Terrafoundation and the Centre Européen de Musique announce CEM Portugal
The Centre Européen de Musique, or CEM, is an innovative European artistic, cultural, pedagogical and scientific project based in Paris.
Terrafoundation and CEM have signed a partnership protocol in 2022, and the Centro Europeu de Música Portugal is being developed with the our support.
We are proud to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on October 25, 2023 at the National Library of the Palace of Mafra by the municipalities of Braga, Faro, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Lisbon, Mafra and Porto.
The historical relationship between Mafra and music dates back to the construction of the Royal Building of Mafra, a complex consisting of the Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden, and Hunting Park (Tapada), commissioned by D. João V. The Basilica's musical apparatus includes two carillons, which constitute the largest set of bells from the 18th century in the world, as well as the only set of six historic organs designed for simultaneous use. The future installation of the National Museum of Mafra, the Music Sciences Center of the New University of Lisbon, and the National Sound Archive in Mafra will further strengthen this connection to music.
CEM Portugal is rooted in the idea that music and culture are a strategic vector for the European Union, not only because they represent an important part of its economy, but also because they contribute to inclusive, free, sustainable and democratic societies, while also reflecting Europe's diversity, values, history and heritage. It offers a space for research and innovation in Portugal, focusing on music as a means of bringing knowledge from the past together with that of the present, with a view to the future; it aims to promote the expansion of extra-European ties where music can play a diplomatic role, but also act as a bridge between various cultures.
CEM Portugal will operate from Mafra in the national sphere, in conjunction with the international spheres of music and cultural and scientific production.
