This month the MIC.PT In Focus section is dedicated to Pedro Rebelo, to mark the 50th anniversary of this composer, performer and researcher, whose activity challenges the conventions regarding the sonic arts. Pedro Rebelo is a professor and director of the Sonic Arts Research Centre at the Queen’s University in Belfast. His works are regularly performed the world over, and as improvised music performer he has appeared on stage with the best artists dedicated to this genre (Chris Brown, Mark Applebaum, Carlos Zingaro, Evan Parker, or Pauline Oliveros). His music has a privileged relation with the new technologies and the interdisciplinarity. Recently Pedro Rebelo has realised participative projects with communities in Belfast, in favelas in Maré (Rio de Janeiro), a slum town in Mozambique, and with travelling communities in Portugal.
In July Pedro Rebelo will participate as a keynote speaker at the EIMAD – International Meeting for Research in Music, Arts and Design (ESART, Castelo Branco), where on July 7 he will give a conference entitled Un-disciplining Sound and Music: thinking through the listening experience. Additionally, the installation Sounding Conflict: A Performance in Five Acts by Pedro Rebelo and Matilde Meireles (created in collaboration with the Tinderbox Theatre Company), is on display until July 16 at the Maré Museum in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). It's also included in the programme of the Jardins Efémeros Festival, taking place between July 8 & 16 in Viseu.
This month visit the In Focus section with a new interview with Pedro Rebelo (composer published by the MIC.PT).

The new work, Do they know (2022) for baritone and orchestra, by Daniel Davis (composer published by the MIC.PT), based on the text and poetry of Alexander Search (one of Fernando Pessoa's alter egos) has been developed in the context of the Composing for Voices workshop (ENOA/ Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), mentored by the composer Kaija Saariaho. This work will be performed at the workshop's final concert which will take place on July 15 at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, and which will include the participation of Eduarda Melo and Camila Mandillo (sopranos), André Henriques and Tiago Matos (baritones), and the Gulbenkian Orchestra under the baton of Pedro Amaral. The programme of this concert will also include the music of Solange Azevedo, Nelson Jesus, Lanquing Ding, Nino Russel, Jue Wang and Kaija Saariaho. Another Daniel Davis' work, Trekking End (2022) for trombone, piano and speaker, will be premiered by the Contemporaneus Ensemble (Francisco Serôdio, trombone; Vera Batista, piano) in the context of the Bagagem de Mão performance, which will take place on July 22, 23 and 24 in Lagos (Portugal), and whose programme will also include the premieres of music by Fernando C. Lapa and Tiago Derriça. Lastly, the piece Colours (here in) (2018) for mixed choir by Daniel Davis, will be performed at the ISCM World New Music Days festival in New Zealand (August 23-30).

The world premiere of the work Penso em ti, logo sou – Homenagem a António Coimbra de Matos (2022) for symphony orchestra by Diogo da Costa Ferreira, will take place on July 10 at the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon. The concert's programme (Art of Knowledge) will also include the music of Fábio Cachão, Francisco Lima da Silva, and Beethoven. It will be performed by the University of OAUL – Lisbon Academic Orchestra conducted by Tiago Oliveira. “Professor António Coimbra de Matos was – and is – much more than an essential figure when it comes to psychoanalysis and mental health in Portugal. He was an irreverent thinker, a Master, a revolutionary, and a creator of restlessness and disquiet. I owe him a lot, for everything he has taught me: the relation, creation and the future. One year after his death, this is the tribute that I pay to him” – says Diogo da Costa Ferreira, composer published by the MIC.PT, who is also a multidisciplinary artist, writer, professor, and researcher. After the commission competition organised by the OAUL and open to young Portuguese composers, this concert is the moment to reveal the works by Diogo da Costa Ferreira, Fábio Cachão, and Francisco Lima da Silva. The theme that served as the motto for their creation is, Humanities, Arts, and Science. These academic and knowledge areas also make part of the OAUL Orchestra's primordial existence.

