World New Music Days 2025

The ISCM’s World New Music Days will take place in Por­tu­gal this year — for the first time in its 100-odd year his­to­ry, thanks to Miso Music, who will be cel­e­brat­ing its 40^th anniver­sary with a bang.

The fes­ti­val will take place from May 30 to June 7 in some of Lis­bon and Por­to’s most emblem­at­ic venues, under the theme ​“Thirst for Change”. I’ll be par­tic­i­pat­ing wear­ing two hats, as I’m wont to do.

As a com­pos­er, I’ll have the good for­tune of hear­ing All end­ings are sad, all end­less things are impos­si­ble to bear played yet again, this time by the won­der­ful Con­crète Lab Ensem­ble. Led by fel­low com­pos­er João Quin­teiro, it brings togeth­er some excit­ing young play­ers, focus­ing most­ly on new reper­toire from all over.

But MPMP is also par­tic­i­pat­ing — and as con­tem­po­rary music’s instru­men­ta­tion par excel­lence, the sin­foni­et­ta. After going over the ISCM sub­mis­sions — some of the most excit­ing pieces I’ve heard in a while —, I was tasked with curat­ing the rest of the pro­gram the ensem­ble will take to stage on June 5^th.

It was on this capac­i­ty that I got togeth­er with João, Pedro Neves, Eri­ca Mandil­lo, and our host Miguel Azguime for a group inter­view with Pedro Boléo in Músi­ca de Invenção e Pesquisa, Mis­o’s show in nation­al radio Ante­na 2.

Whether a pro­fes­sion­al, a fan, a philis­tine, a new­bie or a hater, there’s bound to be some­thing awe-inspir­ing in this festival.