To begin 2025, the MIC.PT presents, in the In Focus section, a new interview with Amílcar Vasques-Dias, composer, pianist, and improviser whose 80th anniversary will occur in March.
With roots and influences extended between the Alentejo culture, the Alto Minho and José Afonso’s music, Amílcar Vasques-Dias developed his activity in the Netherlands, including at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, for 14 years. He has received commissions from various Dutch and Portuguese public and private institutions. His production encompasses chamber instrumental and voice music, solo pieces, electroacoustic music, works for symphony and brass orchestras, choir, opera, multimedia creations and music for film and theatre. Simultaneously with his composition activity, he develops projects fusing the ‘classical’ piano with traditional music, such as the Alentejo chant and flamenco, also dedicating himself to recreating José Afonso’s music. Amílcar Vasques-Dias was a teacher at the Music School of Lisbon, the Music and Performance School in Porto, and the Universities of Aveiro and Évora, having also been artistic director of the Alentejo 20th and 21st Century Music Meeting.

Punto di Fuga (2024) is the new work by Ângela da Ponte (a composer published by the MIC.PT), whose commissioner is the Lisbon Contemporary Music Group. The work’s premiere will occur on January 19 at the Casa da Música Jorge Peixinho in Montijo. At this concert, the Lisbon Contemporary Music Group, under the baton of Rui Pinheiro, will also perform various works by Jorge Peixinho. The next day, January 20, the Group will perform Punto di Fuga again at a school session. ‘Invention leads to research and vice versa. One nourishes the other one. Many artists and creators think their art is not research; however, it is untrue. There is always a research element, no matter how small it is. Music is never only music. It is science, literature, movement, and colour. We learn a lot when taking another perspective. Something new emerges in the intersection between different areas’, says Ângela da Ponte in the MIC.PT interview edited and included in Notebook #24, whose release occurred in December in the context of the MIC.PT series, Portuguese 20th and 21st Century Music Notebooks.

Fernando C. Lapa (a composer published by MIC.PT) will have several performances of his works throughout January. On his 75th birthday, the city of Vila Real will host a series of events, including two world premieres on January 10 at the Municipal Theatre. The premieres, Canções de Luz e de Mistério (for violin and string orchestra) and De Azul (for flute and string orchestra) will be performed by Eliseu Silva (violin), Monika Streitová (flute), and the AMASING Orchestra under the direction of Luciano Pereira. Then, the opera AURORA – Ópera para uma Epopeia dos Tempos Modernos (2024) will also have its performance in Vila Real on January 25. This collaborative composition by Fernando C. Lapa, Tomás Marques and Telmo Marques will be performed by the soloists Sara Braga Simões and Job Tomé, the Lira Choir and an instrumental ensemble. Finally, the piece Para um Natal Português (1, 2 and 4) will have its performance at the São Pedro church in Amarante on January 11. The performers of this work for choir and orchestra will be the Vila Chã do Marão Choir, the Amaranthus Ensemble, and Plácido Carvalho (conductor).

Hugo Vasco Reis (a composer published by the MIC.PT) on the electronics, together with the viola player Trevor McTait, will present the Sonic Figures Project on January 17 (9h00 p.m.) at the O’culto da Ajuda in Lisbon, in the context of Art’s Birthday 2025 – Euroradio Ars Acustica Special Evening. The premise of the Sonic Figures Project ‘consists of listening to and mediating silent sonic environments, involving experimentation, reflection, collaboration and creation’, says Hugo Vasco Reis in the introductory notes. Then he continues: ‘Following an approach that includes metaphorical associations, one projects a sonic horizon of intention, speculation and subjectivity. Here, a drop of water can be more audible than a waterfall’. With direct broadcast from various countries, Art’s Birthday is a celebration paying tribute to the French artist Robert Filliou, who, on January 17, 1963, declared that Art had been born precisely 1.000.000 before when somebody had dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water! The concert broadcast from Lisbon, realised by Antena 2, will take place at the O’culto da Ajuda.

Igor C. Silva’s work Blackout Phase (2019) for electric guitar, percussion, electronics and light, whose commissioner is the Drumming – Percussion Group, will have its performance by the UIC Percussion Ensemble on January 31 in the context of the IMEC – Illinois Music Educators Conference (USA), an initiative by the Illinois Music Education Association. Directed by Jordan Kamps, the UIC Percussion Ensemble was founded in 2013 at the School of Theatre and Music of the University of Illinois Chicago. Its repertoire comprises canonic percussion works as well as new compositions. Until now, the Ensemble has premiered works by contemporary composers, including Bruce A. Russel, Ivan Trevino and Igor C. Silva. ‘Since very early times, my music has been rapidly influenced by technological means, either the computer or electr(on)ic instruments. This influence exists because I studied electric guitar, and this instrument is essential to sound manipulation’, said Igor C. Silva (a composer published by the MIC.PT) in an interview published on the MIC.PT in September 2015.

