Madeira International Organ Festival 2025

It is with great pleasure that we celebrate, in 2025, the 14th edition of the Madeira International Organ Festival, this year inspired by the theme "Women in Music".

This Festival, born from the Inaugural Cycle of Concerts for the Great Organ of Igreja do Colégio, is now a must-attend event on Madeira’s cultural calendar. Over these 14 years, it has won over a loyal audience, made up not only of residents but also of many visitors who found in Madeira a unique destination where culture, heritage, and music come together. Year after year, our crowded churches are a testament to the vitality of this initiative, and the recognition of the quality of the programmes we present here.

The Madeira International Organ Festival stands out for several reasons. Above all, for the richness of the instruments that are part of our heritage – true treasures scattered throughout the churches and convents of the Region – taking on new life as they host unique concerts. It also offers artistic diversity, bringing together a varied array of internationally renowned performers and promising young national talents, in an artistic dialogue that values both tradition and innovation, under the attentive direction of Professor João Vaz, the Festival’s artistic director.

As a leading cultural event, this Festival is also an example of the Regional Government’s commitment to valuing Madeira’s built and historical heritage, and above all, to recognising culture as a factor of identity and sharing. We want each concert to be a unique experience, to move those who visit us and to strengthen the pride of those who live here.

We therefore invite all residents and visitors to enjoy this union of music, heritage, and memory. We are certain that this edition, much like previous ones, will leave a lasting impression, not only for its artistic quality but also for the emotion that only music, in its most sublime form, can convey.

— EDUARDO JESUS —
Regional Secretary for Tourism, environment and Culture

Women in Músic

The Madeira International Organ Festival presents its 14th edition, this year dedicated to the theme “Women in Music.” Contrary the usual exotic perspective (which relegates women’s musical production to the sterile category of “exception”, “muse”, or “inspiration”), the focus of this program is on musical works written by women – works that deserve to be heard, not because of the gender of their authors, but for their undeniable quality. In addition, pieces written for a specific group of women will be presented, such as music commissioned and performed in European women’s convents over the centuries.

Just like in previous editions, the organ is presented both as a soloist and as an accompaniment to the voice, or as a member of an instrumental group. Thus, in addition to keyboard works from different periods, from Clémence de Bourges’ intabulations to Jeanne Demessieux’s Te Deum, instrumental and choral works will be performed, such as the Suites by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre or Clémence de Grandval’s Stabat Mater.

As in previous years, the festival will feature a diverse range of artists and groups. Organists with internationally recognised careers, such as Hans-Ola Ericsson and Sylvie Pérez, will share the stage with emerging figures on the Portuguese organ scene, such as Maria Bayley, Beatriz Resendes, and Laura Mendes. The groups La Tempestad (Silvia Márquez), Ludovice Ensemble (Fernando Miguel Jalôto), laReverdie (Claudia Caffagni), and Capella de S. Vicente (Pedro Rodrigues) will illustrate centuries of music written for various ensembles, closely linked to the organ.

As has been the festival’s intention from the outset, Madeira’s organs will play the leading role. They will embody this music written by women (or, in some cases, for women) over hundreds of years. And so, music – composers and performers – will bring once again Madeira’s organ landscape to life.

— JOÃO VAZ · INÊS THOMAS ALMEIDA —
Artistic Direction