Municipalities refine the creation of the European Music Centre Portugal

Concerts, masterclasses, research, exhibitions, publications, or even cultural residences. These and other valences make up the creation of a pole of the European Music Centre (CEM) in Portugal. On Wednesday, the Mayor of Porto joined the municipalities of Mafra, Braga, Faro, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo and Lisbon to sign a memorandum of understanding that establishes the principles of collaboration of the project, to be installed in the Mafrense municipality.

Rui Moreira stressed, at the time, that "culture is what allows to achieve the development that [is intended] and to combat obscurantism". For his part, the president of the European Music Centre, Jorge Chaminé, considers that "what is happening is unique and exemplary with mayors establishing an alliance around music".

Guided by “cultural activities and productions, with an international program” and “an innovative education service”, CEM Portugal should see the birth of the “Domenico Scarlatti” centre, home to the research, creation, and dissemination program “Via Scarlatti”, which brings together Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. Two other programs - "Música e Oceanos" and "Música e Ecologia" - have also been presented.

The activities will be developed in conjunction with higher education institutions, as well as the National Palace of Mafra, the National Music Museum and the National Sound Archive.

As a non-profit association, the European Music Centre is considered, as the document states, “a European artistic, cultural, pedagogical and scientific project, innovative and unique in the world”. International humanists, scientists and clinicians from various disciplines strive for “transdisciplinarity around music, emphasizing its central role in the construction of a European cultural identity”.

The establishment of a pole in Portugal takes place within the scope of the pan-European project “Via Musica”, which has more than a hundred European and international partners.

The signatories of the memorandum underline how “music and culture are a strategic vector for the European Union, not only insofar as they represent an important part of its economy, but also because they contribute to inclusive, free, sustainable and democratic societies, while reflecting European diversity, values, history and heritage”.

The ceremony, at the National Palace of Mafra, was attended by the Secretary General of Europa Nostra, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Isabel Cordeiro, who praised the “admirable combination of efforts of the various municipalities”, arguing that “it is an ambitious alliance”.