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Bernardo Álvares closes the cycle of MADEIRADiG CiTY SESSIONS 2024

August 26, 2024

It is on August 30th, Friday, that the Portuguese artist Bernardo Álvares will be present at the 9th, and final, edition of MADEIRADiG CiTY SESSIONS 2024, thus closing this year's program.

The urban extension of the MADEIRADiG festival - International Festival dedicated to electronic and experimental music, opened in February this year and which has already welcomed renowned artists, in the field of experimental electronics, international and Portuguese, such as Ben Yosei (Rafael Trindade), Xuri (Susanne Cleworth) and Vile Karimi (Mariana Vilhena).

Thus, the ninth edition of MADEIRADiG CiTY SESSIONS, organized by APCA - Agência de Promoção da Cultura Atlântica in partnership with Coletivo Casa Amarela, takes place on August 30th, at Galeria Tratuário, which once again hosts the activities scheduled for this edition.​

The program continues to follow its usual format, which also focuses on training offerings. Before the concert, at 6pm, there will be an open conversation with the theme “The importance and place of musical artistic curation in the creation of the community”, with the participation of Bernardo Álvares (experimental artist), Miguel Apolinário (musician and representing APCA) , Bruno Pereira (experimental artist and founder of Coletivo Casa Amarela) and more participants to be confirmed. At a time when the culture we consume increasingly depends on unclear curation processes - playlists, algorithms and their recommendations - this meeting seeks to cross experiences, discussing cultural policies and methodologies for the future.​


Bernardo Álvares, born in Leiria, explores a wide range of musical styles, from improvised music and free-jazz to pop and electronic music. His work is characterized by a constant search for a communal and ritualistic voice, capable of reflecting contemporary times. Despite being a bassist by training, he is also versatile on other instruments, such as the no-input mixer and even microphones treated with autotune. Its main objective is to rescue a Portuguese musical tradition, integrating diverse influences, from Indian trance to the dynamics of the present, strongly shaped by the internet, where minimalism and maximalism coexist. He regularly collaborates with several artists, including Chica, Luís Severo, Zarabatana, Orca and Helena Espvall. In 2024, Bernardo will release a new album, still untitled, by a quintet, in which he will act as bandleader.

His presentation is scheduled for 9:30 pm.

It is worth remembering that this is the third consecutive year that APCA - Agência de Promoção da Cultura Atlântica holds MADEIRADiG CiTY SESSIONS, in partnership with Coletivo Casa Amarela, responsible for curating the activities, which precede the festival dates in December. MADEIRADiG CiTY SESSIONS have the support of DG Arts - General Directorate of Arts, within the scope of sustained support for programming projects in the area of ​​disciplinary crossover in the field of New Media, as well as the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and Culture, through the Regional Directorate of Culture. It should be added that its achievement is based on attracting, training and developing new audiences for the enjoyment of Digital Arts, namely electronic and experimental electroacoustic music.​​

Listen to the artist here: https://casaamarela.bandcamp.com/album/fantasmas

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