Jamz Supernova presents Selector Radio in Portugal on Rádio SBSR.FM:

VIDEO ABOVE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SELECTOR ©BRITISH COUNCIL

From electronica to jazz, traditional to folk, and classical to indie, our music programme works across all genres of music. Forging long-term partnerships between British and Portuguese organisations and artists, our works seeks to strengthen the international profile of UK music and creativity, and to communicate the diversity of UK society.

Benjamin Britten: 1st Lisbon Art Song Festival 

March 2018

1st Lisbon Art Song Festival presented songs by British composers as well as texts by British authors set to music by international composers.

This built on Britten's Centenary concerts from four years ago which were held in Lisbon in partnership with the Gulbenkian Foundation, and also commemorated the British Council's 80th anniversary of working with Portugal.

This was the first concert of its kind in Portugal - a pioneering venture in which music and commentary are mixed.

Casa da Música

In 2017 we celebrated the Year of British Music at the Casa da Música in Porto. This finished with an excellent concert before Christmas for violin by Benjamin Britten performed by Tasmin Little. This was a very expressive piece of work that beautifully combined a homage to the masters of the past with Britten's originality, and with brilliant orchestration.

In 2018 several British composers will be performing at Casa da Música, among them Julian Anderson, Robert Murray, Paul McCreesh, Huw Daniel, Laurence Cummings, Martin André, Paul Hillier and Philip Venables.

The Selector

  • Find out more about our weekly radio show on our The Selector page, broadcast on FM in Porto and Lisbon, and online. 

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Benjamin Britten Centenary

Between June 2013 and June 2014 the British Council brought together artists, orchestras, young people and audiences across the world to celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten - arguably the most renowned British composer of the 20th century. 

Britten’s contribution to the opera, orchestral, chamber music and vocal repertoire is inestimable, and the works he wrote for performance by children and young people have introduced many generations to the joys of music. He was responsible for the founding of the Aldeburgh International Festival which to this day combines performances of the highest international quality with events involving the local community; and with his partner Peter Pears, he founded the Britten-Pears School which works year round training the composers and artists of the future.

MiniOperas: a partnership between English National Opera, Casa da Musica and the British Council

In 2012 the English National Opera (ENO) led an innovative project to discover new talent. The idea was to create 5-minute operas, and the contestants went through three phases: script-writing, musical composition and filming. The Casa da Música partnered the ENO in a workshop, which included the participation of musicians from the Homeless Orchestra and the Casa da Música's own digital music specialists. The result was "Ópera Sons da Rua", by Som da Rua and the Digitopia Collective, which was entered in the international competition, with participants from Portugal, Italy and the UK, partnered by the British Council.

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