Already in it’s 16th Edition, the Musica Viva Festival is one of the major actions developed by Miso Music Portugal – among its broad range of activities – and once again it’s a big highlight in the contemporary musical panorama. 2010 is already a rich year for Miso Music Portugal, celebrating 25 years of intense activity was also rewarded with the Medal for Cultural Merit by the Cascais Municipality and has just joined as a This festival shows its cosmopolitan feature by programming face-to-face Portuguese and foreign creators, inviting composers from Japan to Canada, and reinforcing the presence of European composers.

This year there’s also a specific program for the young audiences with 3 public concerts and the participation of two choirs for children: the extraordinary and pioneer Tapiola Choir from Finland, presenting themselves in Portugal for the first time and the University of Lisbon’s Children’s Choir. It is even time to celebrate the Portuguese composer Miguel Azguime’s 50th birthday.

With more than 30 premieres in 11 concerts, 11 world premieres, 23 Portuguese premieres and the total amount of 70 works, there will also be 40 works presented at the Sound Walk, award-winning pieces from the Musica Viva 2010 Composition Competition and several new works from students from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.

This year’s festival line-up profiles very different musical proposals – the participation of the Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Choir, the meeting of two children’s choirs, the iconic electronic music concerts by the Loudspeakers’ Orchestra, the several chamber music concerts by foreign ensembles such as the Norrbotten Neo-Sweden and the Ars Nova from Romania and Portuguese ones like the Matosinhos String Quartet and the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble, among others – and this is what accounts for the number and the truly eclectic musical creation being presented in Portugal and throughout the world. Member UNESCO’s European Music Council and International Music Council.

The Musica Viva Festival 2010 challenges you to get curious about it!