SETÚBAL INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL (SIMF)
The SIMF is a festival with a unique identity, unparalleled in Portugal. Its initiatives form the foundation of the festival’s concept, featuring multidisciplinary musical exchanges between established professional musicians and young performers. It places a strong emphasis on educational elements to improve young people’s lives through music and to promote social inclusion through the active participation of disadvantaged communities and young people with specific needs.
The festival includes five artistic-pedagogical projects: Percussion Parade, Creative Songwriting, Hearing the Difference, Symphony Orchestra, and Guitar Orchestra.
This event carries an important and meaningful commitment, contributing to cultural, social, and humanitarian improvement. It has a positive impact on the community it directly engages with: the city of Setúbal.
The festival is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust and the Setúbal City Council.
VOX LUSITANA ENSEMBLE (VLE)
The Vox Lusitana Ensemble is a vocal group comprising 10 members, based in Covilhã, Portugal. This city, located in the interior of the country, was deliberately chosen to reflect the ensemble’s commitment to promoting classical music outside major urban centres, contributing to the decentralisation of cultural offerings and the artistic development of the region.
Founded by musicians passionate about choral art, the Vox Lusitana Ensemble is dedicated to performing and promoting choral music. It is distinguished by its ability to offer audiences new musical experiences, with a mission to preserve and expand the choral repertoire, paying particular attention to Lusitanian traditions and European musical culture.
A VLE performance is a journey through the tradition of vocal music, spanning from the Renaissance to the present day, showcasing and celebrating the richness of vocal music – both sacred and secular – across the ages.
ORFEÃO DA COVILHÃ CHOIR
Founded in 1926, it first performed in public on 16 November with approximately 280 voices. As proof of its cultural value, it has received various awards, including the Official Grade of the Order of Merit, awarded in 1937 by the President of the Republic, the Gold Medal of the City of Covilhã, the Silver Medal of Municipal Merit, and the Honorary Member Medal of the League of Combatants of the Great War. The Choir of the Orfeão da Covilhã has participated in numerous choral meetings, soirées, and concerts throughout the country, and on its fiftieth anniversary, performed with the Orchestra of the National Theatre of S. Carlos in concerts that included trips abroad. Other trips included the Europália Festival in 1991 in Belgium and visits to Spain and France.
In 1976, it held the VI Northern Choir Festival, bringing together around 1,500 choristers from all over the country in the city, and in 2006 it celebrated its 80th anniversary by paying tribute to the Portuguese composer Lopes Graça. In recent years, the Choir of the Orfeão da Covilhã has presented several works, also accompanied by an orchestra, including Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Gabriel Fauré’s Messe Basse, Franz Schubert’s Mass in G Major, Joseph Haydn’s Missa Brevis, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and André Waignein’s Tornacum Mass, among others. In 2016, it celebrated its 90th anniversary with various cultural activities throughout the year and two national choir meetings.
In 2023, it promoted the 1st Edition of the “Christmas by Our Side” Festival, featuring 10 concerts across the districts of Beira Interior and Beira Litoral.
Currently, the choir has 30 members and is conducted by Maestro Bruno Martins.