In July and August the music by Hugo Vasco Reis (composer published by the MIC.PT) will be presented in Portugal and Germany. The composer's new cycle of five acousmatic-music pieces, Cinco Lugares sobre a Fragilidade (2022), will be premiered in Vila de Rei, Oleiros, Proença-a-Nova, Mação and Sertã, on July 3, 10, 17, 31 & August 7, in the context of the Fôlego project. The work Micro Images for Piano (2017) will be performed by Leonor Pereira at the Music Conservatory in Porto on July 7. And, lastly, the premiere of Dimensions IV (2022) for cello and electronics, performed by Katharina Gross, will take place at the drei in eins festival in Kassel (Germany) on July 31. “In my practice, at first I work at the micro level towards the macro one, and then the other way round. For me any creation process is based on reflection and research. I assimilate the reflection and I work with musical gestures mediating them in time and space. The gestures are moulded and interiorised into a map and a form. And thus the process' macro structure is defined. This is the moment when I invert the method, starting to work on the detail of every gesture – from the macro to the micro...” – said Hugo Vasco Reis in the MIC.PT Interview from 2019.

The work Fluxus, Dimensionless Sound (B) (2012-2017) for flute and electronics by Jaime Reis (composer published by the MIC.PT), will be performed by the flutist Monika Streitová at the two Connections (P/CZ) concerts, which will take place in the Czech Republic: on July 7 in Olomouc in the context of the Lichtzwang 2022 (UCUP – Kaple Božího Těla), and on July 8 in Prague (Atrium na Žižkově). These concerts, co-programmed by the EMSCAN – electroacoustic music sound courses alumni network, will be performed by Beatriz Costa (violin), Nao Higano (soprano), Marek Keprt (piano), Jaime Reis and Mariana Vieira (electronics). Their programme will also include the music of Clotilde Rosa (Densidades), Jorge Peixinho (Sine Nomine), and Mariana Vieira (Tre), as well as by various Czech and Slovak composers. Additionally, on July 16 at the ZKM – Zentrum für Kunst und Medien in Karlsruhe (Germany), the Aleph Guitar Quartet will perform the work Fluxus, Vortex – Schubkraft for guitar quartet and electronics (first performance in Germany), composed by Jaime Reis in 2019. The programme of this concert will also include the music by two other composers: José María Sánchez Verdú and Zeynep Gedizlioğlu.

The work Drive_! (2013) for vibraphone, multi percussion and electronics by Igor C. Silva, is included in the programme of Jonathan Silva's recital on July 7 at the Oficina das Artes in Murtosa (Portugal). Other two works by this composer published by the MIC.PT – Plastic Air (2017) for flexible duo, electronics & video/ lighting and In Case of Change (2020) for kalimba & electronics – will be performed by João Miguel Braga Simões and Igor C. Silva during two concerts, on July 14 & 17, at the Ermo do Caos, an independent artistic venue in Porto. “The capacity of an artist to focus their creative attention constantly on a given expressive point, allows for a development of their own language. The freedom emerges as the most important factor for the composer to look at their own music from the inside, and not through the prism of the current music canons” – said Igor C. Silva in the 2015 MIC.PT Interview.

José Mesquita Lopes, composer published by the MIC.PT, guitarist and teacher, is one of the jury members in the context of the 2nd Violão & Violão International Competition, whose final phases will take place on July 4 and 15. This Competition aims at promoting and encouraging the exchange of music experience among guitarists from Portugal and Brazil, stimulating the taste towards music and promoting new music talents. Additionally, on May 20 the Violão & Violão platform realised and streamed an interview with the participation of José Mesquita Lopes, and the guitarist and composer Ricardo Abreu. During this conversation, whose recording is available until October 15 via the Simpósio In Music platform (guitar section), José Mesquita Lopes talks not only about guitar and guitar composition in Portugal, but also about his own work which involves this instrument.

