Music Now! Musica Nostra! is a way to strengthen our solidarity to shape a new generation of engineers of the common good and to protect our cultural heritage as Europeans.

For three days, the National Palace of Mafra — an iconic monument of Iberian Baroque and headquarters of the European Centre of Music (CEM Portugal) — will host a groundbreaking European gathering, bringing together artists, creators, cultural institutions, researchers, policymakers, and strategic partners from across the continent.

Organized by the Centre Européen de Musique, with its hubs in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, and Austria, and in close partnership with the Municipality of Mafra, Europa Nostra, the European Heritage Hub, the Terrafoundation, the association Divino Sospiro, and the National Centre for Culture, these days represent a strong cultural and political impulse, recognizing music as a shared heritage, a civilizational force, and a universal language of encounter and future.

Three days, one voice: Europe finds itself in music

April 29 – VIA SCARLATTI: Europe of Arts and Innovation

Dedicated to the programme VIA SCARLATTI | Culture and Innovation as the Soul of Europe, the day begins with a creative workshop on the project “Passarola – music variations on the past and the future”, and features the inaugural meeting of the VIA SCARLATTI International Think Tank, with representatives from the five CEM hubs and international guests, fostering transdisciplinary reflection among music, science, humanities, and technology.

At 21:30, the Francisco Alves Gato Auditorium will host the VIA SCARLATTI presentation, with pianists Shani Diluka, Isabel Dobarro, and Pedro Emanuel Pereira.

April 30 – Mafra is Music, Europe is Music

With the presence of the European Heritage Hub, Europa Nostra, Members of the European Parliament, and EU institutions, this day reaffirms the central role of music as a European common good.

Highlights:

• Morning opening speeches by Hugo Moreira Luís, Mayor of Mafra; Hélder Sousa Silva, MEP; Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra; and Jorge Chaminé, founding president of the CEM
• Presentation of the CEM Portugal Cities Alliance
• Reading of the Mafra Appeal, a solemn declaration for Europe’s cultural future
• Afternoon roundtables on various topics about the importance of Music and Heritage in European construction
• Public concert in the South Cloister of the National Palace with the Divino Sospiro ensemble conducted by Massimo Mazzeo, featuring pianist Shani Diluka and Iranian musician Shadi Fathi in a programme celebrating Scarlatti as a man ahead of his time.

May 1 – The Europe of Musicians

The final day hosts the meeting of the Network of European Musicians’ Houses and Museums, promoting dialogue between memory and creation.

At 21:00, public screening of the documentary “Une Saga Culturelle”, by Nadège de Peganow, produced by ARTE, Bel Air Media, the CEM and the CEEH. The film portrays the birth of a European cultural consciousness in the 19th century through the visionary figures of Pauline Viardot, Louis Viardot, and Ivan Turgenev.

Mafra: European Capital of Music and Hope

More than an event, the Mafra Days are a political and poetic statement: Europe needs music to understand and transform itself. From the legacy of Domenico Scarlatti — a traveler between Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France — to the contemporary innovation of today’s creators and thinkers, the programme reaffirms culture as a core pillar of tomorrow’s Europe — a Europe united in diversity, alive in its heritage, and conscious of its mission of peace.

These days, Mafra will be the beating heart of Europe. And music, its common language.

For more information: jornadasdemafra@cemusique.com