Music born from the joy of reunion.
Orquestra XXI is an original and dynamic cultural initiative that brings together Portuguese musicians living abroad. Its mission is twofold: to sustain a strong connection between these musicians and their homeland, and to share moments of musical excellence with a wide and diverse audience.
Under the artistic direction of Dinis Sousa since its founding, Orquestra XXI has become one of Portugal’s most inspiring cultural communities.
Orquestra XXI embodies a vision of a country revealed through talent and artistic sensitivity — a country that is heard across the world, and which finds in the orchestra a space to remember its roots.
«It’s been a long time since we’ve heard such a beautiful Mahler 5. The great concert halls of Europe would be well advised to programme it with this fine team, and to invite such a promising conductor.»
Jean-Pierre Rousseau In Bachtrack
«Orquestra XXI’s interpretation was excellent. Emotional, passionate, nostalgic and dramatic, joyful and contagious.»
Pedro Boléo In Público
Orquestra XXI is celebrated by both national and international media, and brings together musicians from different generations, many of which are members of renowned orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic or Orchestre de Paris. Its programme reflects the ambition and diversity of its musicians, performing contrasting works — from Bach's St John Passion and Mahler's 5th Symphony, to Steve Reich's Radio Rewrite — with the same intensity and stylistic rigour.
This is an orchestra made up of a flexible and ever-evolving ensemble of musicians, whose deep complicity fuels a distinctive energy and a sound that is both vibrant and emotionally resonant.
Music born from the joy of reunion.
Our Story
Orquestra XXI started off as an idea in conversation among friends in Lisbon's Bairro Alto.
Winner of the FAZ-Ideas de Portuguese Origin Award in 2013, Orquestra XXI performs from the north to the south of Portugal, in big cities and small villages alike, guided by the mission that music should be accessible to everyone. Having so far brought together more than four hundred Portuguese musicians from the diaspora, Orquestra XXI's tours have already taken more than 100 concerts to 30 different locations, from Faro to Cabeceiras de Basto.
With the inclusion of singers since 2016 — creating the Coro XXI - Orquestra XXI's programme reflects the flexibility of its musicians, ranging from works such as Bach's St John Passion to premieres by Portuguese composers, as well as the core symphonic repertoire of composers such as Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler. The orchestra has worked with soloists such as Clara-Jumi Kang, Ana Quintans, Alena Baeva and James Gilchrist and with the Gulbenkian Choir for Schumann's oratorio Das Paradies und die Peri for the closing concert of the Dias da Música in Belém.
Among the many contrasting projects to date, some worthy of note are the complete Bach Christmas Oratorio interspersed with Duarte Lobo's Christmas Responsories on tour in churches and monasteries in the north of Portugal; the opera production of Pélleas et Mélisande in a remarkable staging by Kristiina Helin broadcast by RTP, or the acclaimed 10th anniversary tour centred on Mahler's 5th Symphony.
Every year, Orquestra XXI organises an orchestra training programme, in which school-age students from all over the country work side-by-side with Orquestra XXI musicians, in a unique inter-generational exchange of experiences. At the same time, some of its musicians regularly take instrumental and chamber music masterclasses throughout the country. The desire to share knowledge with younger musicians has been present from the start, and many former participants - now studying or working abroad - have gone on to join Orquestra XXI.
Founded and led by conductor Dinis Sousa, Orquestra XXI is now recognised as one of Portugal’s most important cultural communities. It reflects a country combining excellence, ambition, and the audacity to build new cultural projects of international distinction in the 21st century.
«Orquestra XXI is a phenomenon. It’s a fantastic invention. I know that we have many leading young Portuguese musicians in international orchestras, but bringing them all together, on such a high level, it’s close to a miracle.»
Christoph Poppen In RTP
geral@orquestraxxi.pt
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