CULTURE

Founded in 2003 near Coimbra, La Barca dos Castiços combines tradition and innovation. Inspired by the Portuguese folk repertoire, the group recreates traditional songs with new sounds and bold arrangements blending jazz, pop-rock, and classical music. In 2007, it represented Portugal at the European final of the Eurofolk'J competition in Malaga, and then at the Italian edition in 2008. Some of its works have been featured on compilations published in Spain and Italy. In Portugal, it has performed at emblematic festivals such as the Intercéltico de Sendim and the Folk-Celta de Ponte da Barca, as well as on Antena 1 radio in Cantos da Casa. Its first album, Mancha em Terras de Cor, marked its artistic identity by transforming tradition into a musical journey. As part of the Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz, La Barca dos Castiços offers a lively and participatory concert, where traditional instruments blend with contemporary influences, celebrating the richness of Portuguese musical heritage.

https://abarcadoscasticos.com/

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Pedro Carvalho – The show “The man who only thought about numbers”
Created by Pedro Carvalho, The Man Who Only Thought of Numbers is a performance where dance and mathematics meet in a poetic dialogue. Presented at the Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz, this approximately 45-minute solo invites the audience to explore the links between movement, logic, and emotion. Born in Portimão in 1972, Pedro Carvalho has a degree in mathematics education and postgraduates in Mathematical Games and Contemporary Dance. A finalist for the Fundação Ilídio Pinho "Sciência na Escola" award, he has collaborated with the Fundação Narciso Ferreira, Porto2001, and the Centro Cultural Vila Flor. Creator of the concept of Creative Dance/Mathematics, he brings together scientific rigor and artistic sensitivity. In this interactive performance, a child participates in the scene, blending discovery and complicity. With grace and curiosity, Pedro Carvalho transforms numbers into gestures and science into living art, offering a unique experience where thought becomes movement.

https://ventosetempestades.pt/

Under the name DJ Sucata, Brazilian artist Wenceslau (1988) energizes the Portuguese nightlife scene with explosive sets blending Carioca funk, Afro-diasporic rhythms, and queer influences. Based in Porto since 2019, he has established himself as an iconic figure of underground parties, residing at BATIDÃO Baile Funk and performing in major clubs such as Maus Hábitos, Pérola Negra, and Hard Club. Co-founder of the Baile Doce and Malaghetto projects, he advocates for the promotion of Black and peripheral music, while promoting the visibility of queer artists. At Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz, his DJ set becomes a sensory and inclusive celebration: a space where bodies express themselves freely, carried by a collective and festive energy. With creativity and power, DJ Sucata transforms the dance floor into an artistic manifesto, making each performance a vibrant tribute to diversity and freedom.

instagram.com/djsucata

Musician, multimedia artist, and contemporary art researcher at the University of Coimbra, Alex Lima offers a participatory workshop entitled “Brinquedos não-convencionais,” presented as part of the Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz. This activity invites young and old to create original toys from recycled materials: 3D cars, strategy games, or colorful objects inspired by popular culture. More than a manual workshop, it is an artistic and ecological experience where creativity becomes a vector of social connection and learning. Alex Lima, also an educator, fuses art, education, and community through a sensitive pedagogy based on intergenerational collaboration. His approach values music, plastic expression, and environmental awareness. Through this workshop, he transforms simple matter into tangible poetry, transmitting a vision where sustainability, imagination, and the joy of creating unite to restore play to its universal value.
 

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Ana Maria PAS, harpist, composer, and performer, presents her concert “Só Amor” at the Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz, recorded in 2024 at the Matriz de Santa Maria church in Vila Nova de Poiares. Born in São Paulo and living in Coimbra since 1980, she studied Paraguayan harp, piano, and violin before perfecting her classical harp skills at the Coimbra Conservatory, where she also taught. A former member of the group Pão de Centeio, she combines tradition and spirituality in delicate and introspective music. Só Amor is an acoustic journey imbued with softness and light, performed with her husband, guitarist Mário Silva. This intimate concert explores the themes of nature, inner peace, and universal faith. Between musical rigor and poetic sensitivity, Ana Maria PAS offers an experience of pure emotion, where each note becomes a prayer and each silence, a sacred breath.

anasilvaharpista.blogspot.pt
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instagram.com/anamariapas.artista

Marta Dias Nogueira, actress, teacher, and artistic director from Góis, presents the show “The Drawers That Live in Me” at the Cultural Nights at Quinta do Chafariz. Inspired by the tale The Bird of the Soul by Michal Snunit, this poetic tale combines theater, narration, and movement to invite children and adults on an inner journey. A graduate in Theater and Education in Coimbra and in Artistic Direction at ProfiConcept, Marta explores worlds where words become music and sensitivity becomes stage material. Her artistic journey spans theater, song, dance, visual arts, and performance, always serving the collective imagination. In an intimate and sensory atmosphere, each drawer opened on stage reveals an emotion, a dream, or a memory. The Drawers That Live in Me celebrates creativity and human depth, offering the audience a moment suspended between poetry, memory, and light.

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