“Lá nas Árvores”, a project integrated into the Évora_27 program, includes three presentation cycles: in 2025, “Sentir a Terra”; in 2026, “Levantar Voo”; and in 2027, “Coexistir, Construindo Futuro.”

“Sentir a Terra” takes place from October 23 to 26, 2025, and proposes an expanded listening experience on the relationship between music, territory, and soundscape, with particular focus on the Alentejo region. Over four days, music will promote encounters between contemporary artistic practices and environmental, social, and identity-related issues.

The program begins with O Canto das Sementes, which includes two concerts by ensemble DME, featuring works that explore different ways of relating to matter, time, and space. The first concert will feature the pieces Hematite, by Jaime Reis, inspired by the timbral exploration of the mineral hematite; Sobre a areia o tempo poisa, by Sara Carvalho, inspired by the poem “Fundo do Mar” by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen; Melancholia, by Miguel Azguime; and the world premiere of Iconographiae, by Valerio Sannicandro, which reflects on how we represent and record the natural and human worlds.

The second concert presents works by four young composers — Luana Ambrósio, João Ricardo, Yanis Lel-Masri, and Cristóvão Almeida — who, under the mentorship of composer and professor Sara Carvalho, worked on themes such as deforestation and pollution in digital networks.

The third event will be a Concerto-Conferência dedicated to the natural soundscape and intangible heritage of the Alentejo, featuring composer Carlos Marecos and pianist Ana Telles, who will perform A Casa do Cravo, for piano and electronics. The piece incorporates recordings of church bells from the Alentejo, radio excerpts from the post-revolutionary years, protest songs, and sounds linked to agricultural labor — interweaving historical memory, territorial identity, and critical listening.

The final day begins with a workshop led by composer Jaime Reis. Open to the public, this session offers a hands-on learning and experimentation experience, encouraging creative exploration of nature sounds in electroacoustic music.

Later that same day, the fourth and final concert will be entirely dedicated to acousmatic music. It will feature the work of Austrian composer Thomas Gorbach, Viola Sylvestris, a piece focused on trees and forest ecosystems that listens closely to the dynamics of non-human life and the value of biodiversity. This concert will also include the premiere of a new work by Mariana Vieira, inspired by the Alentejo soundscape — particularly the sound of chocalhos (cattle bells) — and the presentation of works selected through an Open Call for music, launched in September.

Also on October 26, the Coreto do Jardim Público de Évora will host a sound installation featuring acousmatic pieces selected from the same international call. The installation offers the public an immersive experience, allowing for attentive listening to the diverse soundscapes represented in the works.

All activities are free of charge.

Program:

October 23, 9:00 p.m. – Concerto O Canto das Sementes I – Auditório do Colégio Mateus d’Aranda.;

October 24, 9:00 p.m. – Concerto O Canto das Sementes II – Auditório do Colégio Mateus d’Aranda;

October 25, 6:00 p.m. – Concerto-Conferência Paisagem Sonora Natural e Património Imaterial do Alentejo, with Carlos Marecos and Ana Telles – Auditório do Colégio Mateus d’Aranda;

October 26, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Workshop Escutar, Registar, Transformar os Sons das Árvores, with Jaime Reis – Palácio D. Manuel;

October 26, 6:00 p.m. – Concerto Acusmático – Palácio D. Manuel;

October 25 & 26, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Sound Installation – Coreto do Jardim Público de Évora.