Between January 15 and 26, Jaime Reis (a composer published by the MIC.PT) will realise an artistic residency at the studios of the Musiques & Recherches association, localised in Belgium. In this context, he will work on a new music composition. Additionally, two of Jaime Reis’ works will be presented this month in Portugal and Belgium. The first one, the Interlúdio II for violin and electronics, from the music theatre Bartolomeu, o voador (2017–2018), is part of the concert organised in the framework of the Electroacoustic Meetings, an initiative by the DME Project and the José Luís Ferreira Mixed Music Lab, occurring on January 13 at the Goethe Institute in Lisbon. The second work, Sangue Inverso: Quartzo (IV) e Sangue Inverso: Rosa do Deserto (V) (2022), is part of the concerts by the DME Ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano), conducted by Pedro Pinto Figueiredo, occurring on the 20th and 23rd, respectively, at the Lisboa Incomum and the Le Senghor (LOOP Festival) in Brussels (Belgium).

Two works by João Pedro Oliveira (a composer published by the MIC.PT) are part of the concert organised in the framework of the Electroacoustic Meetings, which will occur at the Goethe Institute in Lisbon on January 13. The works are A Tre (2008) for piano four hands and electronics, performed by Beatriz Lemos and Hugo Morais and In Tempore (2000) for piano electronics, performed by António Narciso. Coordinated by Jaime Reis, the Electroacoustic Meetings is an initiative by the DME Project and the José Luís Ferreira Mixed Music Lab of the Music School of Lisbon. It provides pedagogical activities directed at specialised artistic education students to help them learn the universe of electroacoustic music. With workshops, rehearsals and the final concert on the 13th, this initiative familiarises the participants with electroacoustic music, including the space necessary for its creation and diffusion – the mixing table and the 16-channel dome loudspeaker system installed at the Lisboa Incomum.

In 2024, the Lisbon Contemporary Music Group recorded and edited the fourth volume of the CD series dedicated to the works of its founder, Jorge Peixinho (a composer published by the MIC.PT). The realisation of this phonographic register occurred at the Casa da Música Jorge Peixinho between April and July. In this sense, on January 17 and 20, respectively, at the Arciprestes Palace (Linda-a-Velha) and the Casa da Música Jorge Peixinho (Montijo), the Group conducted by Rui Pinheiro will give a concert presenting the new CD, Jorge Peixinho – Vol. IV, released under the la mà de guido label. The programme of these concerts, culminating in a get-together between the audience and the musicians, will include various Jorge Peixinho’s works: Estrela (1962), Situações 66 (1966), Ulivi Aspri e Forti I (1982) and Sine nomine (1987–1988).

In January, Mariana Vieira (a composer published by the MIC.PT) will have the piece Lissabonleipzig (notes added to a text) performed two times. Composed in 2023 and commissioned by the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the work for flute, bass clarinet, violin and live electronics will have its presentation by Mafalda Carvalho, Carlos Silva, and Beatriz Costa. The concert will also feature other members of the DME Ensemble: Alex Waite on piano and Ângela Carneiro on cello, as well as direction by Pedro Pinto Figueiredo. Lissabonleipzig will be part of the concert programme scheduled for January 20 at the Lisboa Incomum. This concert will be the first in which the DME Ensemble will perform as a quintet. Three days later, on January 23, the DME Ensemble will perform Mariana Vieira’s piece at the Le Senghor in Brussels (Loop Festival).

On January 5 and 11, Miguel Azguime (a composer published by the MIC.PT) will join the Portuguese Youth Orchestra, conducted by Pedro Carneiro, to perform the narrator’s part in Frederic Rzewski’s work Coming Together (1971). ‘Combined with Sam Melville’s text, recovered by Rzewski from the letters Sam had written in prison in Attica, in this work the composer uses a single melodic line, creating a vital pulse that flourishes through the flexibility of improvisation, in an extraordinary cross between the medieval canon and the origins of Terry Riley’s minimalism, transmitting to the audience an unshakeable effervescent glow against social injustices’, reveal the notes on the orchestra’s website. The two performances, directed by Teresa Simas, will occur at the São Luiz Municipal Theatre in Lisbon and the Theatro Circo in Braga.