Filipe Lopes, composer published by the MIC.PT, is the author of the sound design for the project Rostos da Maré – Vidas em Rede entre Matosinhos, Vila do Conde e Póvoa de Varzim, composed of a book, and exhibition and an audio-visual installation produced by the Bind'ó Peixe – Cultural Association and by the Media, Arts and Design Superior School – P. Porto. This sound design is constituted by three different compositions which are permanently present within each of the sculptures, having been inspired in the sounds of the sea and the recorded interviews. The first presentation took place on June 28 at the Municipal Market in Matosinhos. The installation will be also presented at the Memory Centre in Vila do Conde on July 8, and then, on July 14, at the Transport Coordination Centre in Póvoa de Varzim.

In July and August Vítor Rua, composer published by the MIC.PT, guitarist and performer, will participate in various festivals in Portugal and Europe. On July 15 and 16 the artist will participate in various activities (conferences, workshops, concerts, ...), organised in the context of the 4th Jorge Lima Barreto Biennale in Vinhais (Portugal). On July 23, Vítor Rua – together with the poet Feliciano de Mira, the filmmaker Edgar Pêra, and with the cellist Helena Espvall –, will give a multimedia concert in the framework of the EV.EX. – Évora Experimental Festival. And finally, the Telectu (Ilda Teresa Castro and Vítor Rua) will give concerts in the context of two festivals: on July 28 in the framework of the 4th edition of the Braille Satellite in Lithuania; and on August 27, they will perform the Belzebu at the ZigurFest in Lamego (Portugal).

In July and August the work Íris-abandono… (2016) for vibraphone by Paulo Bastos (composer published by the MIC.PT), will be performed in the context of two concerts. The first one, performed by the percussionist Jonathan Silva, will take place on July 7 at the Oficina das Artes in the Murtosa Municipality (Quintas das Artes cycle). The second concert is integrated in the programme of the ISCM World New Music Days festival, which will be taking place between August 23 and 30 in New Zealand. “Íris-abandono… for vibraphone solo is a cycle of seven miniatures inspired in the poem Anto by the Portuguese poet Mário Sá-Carneiro. Having an intimate atmosphere, each moment of this cycle chooses a dreamlike moment from the poem. The title of the cycle, Íris-abandono…, conveys the heady aura of the poet's words” – reveals Paulo Bastos in the programme note.

The work sobre a areia o tempo poisa (2016), for violin, violoncello and piano by Sara Carvalho (composer published by the MIC.PT) will be performed in the context of the ISCM World New Music Days festival, taking place between August 23 and 30 in New Zealand (Auckland and Christchurch). “The title of the piece, over the sands time stands still, is taken from the poem Fundo do Mar (Deep Sea) by the Portuguese writer Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919-2004). As suggested in Sophia's poem, my musical material is also said to start from opposites that cohabit within the same space, where everything is as much divided as it is intertwined, as if it were a web. Thus, as in a dream, the events of the work succeed in a non-linear manner; and the time releases memories that have been long forgotten” – writes Sara Carvalho in the programme note.

The ISCM World New Music Days (WNMD) in New Zealand, which was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place in the end of August. The Festival's programme includes three works by Portuguese composers, selected in the framework of the WMND oficial submission by the Miso Music Portugal/ MIC.PT, as Portuguese Section of the ISCM – International Society for Contemporary Music. The works are: over the sands time stands still (2016), for violin, cello and piano, by Sara Carvalho; Íris-abandono… (2016), for vibraphone, by Paulo Bastos; and Colours (here in) (2018), for mixed choir, by Daniel Davis. Additionally, the work Instrepere III by the Portuguese composer Nuno Costa will be also presented in the context of the WNMD 2022. The programme of the ISCM World New Music Days in New Zealand (August 23-30, Auckland and Christchurch), hosted by the CANZ (Composers Association of New Zealand), will include concerts by professional orchestras and ensembles, informal ensembles and collaborations, taonga pūoro practitioners, and soloists. Concurrently, with the latter part of the ISCM WNMDs (August 28-31, Chistchurch), the CANZ will host an Asian Composers League (ACL) festival. The music featured throughout this double event will include new and innovative works from across the international membership of the ISCM and ACL, alongside a rich and varied array of recent music from Aotearoa (New Zealand).

