In December, the city will take on a more festive feel with free Christmas concerts to be enjoyed with family or friends.
Organised by EGEAC, this year’s Festas de Natal will take in 5 places of worship and a concert hall, with a total of 8 concerts and a wide range of musical styles. Classical, gospel, jazz and fado will all be represented in a series of musical events running between 2 and 17 December, which will also include poetry and a famous Christmas tale.
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will kick things off at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 21.00 on 2 December. The Músicos do Tejo will provide an original interpretation of this masterpiece of classical music, with soloists recreating its various movements.
On 8 December Christmas Mirrors will be performed at the Church of Saint Roch by the Lisbon University Youth Choir and Chamber Choir, taking us on a journey through Portuguese and English choral music.
Gospel music will be centre stage at the show Seven balconies over the Tagus, seven hills over the world, at the unique space that is the National Pantheon. This will be a special concert by the group Gospel Collective, who will perform in different corners of the monument, adding to the intensity of the black spiritual songs. 15 December, 21.00.
Now under the management of EGEAC, Capitólio will host three special events this year to be enjoyed on Sundays, from 15.00. On 3 December, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will be set to music by DHArtes Ensemble – String Quintet, accompanying Susana Henriques’ narration. On 10 December, Carlos Leitão, Bruno Chaveiro and Joaquim Horta will visit Pessoa, Step by Step, a day in the life of Fernando Pessoa, to the sound of traditional and original Fado pieces. Then, on 17 December, Lisbon Poetry Orchestra will perform poems by writers such as Ary dos Santos, Sophia de Mello Breyner, Ana Luísa Amaral, Alberto Caeiro and Vinicius de Moraes at the show Naked City – Poems for an imaginary city which will combine music and poetry.
At this year’s programme, we’ll also be sharing traditions, celebrating the Christmas spirit with the Hindu Community of Portugal and the Ismaili Community. On 9 December, a gastronomic and cultural fair will invite you to enjoy a sensory experience of Indian colours, smells and flavours. There will also be a concert from 17.00 which will combine classical Indian music with traditional music from Spain and Portugal. The Ismaili Centre will be opening its doors on 16 December offering the chance to discover its iconic building, which will serve as the stage for a concert by Sofia Hoffmann. Starting at 17.00, her performance will combine jazz and pop, with the essence of the East.
Our Christmas programme will allow you to enjoy a series of musical events, while also discovering some of the city’s religious and cultural heritage. Attendance of all the concerts is subject to venue capacity and the prior collection of tickets on the day of the show.
The complete programme of events can be consulted here