The work em palavra a noite (2017) for soprano and piano by Paulo Bastos (a composer published by the MIC.PT) is part of the new CD OUTONALMA by the Tágide Duo, with Inês Simões (soprano) and Daniel Godinho (piano). Released at the end of 2024, with the support of the GDA Foundation, this album is a collection of voice and piano works by Portuguese contemporary composers: apart from Paulo Bastos, three other composers (published by the MIC.PT) – António Chagas Rosa, Fátima Fonte and Fernando C. Lapa; and Vasco Mendonça. ‘The selection of pieces reflects a rich poetic diversity, ranging from the verses of Eugénio de Andrade and Alexandre O’Neill to 12th-century Japanese poetry. Each work is a meeting point between music and words, showcasing the depth and plurality of Portuguese artistic creation’, says the Tágide Duo in the introductory notes.

In December, in the context of the Portuguese 20th and 21st Century Music Notebooks series, the MIC.PT released a new Notebook, #24, dedicated to the composer Ângela da Ponte. This series of bilingual editions constitutes an ‘introspection’ into each composer’s work, simultaneously being an incentive to explore and (re)discover their music and their reflection on music philosophy and aesthetics. Each Notebook comprises a biographical note, questionnaire / interview or musicological article, two catalogues of works – according to instrumentation and chronological order – and discography. Presently, the following Notebooks are available in print: #1 · Paulo Ferreira-Lopes; #2 · Sara Carvalho; #3 · António Ferreira; #4 · António Chagas Rosa; #5 · Bruno Gabirro; #7 · Patrícia Sucena de Almeida; #10 · Pedro Rebelo; #12 · João Madureira; #13 · António de Sousa Dias · #15 · Isabel Soveral; #16 · Tiago Cutileiro; #18 · João Castro Pinto; #20 · [ka'mi] · #21 · Álvaro Salazar; #23 · Ângela Lopes; #24 · Ângela da Ponte.

In December the Espaço Crítica para a Nova Música published a new text (in Portuguese) by Pedro Boléo – “Clepsydra” de Carlos Marecos: uma ópera distópica. In this review, the author writes about the new chamber opera Clepsydra (2024) by Carlos Marecos (music) and Alexandre Lyra Leite (staging and libretto), based on Camilo Pessanha’s poem Branco e Vermelho. The opera’s premiere occurred on October 31. Its performances by Joana Manuel (soprano), Rui Baeta (baritone), Carolina Inácio (dancer), Paula Galiana (violin), Íris Almeida and João Carlos Barata (viola) and Carolina Veneno (cello) continued throughout November at the Sobralinho Place (Vila Franca de Xira).

At 55, Luís Tinoco, a composer, music teacher and advocate, has won the Pessoa Prize 2024. The jury, presided by Pinto Balsemão, has distinguished this ‘author of a vast work encompassing opera, music for theatre, symphonic and chamber repertoire, and ballet’ and whose ‘eminently personal language privileges the affective communication with the public, without compromising the composition rigour’. The jury added that ‘simultaneously to his work as a composer, Luís Tinoco also develops a relevant pedagogical activity as a teacher at the Music School of Lisbon and various intensive training workshops in Portugal and abroad’, having emphasised his role as artistic director of the Young Musicians’ Award, ‘which has highly contributed to stimulating and promoting new generations of musicians, trained and educated in music schools all over Portugal’.

With the aim to encourage the creation and diffusion of new acousmatic / electroacoustic works, Miso Music Portugal promotes and organises the 26th International Electroacoustic Composition Competition – Música Viva 2025. The deadline for the works’ submission is July 31, 2025 (11h59 p.m., Lisbon time) and the results will be announced on October 31, 2025. The presentation of the winning work, diffused via the Miso Music Portugal’s Loudspeaker Orchestra, will occur in December, 2025, in the context of the Short Circuit Festival in Lisbon. The jury of the 26th International Electroacoustic Composition Competition – Música Viva 2025 will be announced shortly.

MPMP Património Musical Vivo, with the support of the Ministry of Culture / Direção-Geral das Artes, announces the sixth edition of the Musa Prize, created to distinguish musical excellence in contemporary composition within the classical tradition and promote the Portuguese language as an expressive vehicle. The Musa Prize is open to composers of any age or nationality, and the submitted works must be based on lyrics written by José Mário Branco. Three composers comprise the jury of the Musa Prize 2024: Daniel Moreira, Nuno da Rocha and Sara Ross. The deadline for the score application is February 15, 2025, at 11h59 p.m. (GMT).

In November the MIC.PT published on the YouTube Channel two new In the 1st Person Interviews (in Portuguese) with the composers Diogo da Costa Ferreira and Luís Neto da Costa. The musicologist and journalist Pedro Boléo conducted these two interviews recorded in 2023 at the O’culto da Ajuda in Lisbon.
Presently the MIC.PT YouTube Channel contains 35 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 almost 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.