The festival, covering repertoire from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Baroque, is under the artistic direction of Ana Figueiras and includes 6 free concerts in churches and cultural spaces, as well as 2 training activities. Established as one of the country's most prestigious initiatives for the appreciation of ancient musical heritage, the event brings together leading national and international ensembles and performers.
The opening takes place on Saturday, October 3rd, at the Igreja Matiz de Loulé, with the French ensemble Alkymia and the concert “Sucreries”, a musical journey based on colonial ecclesiastical archives from Sucre, Bolivia.
On Sunday, October 4th, at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in Alte, the Portuguese ensemble L’Amoureux Empire, winner of the Prémio Jovens Músicos/Antena 2 2024, presents “Cor Diviso”, focusing on the dramatic expressiveness of pieces from the Italian Seicento. The ensemble comprises Raquel Mendes (soprano), Rafaela Salgado (harpsichord), and Mariana Mendes (theorbo).
On October 10th, at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in Querença, the Ensemble 258 (Portugal) takes the stage with “O Dulcedo Amoris”, exploring Baroque works by Iberian, French, and English composers. Founded in Lisbon in 2018 by André Ferreira, Maria Bayley, and Teresa Duarte, the ensemble is dedicated to the recovery and historically informed performance of European musical heritage.
The Duo Andrómeda (Portugal/Norway) presents “Sempre Cânone” at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in Quarteira, on October 11th. The project focuses on the recorder and aims to increase contemporary musical production for this instrument.
On October 17th, the Igreja de S. Francisco, in Loulé, hosts the Musurgia Ensemble (Portugal) with a selection of Baroque sonatas and trio sonatas for recorder and basso continuo by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann.
The Encounter concludes on October 31st, at the Igreja de S. Sebastião, in Boliqueime. The concert “Confluências” brings together the Ensemble de Flautas de Loulé (celebrating its 30th anniversary) and the Ensemble de Flautas da Jetse Academie (Belgium), as part of the European Erasmus+ project.
All concerts begin at 7 PM and are free to attend. The encounter also features two training activities open to the public at the Auditório do Solar da Música Nova, in Loulé: a Baroque Oboe workshop with André Ferreira on Saturday, October 10th, at 2:00 PM, and a Recorder masterclass with João Francisco Távora on Sunday, October 18th, at 10:00 AM.
