The Festival Música Viva 2026 Comes to Lisbon in April

The Festival Música Viva 2026 will run from 28 April to 3 May 2026 at Teatro São Luiz in Lisbon.  The festival will open on 28 April 2026 with “Insurgência” performed by the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble, running from 20:00 to 21:30.

On 29 April, the programme continues with two performances. At 18:00 to 19:30, “Peixinho Político” is presented by the Ensemble MPMP. Later that evening, from 20:00 to 21:30, pianist José Pedro Ribeiro performs “O Povo Unido Jamais Será Vencido”.

The following day, 30 April, also features two works. “Exigentes os Mortos, Insurgentes os Vivos” is performed by Duo Nada Contra from 18:00 to 19:30, followed by “Desfasamentos: Steve Reich e Solange Azevedo” presented by the Grupo de Percussão da Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa, running from 20:00 to 21:30.

After a short break in programming, the festival resumes on 2 May with “Canto da Liberdade” performed by the Miso String Quartet from 18:00 to 19:30. Later that evening, from 20:00 to 21:30, “Música / Transformação” features the Sinfonietta de Braga, joined by guest artist Rita Castro Blanco.

The festival concludes on 3 May 2026 with “O Lugar da Memória”, performed by the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa #8, taking place from 17:30 to 19:00.

In this 32nd edition, Insurgency is both poetic and political. Musical creation emerges as an act of confrontation, deviation, and refusal, asserting art as a sensitive weapon against structural violence, dehumanisation, and the logic of fear. The works presented do not seek comfort but rather friction: they question, expose wounds, open fissures, and summon new forms of listening, thinking, and presence.