Coimbra City Council supports cultural initiatives with 24,250 euros

The Coimbra City Council will deliberate, on Monday, four proposals for granting financial support to cultural associations, totaling 24,250 euros.

The Municipality will support, within the scope of specific support for cultural associations, with 10 thousand euros to Associação Momentos à Corda, for the organization of the “IV Festival Cello À Corda”; with 8 thousand euros, Clube Residencial Cidade Jardim for the 11th Há Música no Jardim, at Quinta de São Jerónimo; with 5 thousand euros, Associação Alma de Coimbra for the publication of a CD in tribute to José Afonso; and also the extension of the 17th Italian Cinema Festival with 1,250 euros, within the scope of a Municipal Financial Support protocol between the Municipality and the Il Sorpasso Cultural Association.

Within the scope of support for specific cultural associations, a proposal to support the Momentos à Corda Association will be deliberated, in the amount of ten thousand euros, for the holding of the “IV Cello À Corda Festival”, from May 8th to June 8th. Since 2020, when it was created, the Cello À Corda Festival has “positioned Coimbra in the panorama of major classical music festivals of national and international reference, particularly inscribing the city on the map of artistic excellence of European cello festivals, already which is based on demonstrating the versatility of the cello, using national and international artists”, says municipal information.

The Festival’s artistic choices represent some of the most influential, emerging and recognized cellists of today, with highlights from the program being the presence of soloist Ophéle Gaillard (who will lead a masterclass at the Festival), the Quarteto Chiado (composed of cello section musicians from the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos), the cello and piano recital, which will take place at the Joanina Library of the University of Coimbra, the world premiere of the arrangement for 12 cellos of the work “La Mer”, by Claude Debussy, and the show “Metamorfose” ( a concert inspired by Coimbra fado) that will take to the stage of the Convento São Francisco Tiago Anjinho, Luís Barroso, Luís Carlos Santos, Fábio Rocha and the Choir of Former Orfeonists of the University of Coimbra.

The initiative also provides a route through several points of cultural interest in Coimbra – Machado de Castro National Museum, Joanina Library, Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery, Sé Velha, São Francisco Convent and Casa da Cidadania da Língua – valuing the local historical heritage.

Over the course of a month, the initiatives that make up the Festival program will be led by the following artists: Bernardo Nabais, Choir of Former Orpheonists of the University of Coimbra, Diogo Martins, Elide Sulsenti, Fábio Rocha, Gonçalo Lélis, Inês Paiva, Jed Barahal, João Cunha, João Valpaços, Luís Barroso, Luís Carlos Santos, Luís Carvalho, Luís Cruz, Ophélle Gaillard, Pedro Fernandes, Pedro Massarrão, Quarteto Chiado, Sérgio de A., Teresa Soares, Tiago Anjinho and Tiago Azevedo.

The Executive will also deliberate on the proposal to support eight thousand euros to Clube Residencial Cidade Jardim, for the holding of the 11th Há Música no Jardim, between the 1st and 29th of June, at Quinta de São Jerónimo, within the scope of support specific to cultural associations. The support also provides for exemption from paying municipal fees relating to the license for Shows and Entertainment on Public Roads and Places and exemption from paying municipal fees relating to the Special Noise License, totaling around 200 euros.

The project presented consists of five musical events, from the 1st to the 29th of June, and features renowned names in Portuguese music. On June 1st, João Afonso and Rogério Cardoso Pires present a concert dedicated to 50 years on April 25th; on June 8th it will be the Wind Orchestra of the Coimbra Music Conservatory; on June 15th a piano concert by Máximo Francisco; on June 22 Joana Alegre, in duo format with Vicente Palma; and on June 29th, the Fábrica Women’s Choir closes the cycle.

A proposal will also be debated, within the scope of specific support for cultural associations, of support of five thousand euros to the Associação Alma de Coimbra, for the publication of the CD in tribute to José Afonso. The association proposes to publish a record work, with 11 striking songs written/co-authored by José Afonso, some of which are part of the repertoire that Coro Alma de Coimbra currently presents in its concerts.

The edition of the CD in tribute to José Afonso (the fifth record edition of Associação Alma de Coimbra, which provides 2,500 copies) aims to mark the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April and, simultaneously, the celebration of the 95th anniversary of Zeca Afonso’s birth (August 2, 1929), highlighting the edition of a work with themes that are part of his discography.

The project has a phased execution period, which foresees the recording of the songs between August and October 2024; the mixing and editing of the CD, from September to November 2024; the presentation of the CD, starting in November of the current year, with the entity aiming to present it in three large national concert halls: the Convento São Francisco (Coimbra), the Casa da Música (Porto) and the large auditorium of the Calouste Foundation Gulbenkian (Lisbon).

On the other hand, Coimbra once again hosts, for the 15th consecutive year, an extension of the 17th Italian Cinema Festival, an event dedicated to filmology and also to other aspects of Italian culture. The concept of the 2024 Festival edition is also associated with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April 1974, presenting the cycles “O Outro 25 de Abril” and “Sem Censura”.

The Municipality thus continues to inscribe its name on the map of the Italian Cinema Festival, this year with the support of 1,250 euros to the Il Sorpasso Cultural Association, the entity organizing the event, within the scope of a Municipal Financial Support protocol between the Municipality and the Il Sorpasso Cultural Association.

The initiative foresees, in Coimbra, the screening of a set of eight films acclaimed by international critics and some of the biggest box office successes in Italy in recent years. The vitality of contemporary Italian culture in Portugal will be shown, mainly, at the Casa do Cinema de Coimbra, from the 2nd to the 4th of May, with the following program: “We still have tomorrow”, by Paola Cortellesi (2023), “Picoolo Corpo” , by Laura Samani (2021), “The Abduction”, by Marco Bellocchio (2023), “I, Captain”, by Matteo Garrone (2023), “Disco Boy”, by Giacomo Abbruzzese (2023), in national premiere, “ Long Live the Revolution”, by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (1974), a film included in the “Uncensored” Cycle (which includes successes from Italian cinema after the 25th of April), and “Obrigado Rapazes”, by Riccardo Milani (2023).

The closing session will take place at the Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente, on May 5th, at 9:30 pm, with the screening, in a national premiere, of the film “The Boémio”, by Peter Václav, made in 2022.