In order to encourage the creation and diffusion of new electroacoustic works, the Miso Music Portugal promotes the 23rd International Electroacoustic Composition Competition – Música Viva 2022. This initiative is directed to composers of all ages and nationalities. Each participant can submit only one work, which hasn't been comercially released and which hasn't been awarded at any other national or international competition. The deadline for the works’ submission is August 31, 2022. The winning work will be announced during the Música Viva 2022 Festival, which will be taking place at the O’culto da Ajuda in Lisbon between November 18 and 27. The International Jury of the Música Viva 2021 Competition is comprised of the composers: Jonty Harrison (United Kingdom) · Kees Tazelaar (the Netherlands) · Miguel Azguime (Portugal).

In order to encourage the creation and dissemination of new musical works, the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble is announcing and organising the 12th edition of the International Composition Competition – New Chamber Music with Electronics. This initiative is open to composers of any age and nationality. Each contestant can submit only one work, lasting between 7 and 15 minutes, and composed in or after 2017. The submitted pieces must not have been commercially published or awarded at any other national or international competition. Winners of the previous Sond’Ar-te Competitions can't participate in the present edition. The jury of the 12th Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble Competition is composed of: Agata Zubel, Jêrome Combier, Pedro Neves and Miguel Azguime. The Competition's deadline is October 31, 2022.

Produced and curated by the researchers, Cristina Fernandes, Manuel Deniz Silva and Tiago Manuel da Hora, and organised by the PROFMUS project, the exhibition To Be a Musician in Portugal (1750-1985) – a journey through the history of music organisations in Portugal is open to the public at the Portuguese Music Museum – Casa Verdades de Faria (Monte Estoril) between July 2 and November 6. It is an unprecedented and pioneering initiative presenting to the public an extraordinary richness of documents and materials preserved within various collections (Irmandade de Santa Cecília/ Montepio Filarmónico – Basílica dos Mártires; Historical Archive of the Musicians' Syndicate deposited in the Portuguese Music Museum). It is also an essential source for the history of music life in Portugal between the end of the Old Regime, when an increase in the music organisations among Portuguese musicians took place, until the integration of Portugal in the EEC (1985), and the consequent beginning of free circulation of music professionals within the European labour market. PROFMUS – To Be a Musician in Portugal: the social and professional condition of musicians in Lisbon (1750-1985) is a research project realised at the Centre of Studies in Music and Dance (INET-md), coordinated by the musicologist Rui Vieira Nery, and which involves a team of 23 researchers. It is the first project of this kind, working on the referred subject.

In 2022 the Sond'Ar-te Electric Ensemble offers an intensive training programme for instrument students of secondary and higher levels, who would like to Sound Out, Decipher and Perform the music of our time; and to get involved in the discovery of a stimulating contemporary repertoire, including works with electronics. This year the Sond'Ar-te Academy will be taking place at the Casa de Mateus Foundation in Vila Real (Portugal), between September 4 and 8.

Presently the MIC.PT YouTube Channel contains 18 New Interviews to composers residing in Portugal, realised since 2019; as well as eight Interviews from the MIC.PT Archive, realised between 2003 and 2005.
The New Interviews, conducted by Pedro Boléo, were filmed at the O'culto da Ajuda in Lisbon and realised in the context of the In the 1st Person cycle of the Music Today and Research & Invention Music radio broadcasts, produced by the MIC.PT and Miso Music Portugal for the Antena 2. They constitute a (re)visit to the creative universe of various composers published by the MIC.PT, following the Historical Interviews recorded by the MIC.PT more than 15 years ago. Today they are unique registers of the artistic evolution of each interviewed composer.
In order to access the Interviews (in Portuguese) follow the links below or visit the MIC.PT YouTube Channel.