Cistermúsica and Around Classic announce a partnership

The Alcobaça Music Festival and the Around Classic Festival share an artistic vision and a commitment to contemporary creation

The Alcobaça Music Festival and the Around Classic Festival have entered into a strategic partnership based on artistic convergence and a shared mission to broaden the reach of classical music to a wider range of audiences.

Around Classic has been making its mark in Lisbon by blending formats and renewing the classical music experience, whilst Cistermúsica has established itself in Alcobaça with a strong emphasis on heritage and accessibility, positioning itself as “A Classic for Everyone”. Both share a vision of the cultural ecosystem based on the promotion of artistic excellence, openness to new audiences and a commitment to contemporary creation.

The collaboration focuses primarily on sharing programming, taking shape in 2026 with the presentation of a concert in Lisbon and the hosting of a concert in Alcobaça, affirming a new dynamic of cooperation between two Portuguese festivals with complementary identities.

Two festivals, a shared classical tradition

The two festivals bring together different artistic languages and audiences under the banner of “À Volta do Clássico”, based on a shared vision: to make music an accessible yet artistically demanding space for people to come together. Paula Fonseca and Miguel Leal Coelho state that “this partnership reflects our desire to demystify classical music, proving that artistic rigour can and should coexist with a connection to the public, in partnership with a leading festival such as Cistermúsica”. For his part, José Rafael Rodrigues, President of ABA – Banda de Alcobaça Associação de Artes, the organising body of Cistermúsica, considers that “there are clear affinities in positioning between the organisations, but also geographical and artistic complementarity. Working in partnership is part of Cistermúsica’s identity, and we are therefore very pleased with this new relationship”.

In 2026, the Alcobaça Music Festival will celebrate its 34th edition between 26 June and 31 July, with around fifty performances under the theme “Resurrection”. Around Classic 2026, meanwhile, will take place between 29 and 31 May, with Mozart as its central figure. The first joint concert of the festivals is scheduled for 30 May at the Teatro Capitólio in Lisbon, featuring the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and the Voces Caelestes Choir, conducted by Maestro Pedro Carneiro, performing Mozart’s Mass in C minor. The soloists will be sopranos Carla Caramujo and Raquel Luis, tenor Bruno Almeida and baritone Tiago Amado Gomes.

This will be the first step in a promising partnership in the fields of artistic creation, circulation and dialogue between regions, strengthening the capacity of national festivals as active agents of cultural production.

The Around Classic Festival is organised by MegaClassic, in co-production with EGEAC/Lisboa Cultura, with support from Lisbon City Council, Égide – Portuguese Association of the Arts and the Parish Council of Santo António, in partnership with Opart / TNSC, Tivoli BBVA, Associação Avenida and the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra.