1st Leiria Creative City of Music Festival

The first edition, taking place between the 16th and 18th of November, will bring together renowned and emerging talents from alternative, jazz and classical music.

Seventeen original works inspired by Saramago will be premiered at the first edition of the Leiria Creative City of Music Festival, which takes place between the 16th and 18th of November, at the José Lúcio da Silva and Miguel Franco Theaters.

Musical creation is at the heart of the festival, through a dialogue between music, literature and theatre. For Anabela Graça, councilor for culture, this project aims to enhance the city’s creative process, innovation and musical talents with the community and the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

The first edition brings together established and emerging talent, in a balance between local artists and established names from the national scene, in a program that explores aesthetics such as alternative music, jazz and classical music.

On September 16, at the start of the programme, Surma and Leirena Teatro will premiere at Teatro José Lúcio da Silva a staging with original music from the children’s tale “A maior Flor do Mundo”, by José Saramago.

On the following two days, they visit the Miguel Franco Theater, the Septet of the Jazz Association of Leiria, with the singer Rita Maria, and the Ensemble of Philharmonic of the Municipality of Leiria, directed by tehe international Maestro Nicholas Reed and Soprano Rita Marques.

The artistic director, Daniel Bernardes, points out that during these three days, we will have 17 musical creations taking place in Leiria, commissioned by the Creative City of Music, adding that all the composers are preparing for “a dip into the poetic work of José Saramago” and hence they write original music for those musical formations.

In the area of jazz, composers from Leiria, Paulo Santo, Pedro Nobre, César Cardoso and national references Bruno Santos, Pedro Moreira and Mário Laginha will write for the festival.

In the area of contemporary music, the works will be signed by Carlos Azevedo, Anne Victorino d’Almeida, Carlos Brito Dias, João Santos, André Barros and Nuno Barradas.

The Festival will also feature the final test of the first edition of the Leiria International Composition Competition, essential to stimulate contemporary musical creation in jazz and classical music, establishing the bridge between Leiria musical groups and emerging names in composition.

The Contest launched the challenge to composers to create music from Saramago’s poetic work, and we will have the opportunity to hear the four finalist pieces in the final test of the contest, after which the jury will announce the final results. The two best works in the jazz and classical music categories will be awarded with two thousand and one thousand euros, respectively.

Each day of the Festival represents a show that can be presented autonomously and Leiria Creative City of Music will disseminate them through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network so that they can have international circulation.

“We want these projects to circulate through UNESCO cities” and, given “the projection of a Nobel Prize in literature like José Saramago” and “the idea is that these projects promote the internationalization of Leirienses artists”, wished the person in charge of Leiria Creative City of Music.

Entrance to the festival’s shows is free, however, seat reservations are not required.

For more information: https://www.teatrojlsilva.pt/bilheteira/