The municipality will host emblematic guitar performances next to monuments and cultural spaces, as well as outdoor concerts in Carvoeiro’s Main Square and Estômbar’s natural park
– August 31, 2023
It’s almost time for Lagoa’s International Guitar Festival, which will be held between September 9 and October 1 at a variety of venues in the municipality.
In addition to ensuring a quality artistic offer, from both national and international artists, the event promises to include a little bit of everything.
The public will have the opportunity to choose what performance suits them best each weekend, as the event will be presented along with emblematic venues, monuments, and infrastructures of Lagoa.
The Lagoa International Guitar Festival will host a total of eight different performances, all starting at 5.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
September 9, 5.30pm – 40 Fingers at Carvoeiro Beach Square (free entry)
40 Fingers is a well-known Italian guitar quartet “well-established on Italy’s music scene through their many individual projects”. The group will present original pieces and covers performed with a “fingerpicking technique and skillfully arranged for four guitars”.
September 10, 5.30pm – Sergio Fabian Lavia & Dilene Ferraz and Quartetto SE.GO.VI.O at Quinta dos Vales, Estômbar (€10)
Guitarist Sergio Fabian Lavia & singer Dilene Ferraz’s music “reflects the cultural richness of Argentina and Brazil, forming a set of experiences shaped by traditional sounds merged with more experimental aspects”. In 2011, the duo received the ”Premium Music Awards” for their significant work as composers and performers of Brazilian and Argentine music.
The SE.GO.VI.O quartet, distinguished by “their great international concert experience, as soloists, chamber musicians and orchestras”, and for their “commitment to teaching” in Italian state schools, will perform a “repertoire with emphasis on the expressive possibilities of each instrument: the timbre impact that comes from the encounter of the plucked strings with the bellows instrument and the wind instruments is the ideal terrain to give life to the biting dance sounds”.
September 16, 5.30pm – Diogo Carlos and Furia-Deiana Duo at Convento de S. José Cultural Centre (€10)
Diogo Carlos, an awarded Portuguese guitarist from London’s Royal Academy of Music, has ample experience playing solo, in duos, trios, quartets and with various ensembles, having performed at the London Guitar Festival, Cadogan Hall and many other emblematic stages.
The FURIA – DEIANA DUO is described as a “versatile and fascinating formation that combines the passionate sound of Fabio Furia’s bandoneon with the virtuosity of Alessandro Deiana’s guitar”.
September 17, 5.30pm – Marko Topchii and Ensemble Copain’s Cabana at Sítio das Fontes Municipal Park, Estômbar (€10)
Marko Topchii, a world-renowned classical guitarist of Ukrainian origin, achieved international recognition through his participation in prestigious guitar competitions across the globe. Marko has secured an impressive total of 55 first prizes in various renowned classical guitar contests. His list of accolades includes triumphs at esteemed events such as the Tokyo International Guitar Competition, Francisco Tarrega (Spain), Michele Pittaluga (Alessandria), two Andres Segovia competitions (Spain), JoAnn Falletta (Buffalo, NY), Maurizio Biasini (San Francisco, CA), and numerous others.
Copains’ Cabana is a musical ensemble “bringing together voices, mandolins, guitar, cuatro, double bass and percussion, around Latin American music”. All members have already had opportunities to perform in concerts in France and abroad, and now they are back together for the pleasure of interpreting this repertoire that is both rhythmic and gentle.
September 23, 5.30pm – Quitó de Sousa Antunes and Luciano & Giusy Pompilio Duo at Estômbar Parish Church (free entry)
Portugal’s revered guitarist, Quitó de Sousa Antunes studied music in Paris under Betho Davezac and has won the first prize of the City of Paris, as well as a gold medal at the National Conservatory of Meudon. He has been ”invited countless times to take part in concerts and festivals both in France, Europe, Morocco, and Quebec”.
Luciano Pompilio, also an esteemed guitarist, took 15 first prizes at guitar competitions, reaching the final rounds in over 25 guitar competitions, and has toured Europe, Asia and America. He is also the Artistic Director of the ”Città di Manfredonia” International Guitar Festival and Season Chamber Music ”In Concerto” in San Giovanni Rotondo.
GIUSY POMPILIO is a “young and passionate Opera Singer and student with strong academic background and multiple participation in public events and concerts. Currently studying to obtain a Bachelor of Music in Opera Singing”.
September 24, 5.30pm – Early Guitar Duo and Invisible Strings at Lagoa Parish Church (free entry)
The EARLY GUITAR DUO is a collaborative venture between Romolo Calandruccio and Antonio Aprile, dedicated exclusively to the study and performance of a 19th-century guitar repertoire on original instruments. These performances are based on in-depth research of the period’s performance practices and of the authors, through original sources.
In the recent years, the Early Guitar Duo has performed in the several Music Conservatories: Ottorino Respighi in Latina, Tchaikosky in Nocera Terinese, and at the Mauro Giuliani Birthplace Museum in Bisceglie.
The project Invisible Strings, created by two internationally renowned musicians – thereminist Thorwald Jørgensen and guitarists Josip Dragnić – has been presented in countries like Germany, Luxembourg, Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy. Theremin is the only instrument that is played without physical contact, producing sound on the basis of electromagnetic waves, using two antennas. It was invented in 1919 but it is still rarely played on the concert stages, so every concert with theremin is a real attraction. The project brings some of the most famous pieces by the great composers like De Falla, Ravel, Villa Lobos, and Piazzolla arranged for theremin and guitar, but also contemporary music pieces originally written for this duo.
These two instruments form together a beautiful and interesting combination of the harmonies played by the guitar on six strings and the melodic line played by theremin.
September 30, 5.30pm – Vladislav Bláha & Tanja Drobysh and Luís Coelho “STRING TALES” at Carlos do Carmo Auditorium (€10)
The Vladislav Bláha and Tanja Drobysh duo presents a repertoire that is both vibrant and diverse, incorporating elements from classical, folk, and jazz genres. Additionally, they present adaptations of folk music from South Moravia (Czech Republic), including modified compositions by the English composer John W. Duarte, as well as traditional melodies from Belarus.
Guitarist Luís Coelho has performed on several national and international stages, collaborating with several fadistas (Fado singers) and with contemporary music and dance projects.
October 1, 5.30pm – Noble at Carlos do Carmo Auditorium (€10)
Noble (Pedro Fidalgo) is one of the most prominent artists in Portugal, having reached “monumental success” with his radio hit “Honey”, which acted as a generic for the soap opera “Amar Depois de Amar”, as well as “Beautiful”, the opening track of the most recent album “Secrets”, a new stage in the artist’s career who aspired to show his gratitude for all those who always supported him during his journey to the top of the national sales charts.
For more information about the event, visit the event website or follow on Facebook.
