Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival
A classic for all
The Alcobaça Music Festival 2026 will take place from 26 June to 31 July and will have ‘Resurrection’ as its theme.
The Cistermúsica season offers cultural programming throughout the year, but it is in the summer that it reaches its peak with the Alcobaça Music Festival. In 2026, the country's largest classical music festival will celebrate its 34th edition between 26 June and 31 July, with approximately fifty performances, under the theme "Resurrection".
This multifaceted concept invites multiple interpretations: from the religious dimension, associated with the belief in life after death; to the metaphorical interpretation of transformation, renewal or individual overcoming; and even a philosophical approach, in which death is transcended by reason, ethics or the legacy that remains throughout time. The idea of Resurrection will be the underlying theme of this edition, finding particularly evident expression in the Festival's opening and closing concerts.
Two magnificent concerts under the sign of Resurrection and Transformation
The opening concert, at the Monastery of Alcobaça, will be performed by the Ludovice Ensemble, one of the most active and prestigious national early music groups, conducted by Miguel Jalôto. The Central Nave will echo with Johann Sebastian Bach's monumental Mass in B minor, BWV 232, a masterpiece by the German master, who readapted choruses and arias from various cantatas to set all parts of a mass to music.
At the closing of the festival, the stage at the Fence of the Monastery will welcome the Alto Minho Youth Orchestra, under the musical direction of the promising conductor Miguel Sepúlveda, who in 2025 conducted, among others, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresdner Philharmonie and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. More than 200 musicians, including choir and orchestra, will be on stage to perform Gustav Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 2 in C minor, GMW 30.
Between Bach's liturgical celebration and Mahler's existential journey, these two concerts translate into music the idea of Resurrection as a process of spiritual and human transformation.
"A classic for ALL" with a revamped image that allows for contemporary interpretations
The graphic image of this edition draws on the brilliance of brass instruments for a contemporary interpretation of the classic. The kaleidoscopic composition of the pistons on a trumpet refers to the plurality of perspectives and emotions that musical enjoyment awakens, inviting each listener to a unique experience. This is an invitation to a plural, open and transformative listening experience throughout the Festival.
Organised by ABA – Banda de Alcobaça Associação de Artes, Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival is supported by Fundação La Caixa, in collaboration with BPI, and the Portuguese Republic – Culture / Directorate-General for the Arts. It is held in strategic partnership with the Municipality of Alcobaça and with the institutional partnership of Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, EPE /Mosteiro de Alcobaça.
The history of Cistermúsica
For more than three decades and under the motto "A classic for all", the Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival has presented a reference programme, welcoming the most renowned artists and music ensembles in some of the most emblematic locations of our historical heritage.
With the Monastery of Alcobaça, a UNESCO heritage site since 1989, as its privileged venue, the Festival was launched in 1992 on the initiative of Alcobaça City Council, and since 2002 has been organised by ABA - Banda de Alcobaça, Associação de Artes, with the institutional support of the Municipality.
The Cistermúsica programme reaches its peak during the summer, with the Festival, but today the Cistermúsica season offers programming throughout the year, including cycles such as Cistermúsica Sacra, in the Easter period, and Fronteiras, dedicated to contemporary music, in the last quarter of the year.
The circulation of programmes in the territory has also been increasing, with a pioneering stance in establishing cultural programming networks, whether through the Cistercian Route or the Cistermúsica Networks.
Over the last three decades, Cistermúsica has become one of the most important programming structures in Portugal, standing out on the Iberian cultural scene with a recognised contribution to cultural and tourist development.
Among the recognitions and distinctions, we highlight the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic awarded since 2019 and the admission, that same year, as a member of the European Festivals Association, the oldest and most important platform for art festivals in Europe.
Previous editions
Organization and Production
