Date
12/6/2026

Several lecturers and students from the School of Applied Arts (ESART) at the Castelo Branco Polytechnic (IPCB) performed with the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra (OFP) at a concert held on 9 June at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

The performance, which marked the start of the celebrations for Portugal Day, Camões Day and Portuguese Communities Day in the French capital, blended symphonic music with jazz by pianist Mário Laginha and fado by Camané, under the baton of conductor Osvaldo Ferreira.

Representing ESART were five lecturers, ten former students and six current students from the institution, four of whom are scholarship holders with the Portuguese Academic Philharmonic Orchestra. The IPCB musicians also shared the stage at the Grande Salle Sarah Bernhardt with members of the French National Orchestra.

In the first half of the programme, the OFP performed Mário Laginha’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, a work that blends classical, jazz and world music influences, followed by Maurice Ravel’s La Valse. The second half was dedicated to a contemporary take on fado, with orchestral and piano accompaniment.

The performance, which attracted around 700 spectators, served as an opportunity to celebrate Portuguese culture amongst the Portuguese community and the French public. The audience included figures such as Francisco Ribeiro de Menezes, Portugal’s Ambassador to Paris, and José Manuel Fernandes, Minister for Agriculture and the Sea, amongst other officials.

Organised by the Portuguese Embassy in Paris, the initiative was supported by the Consulate-General, the Camões – Portuguese Cultural Centre in Paris, the Camões Institute and the Directorate-General for the Arts.

(photo: Consulate-General of Portugal in Paris – Jorge Oliveira & António Borga)