Cistermúsica is Portugal's Best Small Festival of 2023

The festival was honoured at the Iberian Festival Awards on 15 March in the Spanish city of Granada, at a ceremony that rewarded the best Iberian festivals

Cistermúsica was one of the winners of the latest edition of the Iberian Festival Awards, an event that recognises the best festivals on the Iberian Peninsula, having been distinguished at national level in the Best Small Festival category. This category honours festivals with fewer than 1,500 spectators per day and was the result of a public vote from a shortlist of 10 nominees, after an initial selection process of 53 candidate festivals.

According to Rui Morais, chairman of the board of ABA - Banda de Alcobaça, Associação de Artes, the organisation responsible, "this distinction is the corollary of work consolidated over two decades and the efforts of an entire team to raise Cistermúsica to a level of excellence".

As the only classical music festival among the award winners, Cistermúsica demonstrates that, like mainstream festivals, it is possible to gain notoriety and an audience. Precisely because it was voted for by the public, this award reflects the affection that the festival has long enjoyed from its audience.

Rui Morais adds that "this award is also recognition of the artistic quality and undeniable contribution of Cistermúsica to the international projection of the Centre-West territory".

Organised by ABA - Banda de Alcobaça, Associação de Artes, Cistermúsica has the support of the Ministry of Culture/DGArtes, the strategic partnership of the Municipality of Alcobaça, the institutional partnership of the Monastery of Alcobaça/Museums and Monuments of Portugal, and Foundation "la Caixa" in collaboration with BPI is the Festival's patron.