Portimão is hosting the first Opera Festival to be held outside Teatro Nacional de S. Carlos in Lisbon, the most important opera theatre in the country, from next week.
Portimão Câmara is organising the series of concerts from October 16 to 27 on the main stage of the Auditório Municipal. The facility is being upgraded for the concerts, at an investment of 40,000 euros, to include new paintings, new chairs and blue and red fabrics.
The opera nights will be performed by the Orquestra do Norte, whose conductor is the maestro José Ferreira Lobo. The stage director is Carlos Avillez and the maestro Félix Carrasco is expected to conduct some of the concerts.
The first day of the Opera Nights Festival will be a special gala with the orchestra performing some of the most famous opera arias from Mozart, Verdi and Bizet with the help of the Coro Infantil do Grupo Coral Adágio. The organisers have prepared a special CD, Momentos, with all the arias to be performed at the festival. The CD will also be available in the ticket area.
Family outing
Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata is dominating the festival nights of October 19 and 20, while Beethoven will be featured on October 23 with the Fidelio concert. Puccini’s opera Tosca is scheduled to close the Opera Nights Festival on October 26 and 27.
Portimão Câmara has arranged a service to look after children. This will be open from 9pm until the end of the shows during the four days of the festival. To benefit from this free service, parents just have to register after buying their tickets – call 282 470 837.
Over 65s that can produce their Passaporte Sénior and people aged between 12 and 25 years that show their Cartão Jovem (Youth Card) will have a discount of 50 per cent on individual ticket prices.
Concerts will start at 9.30pm and ticket prices range from 15 euros for individuals to 50 euros for groups, with the CD included in this last category.
If you would like to know more, please visit: www.orquestradonorte.com and coraladagio.no.sapo.pt. These websites are only in Portuguese. For more information on reservations, please contact 282 418 547 or 967 716 023.
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