François Bou, artistic director of Casa da Música, helps us interpret the new season’s programme and discover the fundamentals of his unifying vision for the project. A venue open to the synergies of all artistic languages, where music is both “rooted and universal”.

Traditionally, Casa da Música based its programming for each new season on a Theme Country. With your arrival, that came to an end. Isn’t there a paradox between the idea of “Roots/Resonances” and what appears to be a strategic break?

In fact, I don’t see this as a break, but rather an extension of continuity. The idea of Theme Countries was extremely fruitful for many years: it allowed us to explore cultural and geographical identities in depth and with consistency. What we are now seeking to do is to broaden this principle – to go beyond national borders and think about themes that cut across different geographies, eras and languages. Roots/Resonances does not stray from this logic of connection to identity; it merely expands it. Roots can be cultural, popular, spiritual or aesthetic – and their resonances are found everywhere. Instead of focusing on a single territory, we seek to understand how these roots – including those of popular music – transform, intersect and inspire new creations. This concept allows us to bring together worlds that rarely meet: Villa-Lobos with Bartók, de Falla with Bach, classical music with popular music, heritage with contemporary invention. It is a cross-cutting, inclusive vision that reflects the very identity of Casa da Música – a place where all languages can coexist.

The concept of “resonance” can also be understood as echo, vibration. Have you already defined the “echoes” you would like to provoke this year, inside and outside your doors, or do you prefer them to reveal themselves naturally, as a result of the dialogue between roots and innovation?

I prefer to talk about resonance rather than echo, because resonance implies a living, dynamic, transformative relationship – it is not just the repetition of a sound, but the way in which an initial vibration encounters another body and causes it to vibrate differently. This is exactly what we are looking for in the 2026 programme: resonances between the works within each concert, between the different programmes, cycles and festivals, but also between our groups, audiences, guest artists and Casa da Música itself as a cultural institution. These resonances extend beyond our doors – to external partners, schools, communities and society in general. More than planning “echoes”, we want to provoke authentic resonances – which resonate in the way we experience Casa da Música, like a vibration that continues to exist long after the music has ended.

What other new concepts does it introduce, and why did you feel the need to implement them?

More than creating new formats, I wanted to propose a way of thinking about Casa da Música as a whole. The aim is to strengthen the dialogue between all its worlds – resident groups, contemporary creation, popular music, jazz, education and its relationship with society. An essential concept is that of transversality: the idea that everything communicates. There are no fixed boundaries between the classical and the popular, between the concert and the educational project, between the stage and the digital space. Each artistic gesture can generate resonance in other areas, making Casa da Música a living and coherent organism. I felt the need to implement this vision because I believe that Casa da Música should be more than the sum of its programmes – it should be a space for sharing and transformation, where Education, Creation and Society come together in the same creative energy. This is what I call “Living the House”: a way of inhabiting this place, where the public, the artists and the institution itself breathe together the same impulse of discovery and creation.

Two key elements of the programme are the cycles and festivals. How do they differ and what exciting things will they bring us throughout the year?

Cycles are moments of listening and prolonged reflection – they allow us to follow a composer’s thinking or a musical idea over time. In 2026, we will immerse ourselves in the worlds of Villa-Lobos, Bach, Brahms and Hèctor Parra, four visions of music that, each in their own way, explore the relationship between tradition and modernity. All these cycles resonate with the central theme of the year – Roots/Resonances – which proposes looking at origins and understanding how they continue to inspire the present. The cycles also extend to the audiovisual universe, with the Big Screen, in film concerts and concerts with screens that reinforce the connection between sound and image and offer new ways of listening and artistic experience. The festivals, in turn, represent the most vibrant and shared side of Casa da Música – moments of intensive programming that, during a concentrated period, mobilise the Resident Groups, the Educational Service, creation, popular music and mediation around a common artistic theme. These are times of gathering and celebration that give rhythm to the programme, creating pulses throughout the year that make Casa da Música breathe in motion. In 2026, we will have Resonances, Easter Time, Guitar Days, Echo Rising Stars, Summer Time, Press Start, Jazz Season, Meeting Time, Amazonia and Christmas Time – all in direct dialogue with the ideas of roots and resonances, between heritage and creation. Each festival transforms Casa da Música into a living cultural centre, where the public circulates between rooms and informal spaces, experiencing the venue as a spectator, participant or explorer. Ultimately, this is what we seek: for each cycle and each festival to mark the pulse of a season that is heard, celebrated and shared – a way of experiencing Casa da Música intensely.

There is also news to report in the area of artistic residencies. Until now, the Composer in Residence was chosen for one season, but for the first time, Catalan composer Hèctor Parra will take on the role for two years. Another first is the awarding of a residency to an artist from a field other than music – in this case, Brazilian artist Bianca Dacosta. What should we make of these changes and how do these choices fit into the programme?

I believe that one year of residency is insufficient to create a true bond with Casa da Música. A composer in residence needs time to integrate into the life of the institution, get to know the musicians, the teams, the audience, but also participate in the cultural fabric of the city, give masterclasses, inspire other artists. All of this requires continuity – it is a process of maturation that only makes sense over time. That is why Hèctor Parra’s two-year residency is a natural choice. He is a composer of great depth and imagination, and this extended period will allow his music to resonate in various contexts: symphonic, chamber, educational and even digital. As for Bianca Dacosta, I think it is natural for a visual artist to be associated with musical productions – especially in a building as iconic as Casa da Música, where space, light and sound are in constant dialogue. Her presence will allow for the crossing of languages and audiences, creating new ways of seeing and listening. Like Hèctor Parra, Bianca Dacosta will also participate in the cultural life of Porto, in meetings with the public and the local artistic community. Both represent what we are looking for: artists who live the Casa and bring the Casa to life.

The programme covers many genres: from baroque to jazz, from fado to electronic music. How important is the mix of languages in your curatorial project?

More than a mixture, it is an aggregation around the same project. All aesthetics resonate – it is something natural for me. Baroque, jazz, fado, or electronic music are not separate worlds, but different forms of the same creative energy. Ultimately, this diversity is no coincidence: it is the signature of Casa da Música.

Your department also includes the Educational Service. How does this area relate to the idea of roots and resonances? And, working with such a diverse audience – children, families, senior citizens, people with special needs – what aspect of inclusion are you seeking to reinforce?

The educational aspect is central and transversal to the programme, which is why concerts for families and different communities are now included in the season brochure. Many of our proposals directly address the themes of the year, reflecting the idea of roots and resonances also on a pedagogical level. We work with a wide variety of audiences, and our goal is to reinforce Casa da Música as a truly inclusive and accessible venue. To this end, we have created formats for encounters – musical preludes, conversations and meetings at the end of concerts, as well as convivial moments such as Café com Nata – which bring artists, music and audiences together in a natural and accessible way.

Similarly, the season involves artists and projects from various geographical locations – from Latin America to Eastern Europe, from Asia to Portuguese-speaking Africa. Is this an affirmation of an increasingly global House?

Without a doubt. Music is universal in its diversity, and so are artists. Art speaks of the poetry of the soul of the world. Openness to the world is part of Casa da Música’s identity. But, speaking of roots, it is equally important to affirm a strong presence of Portuguese artists, valuing the creation that is born here and dialogues with what comes from outside. This combination – local roots and global horizons – is essential to the artistic project we want to build.