The Al-Mutamid Music Festival is back for its 26th edition, consolidating its position as “Portugal’s oldest travelling music festival” and bringing to the Algarve Arab/Oriental sounds.
In honour of the poet-king Al-Mutamid (Beja, 1040 – Aghmat, 1095), the festival presents eight shows, scheduled in the municipalities of Albufeira, Lagos, Lagoa (two), Olhão, Loulé, Silves and Tavira.
The festival kicks off on February 7 in Albufeira with the ‘1001 Nights Ensemble’ project, which brings together musicians from Iran and Morocco. Inspired by the literary universe of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, the show offers a masterful fusion of Persian and Arab/Oriental sounds, with the participation of Iranian dancer Khatoon Fallah, who will perform Persian and Oriental dances.
The event culminates on March 15 at the newly inaugurated António Pinheiro Municipal Theatre in Tavira. The closing concert will be performed by the Khaliji Quartet, featuring musicians from Morocco, Algeria and Qatar, who will invite the audience to embark on a musical journey through the vast universe of Arabic music, from the roots of al-Andalus to the Arabian Peninsula.
Shows in the Algarve in February and March:
- Albufeira: February 7, Albufeira Municipal Auditorium, 1001 Nights Ensemble
- Lagoa: February 10, Carlos do Carmo Auditorium, MusiCinemas ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’
- Olhão: February 20, Olhão Municipal Auditorium, 1001 Nights Ensemble
- Lagos: February 21, Lagos Cultural Centre, 1001 Nights Ensemble
- Loulé: March 7, Cine Teatro Louletano, Hamid Ajbar Ensemble
- Lagoa: March 7, Carlos do Carmo Auditorium, Al Felah-Menkub Ensemble
- Silves: March 13, Mascarenhas Gregório Theatre, Milo Ke Mandarini
- Tavira: March 15, António Pinheiro Municipal Theatre, Khaliji Quartet
The full programme is available on the festival’s official Facebook page.
