The 2. edition of the International Shrines of Europe Festival will begin on Wednesday 19 June in Ourem. The idea and organisation of the event is the result of cooperation between seven cities - the most important Marian centres in Europe. The Shrines of Europe will present their local artists: vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as present the regional gastronomy of the sanctuary cities.
The festival audience will also have the opportunity to see a photography exhibition that presents the beauty and diversity of the Shrines of Europe towns and regions. The festival is open to the public and the organised events are held free of charge.
The Shrines of Europe artists specially visited Ourem to perform for the portuguese audiance. It's time to get to know them better.
Altötting: “Kapellplatz Musikanten” (Kapellplatz musicians) are a representative group of traditional Alpine folk music. Which is popular in Bavaria and the region around Altötting. The music group consists of lecturers and students from the Max Keller Vocational School for Music.
During the concert, traditional pieces will be recited, which represent dance music. The name “Kapellplatz Musikanten” is based on the famous Kapellplatz in Altötting, where the vocational school for music is also located.
The school is a very special institution in Altötting, offering students a 2-year full time education with graduation as state-certified ensemble leader or a 3-year full time education with additional pedagogical or artistic qualification. Students can choose to study classical music, church music or folk music.
The performers’ names are Maximilian Schmid, Roman Nuscheler, Jakob Löw and Kilian Seidinger. We are sure, the “Kapellplatz Musikanten” will enchant their audience by typical Bavarian music representing traditional instruments. Feel free to chime in and dance along to the tunes.
Częstochowa: Justyna Królak and Michał Ostalski are a musical duo playing jazz and smooth jazz. During their long-standing collaboration, they have performed at dozens of concerts and festivals, both as a duo and in larger ensembles. Under the Polish Traditional Jazz Association's activities, they look after a high artistic level, which they promote, among other things, as part of the largest traditional jazz festival in Poland - Hot Jazz Spring.
At the Shrines of Europe Cultural Festival 2024 in Ourém, they will present well-known Polish repertoire in the style dearest to their hearts. During this event, the audience will have the opportunity to feel the Polish spirit in a contemporary way.
Mariazell: The Mariazell music school was founded in 1998 and has almost 200 pupils who are taught by 12 teachers. Four of them have formed the ensemble ‘Zeller Folkfriends’, which performs original Styrian folk music and Viennese music of the Strauß family. They play instruments such as the tuba, flute, piano, clarinet and accordion.
Their music programme is based on traditional austrian music like brass band music but also viennese waltz. The names of the musicians performing in Ourém are Mr Hannes Haider, Mrs Ana Cosme, Mr Christian Prammer and Mrs Claudia Prammer.
Lourdes: Nathalie Nicaud is a lyric artist, soprano, author, composer and performer, Knight of the National Order of Merit and Officer of the Air and Space Force Citizen's Reserve. She has performed in many countries, offering her crystalline voice with great generosity in an eclectic repertoire ranging from religious to classical, from jazz to old songs from the two world wars. Her aim is to serve music.
In this year of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation, her repertoire focuses mainly on 1944. Her latest album, "Miss liberty et la Libération...", has been awarded the Mission Libération label by the French government, and gave her the great honour of singing for the President of the French Republic on June 8th, during the ceremonies in Normandy.
Her programme is a clever mix of old and contemporary melodies, Puccini opera arias and American musicals. She'll take you on a journey through a universe of styles and tones that's sure to thrill!
You'll recognise the song "J'ai deux amours" performed by Joséphine Baker!
Ourém: “Romeiros” is a traditional Portuguese music group, founded in 1990, belonging to AMBO - Academia de Música Banda de Ourém.
The group was created by Maestro Paulo Honório Ferreira, with the aim of promoting and disseminating traditional portuguese music, highlighting its function in the past and its performance contexts. To this objective, the group combined the taste for permanent reinvention, combined with innovation, with instruments and musical compositions that are not only popular, but also contemporary.
The group “Romeiros” has seven members and has taken their music across the country and abroad, to countries such as France and Germany.
It celebrated its 34th anniversary in 2024.
Ourem: Maria da Glória Lopes Dias is 14 years old and has been studying singing and guitar at the Ourém Conservatory for around 3 years. Music has always been part of her life, especially Portuguese music, although she opted for a fado repertoire.
At the age of 10, she began taking music classes at school and also being guided by her family. Everything changed when there was a change of teachers and the new teacher admired her voice and convinced her parents to enroll her in a music school.
Since then, Maria da Glória has performed at various events and occasions.
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