Sintra Music Conservatory - Leal da Câmara Choir and Chamber Orchestra
The Leal da Câmara Choir and the Sintra Music Conservatory Chamber Orchestra will once again share the stage in an eclectic concert encompassing a range of genres and historical periods.
As part of an internship that took place in April, the Chamber Orchestra has prepared a versatile programme ranging from the Baroque to Latin sounds, and will perform some of it during this afternoon of music.
As part of the celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, the Leal da Câmara Choir will focus its performance on works by José Afonso, Fernando Lopes-Graça and Vitorino.
At the end, the two groups will join forces and perform two pieces together, with the highlight being José Afonso's 'Maria Faia'.
Program
Leal da Câmara Choir
- A Senhora d’Aires - Pop., harm. Fernando Lopes-Graça
- Ó Senhora do Amparo - Pop., harm. Fernando Lopes-Graça
- Canção da Vindima - Pop., harm. Humberto Castanheira
- O Milho da nossa terra - Pop., harm. Fernando Lopes-Graça
- Acordai - José Gomes Ferreira/Fernando Lopes-Graça
- Queda do Império - Vitorino, arr. Paulo Lourenço
- Canção de Embalar - José Afonso, arr. Humberto Castanheira
- Venham mais cinco - José Afonso, arr. Humberto Castanheira
Sintra Music Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
- Abertura de L'Amore Industrioso - João de Sousa Carvalho
- Serenata - Michael McLean
- Por una cabeza - Carlos Gardel
- Suite for strings, 3rd and 4th movements - John Rutter
Ensemble pieces (Choir and Chamber Orchestra)
- Maria Faia - José Afonso, arr. Humberto Castanheira
- Ave Verum - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
About the Sintra Music Conservatory (C.M.S.)
The Sintra Music Conservatory is a school that provides specialised music teaching, offering pre-school and primary school classes. It is a non-profit, public interest association created in 1974 and initially called the Rio de Mouro Socio-Cultural Centre – Leal da Câmara Music School. It has had a Ministry of Education licence to teach official music courses since 1982.
The musical education on offer includes classes for babies, musical initiation, primary and secondary level music courses, as well as free courses for students of all ages and specific ones for adults. There are also ballet, karate and chess classes and a music therapy service.
The Conservatory's regular activities include student auditions, both solo and in the various ensembles and orchestras in which they participate; teachers' concerts; concerts in collaboration with local organisations, participation in shows; organising workshops and masterclasses; organising teaching sessions for schools as part of the Educational Service Laboratory, and various activities for children and families.
Recognising the importance of its work, Sintra Town Council awarded the C.M.S. two Municipal Medals of Merit – Silver in 1998 and Gold in 2012. Rio de Mouro Parish Council also awarded the association a Medal of Merit in 2005.
With new facilities in Vale Mourão, Paiões, in the parish of Rio de Mouro, which opened in September 2018, the C.M.S. extended its activity to Montelavar in 2022, in a partnership with the music society ‘Sociedade Filarmónica Boa União Montelavarense.’
In 2024, the Sintra Music Conservatory will celebrate its 50th anniversary, offering a programme inextricably linked to the celebrations marking 50 years of Freedom and Democracy.
About the Sintra Music Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
The Sintra Music Conservatory Chamber Orchestra is one of the Conservatory's oldest student and teacher ensembles and includes former students who wished to continue participating in the group. Under the direction of teachers Paula Pestana, Pedro Teixeira and Luís Estevão da Silva, the Orchestra comprises some 30 students and performs a diverse repertoire, with a particular focus on works by Portuguese composers.
Over the years, the Conservatory's Chamber Orchestra has frequently collaborated with the Leal da Câmara Choir in the interpretation of various works by Mozart and Schubert, performing in an array of venues, including the Jerónimos Monastery, the Church of São Martinho (Sintra), the Basilica of the National Palace of Mafra, Sintra's Centro Ciência Viva (Live Science Centre), the Foz Palace and the Museum of Lisbon.
Every year, the Orchestra members take part in an intensive training course whereby they prepare a specific programme to perform to the public in just four days.
About the Leal da Câmara Choir (C.L.C.)
The Leal da Câmara Choir was formed in the 1993/94 academic year at the Leal da Câmara Music School in Rio de Mouro, now the Sintra Music Conservatory.
With regular activities and a line-up of young students and former Conservatory pupils, the Leal da Câmara Choir has been invited to take part in various national and international events and festivals (including in Spain, Hungary, Italy, Norway and France). It has also collaborated with various ensembles, such as the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, the Academia de Amadores de Música Choir and Orchestra, the Portuguese Air Force Band and the Lisboa Cantat Symphonic Choir, among others. In 2003, the group released a CD with a Christmas repertoire. In July 2014, the Leal da Câmara Choir was the overall winner in the 3rd edition of the Freamunde International Choir Competition. The C.L.C. took 3rd place in the folk category and 2nd place in sacred music category, before winning the Choir of Choirs prize in the final. Conductor Humberto Castanheira also won the Conductor of Conductors award.
Over the last decade, as well as taking part in the Sintra Conservatory's school shows at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre, the Leal da Câmara Choir has performed frequently at a wide variety of venues, including the Jerónimos Monastery, the Mafra Basilica, the Ajuda National Palace, the Church of São Martinho, the Santíssimo Redentor Church and the Cascais Cultural Centre, among others. It has also shared the stage with other choral groups, such as the Queluz Choir, the Cascais Chamber Choir, the Encontro Choir, the Alegro Choir, the Desafinados Vocal Ensemble, the São Domingos Choir (Montemor-o-Novo), the Estremoz Tomás Alcaide Choral Society, the Setúbal Regional Conservatory Choir, as well as foreign choirs such as the Tarrakarrain Choir (Norway), The Community Chorus of Detroit (USA) and the Ateneo Choir (Spain).
Celebrating 30 years of continuous activity in 2023-2024, the C.L.C. plans to work on a number of projects and partnerships this year.
