18th International Organ Festival Returns to Algarve with Free Concerts Across Historic Churches

Festival de Órgão do Algarve está de regresso!

The Associação Música XXI presents the 18th edition of the International Organ Festival of the Algarve, running from October 31 to November 29 in churches across Faro, Portimão, Loulé/Boliqueime, Tavira, Lagoa, and Lagos.

With programming centered on the element AIR as a source of energy (the air from bellows to sound pipe organs, the air from lungs to activate singing and wind instruments), the festival offers solo organ performances, choral music, and chamber music with trumpet, voice, accordion, horn, baroque oboe, and traverso.

The festival features 15 concerts, 2 masterclasses, 1 itinerant organ visit, 1 educational concert, and 1 photography competition! Invited organists include Afonso Torres, António Esteireiro, Paulo Bernardino, Daniel Oliveira, Fernando Miguel Jalôto, Alice Rocha, João Paulo Janeiro, and Matthias Havinga [NL]. The program also includes participation from Joana Fernandes (trumpet), Coral Ossónoba and soloists, Carla Pontes (soprano), Gonçalo Pescada (accordion), Diogo Bernardino (horn), Luís Marques (baroque oboe), Joana Amorim (traverso), Ludovice Ensemble, and Coro Jubilate Deo.

CONCERTS:

• 31 OCT | Igreja Matriz de Portimão | 21h – Afonso Torres and Joana Fernandes (trumpet)
• 01 NOV | Igreja da Sé (Faro) | 21h – Afonso Torres and Coral Ossónoba
• 02 NOV | Igreja Matriz de Lagoa | 18h – Afonso Torres and Carla Pontes (soprano)
• 07 NOV | Igreja Matriz de Portimão | 21h – António Esteireiro and Gonçalo Pescada (accordion)
• 07 NOV | Igreja Paroquial de Boliqueime | 21h – Paulo Bernardino and Diogo Bernardino (horn)
• 08 NOV | Igreja do Carmo (Faro) | 21h – Paulo Bernardino and Diogo Bernardino (horn)
• 14 NOV | Igreja da Misericórdia (Tavira) | 21h – Daniel Oliveira and Luís Marques (baroque oboe)
• 14 NOV | Igreja Paroquial de Boliqueime | 21h – Fernando Miguel Jalôto and Joana Amorim (traverso)
• 15 NOV | Igreja do Carmo (Faro) | 21h – Daniel Oliveira and Luís Marques (baroque oboe)
• 16 NOV | Igreja Matriz de Loulé | 18h – Fernando Miguel Jalôto (positive organ) and Ludovice Ensemble
• 21 NOV | Igreja de Santiago (Tavira) | 21h – Alice Rocha
• 22 NOV | Igreja da Sé (Faro) | 21h – João Paulo Janeiro
• 23 NOV | Igreja do Carmo (Tavira) | 16h – João Paulo Janeiro and Coro Jubilate Deo
• 28 NOV | Igreja de Santa Maria (Lagos) | 21h – Matthias Havinga [NL]
• 29 NOV | Igreja da Sé (Faro) | 21h – Matthias Havinga [NL]

EXTRA CONCERTS:

• 31 OCT | Igreja Matriz de Portimão | 10h-12h | Masterclass in basso continuo with Afonso Torres
• 14 NOV | Igreja da Sé (Faro) | 10h-13h | Educational concert for children with organist André Ferreira
• 14 NOV | Igrejas de Tavira | 18h-19h – Itinerant visit/mini concert through the organs with Daniel Oliveira
• 15 NOV | Conservatório de Música de Loulé-FR | 10h-12h | Masterclass in basso continuo with Fernando Miguel Jalôto
• 29 NOV | FNAC Faro | 18h – Announcement of photography competition winners

Concerts in churches are free entry and do not require reservations. Masterclasses and the organ interior visit require registration (916782780; musicaxxi@gmail.com).

The International Organ Festival of the Algarve 2025 has support from CCDR Algarve – Cultural Unit, the Municipalities of Faro, Portimão, Loulé, Tavira, Lagoa, and Lagos, and the Union of Parishes of Faro, with dissemination support from the Algarve Tourism Region, and communication partners Antena 2, Sul Informação, and Rua FM. It partners with the Diocese of the Algarve, Cabido da Sé de Faro, Ordem do Carmo de Faro, Parishes of Portimão, Boliqueime, Loulé, Tavira, Lagoa, and Lagos, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Tavira, and Ordem do Carmo de Tavira.

Additional involvement includes Associação Grupo Coral Ossónoba, Associação Multiplicar Silêncios, Associação Cultural Ideias do Levante, Academia de Música de Portimão, Conservatório de Música de Loulé – Francisco Rosado, Companhia de Teatro DoisMaisUm, ALFA – Associação Livre de Fotógrafos do Algarve, FNAC Faro, and Universidade do Algarve – ESEC.

• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/festivalorgaoalgarve/
• Webpage: https://acmusicaxxi.pt/festival-internacional-de-orgao-do-algarve-2025/
• Festival Book: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/d64fc34e34.html