor concept of the season and will manifest throughout the year, inspiring cycles, festivals, artistic residencies, educational programs, and interdisciplinary projects,” explained the artistic director.
The “Roots” represent the connection to cultural, aesthetic, popular, and spiritual memory, while the “Resonances” reflect the contemporary repercussions of these roots in music, arts, culture, and society in general.
The premiere of “Bachianas Brasileiras” by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos in Portugal is just one of the highlights of the 2026 season, which is packed with cycles and festivals featuring national and international artists.
The 2026 season at Casa da Música opens with the Festival Ressonâncias, a two-week festival showcasing the resident groups of Casa da Música in new formats to engage audiences, including the “Café com Nata” initiative, which comprises 11 chamber music concerts held on Sunday mornings.
“Café com Nata” features performances by Conan Osíris, marks the beginning of Héctor Parra’s residency, and presents the complete “Bachianas Brasileiras.”
Portuguese artist Vitorino will perform his concert “50 anos a Semear Salsa ao Reguinho” as part of the Festival Ressonâncias, following a previous appearance at Casa da Música in February this year.
Manchester’s GoGo Penguin will perform in May, and Joe Jackson is scheduled to take the stage at Casa da Música in October, bringing his new album “Hope and Fury.”
The complete “Bachianas Brasileiras” will be presented in the musical cycle “Ressonâncias de Villa-Lobos,” featuring various ensembles, including the Orquestra Sinfónica, Remix, and the cello ensemble from the Porto’s School of Music and Performing Arts (ESMAE).
Other works by Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos will be performed by the Casa da Música Choir, the Educational Service, and other groups, including “A Floresta do Amazonas,” with visual creation by Brazilian artist Bianca Dacosta, who will be an artist in residence at Casa da Música in 2026.
Besides celebrating Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos, the program at Casa da Música will also feature other musical cycles such as “Ressonâncias de Bach,” “Ressonâncias de Brahms,” “Ressonâncias de Hèctor Parra,” and “Ressonâncias no Grande Ecrã.”
The “Ressonâncias de Bach” cycle will address the work of German composer and harpsichordist Johann Sebastian Bach, including performances such as the “St. John Passion” by the Baroque Choir and Orchestra and “The Art of Fugue” with a contemporary recomposition by Johannes Schöllhorn.
Bach’s presence will also be featured in the Piano Cycle, the Educational Service, and jazz explorations.
The “Ressonâncias de Brahms” cycle, dedicated to German composer and pianist Johannes Brahms, will include four concerts for soloists and orchestra, with internationally acclaimed pianists, violinists, and cellists.
In the “Ressonâncias de Hèctor Parra” cycle, Casa da Música will highlight the work of Catalan composer Héctor Parra, a resident composer at Casa da Música for two years, showcasing various works and exploring the “intersection between music, literature, and visual arts.”
The “Ressonâncias no Grande Ecrã” cycle will integrate cinema, music, and audiovisual experiences, offering cineconcerts, video game concerts, visual creations, and live sand projections for Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”
The 2026 program will also include the Festival Press Start, dedicated to “Pop Culture,” video game and animation music, the Jazz Station, a festival celebrating the diversity of jazz, blues, soul, funk, hip hop, and Brazilian popular music.
The Tempo de Encontros, a series of concerts crossing different repertoires and formations, and the Amazonia Festival, part of the cycle dedicated to Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, are also planned for the upcoming season.
“The 2026 season reflects this historical tension between the need to transcend a saturated romantic past and the desire to rediscover a vital and organic sense of music,” reads the press dossier.
