The VII Viana do Castelo
International Music Festival

Michael Tseitlin, Artistic/Executive Director
Moira Forjaz, Administrative Director

August 1-15, 2008

Celebrating 30 years of
The International Music Festival and 750 years of Viana do Castelo

The old sailing town of Viana do Castelo
is one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal. It lies in a spectacular setting at the mouth of the River Lima and is an elegant and relaxed international resort.  During the summer months the old city buzzes with outdoor café life. It is also one of most progressive and forward thinking cities in Europe. You will be very impressed by underground parking covering most of the Old Town area, environmental refuge/public park by the river, new state-of-the-art library and music academy, museums, Eifel bridge, and opera house style Teatro Sa Miranda. Viana is 90,000 people town with big city infrastructure.

State-of-the-art Escola Profissional de Musica is home to the International Music Festival. The Festival attracts talented participants from leading music schools around the globe and is well established as one of the premier and most attractive international summer courses in the world.

What distinguishes the Festival from other popular summer courses is the featuring of participants in the artistic spotlight. If well prepared and eager to play, it is the experience of a lifetime. The course focuses on chamber music and solo repertoire for strings and piano and orchestra training for string, wind, and percussion players.

There are two divisions in the Institute: Senior and Junior. Senior participants are generally between 17 and 25 years of age and Juniors are between 12 and 16. All participants receive private lessons, master classes, chamber ensemble coaching and participate in the Festival symphony and chamber orchestras.

The main concert venues are the Teatro Sa Miranda, Café Teatro, Municipal Museum, Pousada de Sta. Luzia for indoor concerts and  XV Century Court yard at the tourist office, Plaza do Republica, New Library Plaza and the Estalagem Melo Alvim (Roman amphitheater) for outdoor concerts. The concerts are well attended and are often covered by the local press.