9 July 2024
The official installation of the headquarters of the Centre Européen de Musique Portugal at the National Palace of Mafra took place on Sunday 7 July. The day, which also marked the fifth anniversary of the Palace's inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List, was marked by festivities and powerful, moving moments that reaffirmed Mafra's central role in the world's musical landscape.
Signing of a memorandum of understanding between the mayor of Mafra, Hélder Sousa Silva, and the founding president of the Centre Européen de Musique, Jorge Chaminé (photo: city of Mafra) during the handover of the keys of the south wing of the Palais to the CEM.
The festivities began with an exceptional concert by the Palace's famous carillons, playing the "Ode to Joy" to celebrate the arrival of CEM Portugal. Mafra, which has the largest number of carillons in the world and hosts the International Festival of Carillon Players, once again demonstrated its unfailing link with music.
The ceremony to hand over the keys of the Palace to CEM Portugal continued with a performance by pianist Shani Diluka, who gave an exclusive performance of works by Domenico Scarlatti that she had finished recording the day before in Berlin for her new album, due to be released by Warner in early 2025.
Performance by pianist Shani Diluka, playing works by Domenico Scarlatti exclusively for the occasion (Photo: City of Mafra)
After lunch with officials, the inaugural meeting of CEM Portugal's headquarters at the Palais was held with the Portuguese members of the network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians (HMEM). The meeting focused on the integration of new Portuguese members into the HMEM and the creation of partnerships with the Amalia Rodrigues Foundation to strengthen this network, which was initiated by the CEM in April 2022 and now has 64 members in 24 European countries.
An initial meeting to inaugurate CEM Portugal's headquarters at the Palais was held with the Portuguese members of the network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians (HMEM).
The day's events demonstrated that while Mafra is a city renowned for its heritage, it also aspires to be recognised as one of the world's great music capitals. By joining forces with the Centre Européen de Musique (CEM), Mafra aims to promote music and its benefits as a means of boosting the vitality and reputation of its region. This initiative is supported by several Portuguese cities, including Braga, Faro, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo-Lisbon and Porto, which signed a memorandum of understanding on 25 October 2023 to launch and support the CEM programme in Portugal as part of the first Alliance of cities sharing a common vision of music for their territory.
By locating the CEM Portugal in the National Palace, which already houses the National Music Museum and soon the National Sound Archives, Mafra becomes more than ever a music capital that counts in the world and will be able to reinforce its status with an ambitious and transdisciplinary programme.
The CEM and its President, Jorge Chaminé, were officially presented with the keys to the CEM antenna.
An ambitious programme in preparation
The CEM Portugal aims to establish itself as a unique ecosystem for musical creation, research and innovation in Portugal, with projects that form part of a local, national and European strategy on artistic, scientific and cultural themes. The CEM has defined a number of ambitious actions.
These include:
A new edition updating the Portuguese musical encyclopaedia and the development of a partnership with the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation's MUS-E international programme are further evidence of the CEM's dedication to artistic and cultural education and the preservation of intangible heritage.
Finally, the CEM and CEM Portugal will be co-organising the 2nd international vocal competition - Cascais Opera - with the Portuguese association CIVOC on 25 October, reinforcing its commitment to musical excellence.
The development of the CEM's programme in Portugal and the establishment of its headquarters in Mafra represent a turning point for the city of Mafra and for the European musical landscape, with ambitious programming and solid partnerships that will reflect Portugal's image: a crossroads of music, a crossroads of cultures, a crossroads of knowledge, a crossroads of innovation.
9 July 2024
The official installation of the headquarters of the Centre Européen de Musique Portugal at the National Palace of Mafra took place on Sunday 7 July. The day, which also marked the fifth anniversary of the Palace's inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List, was marked by festivities and powerful, moving moments that reaffirmed Mafra's central role in the world's musical landscape.
Signing of a memorandum of understanding between the mayor of Mafra, Hélder Sousa Silva, and the founding president of the Centre Européen de Musique, Jorge Chaminé (photo: city of Mafra) during the handover of the keys of the south wing of the Palais to the CEM.
The festivities began with an exceptional concert by the Palace's famous carillons, playing the "Ode to Joy" to celebrate the arrival of CEM Portugal. Mafra, which has the largest number of carillons in the world and hosts the International Festival of Carillon Players, once again demonstrated its unfailing link with music.
The ceremony to hand over the keys of the Palace to CEM Portugal continued with a performance by pianist Shani Diluka, who gave an exclusive performance of works by Domenico Scarlatti that she had finished recording the day before in Berlin for her new album, due to be released by Warner in early 2025.
Performance by pianist Shani Diluka, playing works by Domenico Scarlatti exclusively for the occasion (Photo: City of Mafra)
After lunch with officials, the inaugural meeting of CEM Portugal's headquarters at the Palais was held with the Portuguese members of the network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians (HMEM). The meeting focused on the integration of new Portuguese members into the HMEM and the creation of partnerships with the Amalia Rodrigues Foundation to strengthen this network, which was initiated by the CEM in April 2022 and now has 64 members in 24 European countries.
An initial meeting to inaugurate CEM Portugal's headquarters at the Palais was held with the Portuguese members of the network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians (HMEM).
The day's events demonstrated that while Mafra is a city renowned for its heritage, it also aspires to be recognised as one of the world's great music capitals. By joining forces with the Centre Européen de Musique (CEM), Mafra aims to promote music and its benefits as a means of boosting the vitality and reputation of its region. This initiative is supported by several Portuguese cities, including Braga, Faro, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo-Lisbon and Porto, which signed a memorandum of understanding on 25 October 2023 to launch and support the CEM programme in Portugal as part of the first Alliance of cities sharing a common vision of music for their territory.
By locating the CEM Portugal in the National Palace, which already houses the National Music Museum and soon the National Sound Archives, Mafra becomes more than ever a music capital that counts in the world and will be able to reinforce its status with an ambitious and transdisciplinary programme.
The CEM and its President, Jorge Chaminé, were officially presented with the keys to the CEM antenna.
An ambitious programme in preparation
The CEM Portugal aims to establish itself as a unique ecosystem for musical creation, research and innovation in Portugal, with projects that form part of a local, national and European strategy on artistic, scientific and cultural themes. The CEM has defined a number of ambitious actions.
These include:
A new edition updating the Portuguese musical encyclopaedia and the development of a partnership with the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation's MUS-E international programme are further evidence of the CEM's dedication to artistic and cultural education and the preservation of intangible heritage.
Finally, the CEM and CEM Portugal will be co-organising the 2nd international vocal competition - Cascais Opera - with the Portuguese association CIVOC on 25 October, reinforcing its commitment to musical excellence.
The development of the CEM's programme in Portugal and the establishment of its headquarters in Mafra represent a turning point for the city of Mafra and for the European musical landscape, with ambitious programming and solid partnerships that will reflect Portugal's image: a crossroads of music, a crossroads of cultures, a crossroads of knowledge, a crossroads of innovation.
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