Date
16/02/2026

Between February 28 and March 7, Castelo Branco, Covilhã, and Fundão will host the first edition of MULTIVERSO – Electronic Music and Digital Arts Festival.

Focusing on the intersection of contemporary languages and aesthetics, as well as on an interdisciplinary approach, the event offers a current overview of experimental musical and artistic creation, bringing together projects that have in common the use of electronics, electroacoustic media, and digital technologies, with an emphasis on those originating in Beira Interior.

Organized by BIPOLAR Cultural Association, in co-production with the municipalities of the three cities, and in partnership with both the School of Applied Arts (ESART) of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB) and the cultural associations Terceira Pessoa and Sonoscopia, MULTIVERSO is under the artistic direction of Rui Dias, professor and coordinator of the degree in Electronic Music and Music Production (MEPM) at ESART-IPCB.

With activities spread across various venues in the participating locations (Fábrica da Criatividade, Cine-Teatro Avenida, Teatro Municipal da Covilhã, A Moagem – Cidade do Engenho e das Artes), the festival also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the MEPM course, with most of the participants being members of the community of students, alumni, teachers and former teachers of the ESART-IPCB degree course.

The program, which includes sound performances, acousmatic concerts, and art installations, features performances by Diogo Alvim, Joana Gama, Joana Sá, Jorge Queijo, Luís Antero, Luís Fernandes, Luís Salgado, Made of Bones, and Silvana Ivaldi; projects by Boris Chimp 504, Drumming GP, Luís Antero, Mário Barreiros, Rita Silva, and Sonoscopia; as well as artists João Data and Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang.

As for local talent, the ESART Electronic Music Ensemble stands out. In a collective performance, the students will present the Multiverso concert, featuring a set of original works by second- and third-year students. Joining the list are Diogo Marques, with the Daltonic Goose Labs platform and the interactive proposal Encounter; professor Miguel Urbano, member of UHF and former member of Quinta do Bill, with URB remixed; and Digicollective, from the master’s degree in Digital Media Production and the bachelor’s degree in MEPM, with Aqua-Eco-Lumina. Carlos Guedes, the author of the study plan and first coordinator of the course at ESART-IPCB in 2005, debuts Música para Estações de Comboio (Music for Train Stations).