Orthodox Chant in Portugal today: Project presentation

II The modern context: music in concert

Authors

• Joana Peliz

Keywords:

Portugal, Orthodox church, concerts, choirs

Abstract

Since April 2001, Eastern Orthodox Christian music has been an important presence in the concert life of Portugal. Also in 2001, the first ensemble to perform this kind of music in Portugal was founded, Pravoslava. Since then, a number of choirs of international renown from different countries, such as the Bulgarian ensemble Ioann Koukouzelis, the Romanian choir Theophania and the Choir of the Russian Orthodox Seminary in France have visited Portugal and performed Orthodox music at many events. These repertories have also been disseminated in the country by ensembles founded in Portugal, such as Ensemble Alpha directed by Ivan Moody, the Lisbon University Chamber Choir, the Choir of the Casa da Música, the Gulbenkian Choir, and the Romanos Melodos Academic Choir, from the Nova University. This text demonstrates that this music has found a niche in Portugal and constitutes an interesting and appealing musical and cultural element, that it is already a cultural and social reality, and that it should be a field of cultural dissemination.