The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance is the central theme of two performances by the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatoire

The events are scheduled for April 21 and 24 in Braga

The Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian de Braga presents two performances as part of the celebrations of the 650th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance:

– Opera S “Portugal-UK 650”, April 21, 2022, 9:30 pm, at Espaço Vita
– Concert “Portugal-UK 650”, April 24th 2022, 6:00 p.m., at Altice Forum Braga

The opera  “Portugal-UK 650” will be performed by the Opera Studio of the Artistic School of the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatory and will feature several award-winning singers. It is an unprecedented work centered on some key moments in the history of the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world, namely the two royal weddings that united Portugal and England.

Cristina Gonçalves, responsible for the CMCG Opera Studio, explains that “The first act of this work takes place in the fourteenth century at the court of King João I of Portugal and Queen Filipa de Lencastre, born an English princess. The second act takes place in the 17th century, at the court of King Charles II of the United Kingdom and Queen Catarina de Bragança, born Infanta of Portugal.”

The performance takes place at Espaço Vita next Thursday, April 21, starting at 9:30 pm. Tickets cost 2.00 euros and can be purchased at Espaço Vita, on the Ticketline network, or at participating stores (FNAC, Worten, and others).

On Sunday April 24th, at Altice Forum Braga, the concert “Portugal-UK 650” will be presented, in which the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatory presents an interdisciplinary project that has involved, throughout this year, the curricular subjects as well as the artistic disciplines of all levels of education, thus seeking to celebrate and make known the history of the Luso-British Alliance and to promote the values of the Alliance’s founding Treaty – peace, friendship, truth, fidelity, constancy, sincerity, kindness and solidarity – through the arts and the various curricular subjects.

The concert includes the participation of the Symphony Orchestra, the Wind Orchestra, the Opera Studio, several choirs from the English discipline, and the premiere of two new compositions.

In the atrium of the Altice Forum Braga there will be an exhibition of the artistic work done by the students of the institution.

The “Portugal-UK 650” concert is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Sunday, April 24th at the Altice Forum Braga and the admission is free.

With these two shows, the Calouste Gulbenkian Music Conservatory of Braga shows the strong involvement of the institution in the celebrations of the 650th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance

Maria João Rodrigues de Araújo, president of Portugal-UK 650 comments: “I warmly congratulate the Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian de Braga for the exemplary and professional way in which it achieved the objectives proposed by the Portugal-UK 650 commemorations, and for providing not only the enrichment of its students, but also of the general public, who will have the opportunity to attend these unique performances that will certainly be engraved in everyone’s memory. A unique opportunity, not to be missed!”