(Este site foi actualizado pelo última vez em 05/04/07 )

History 

The GMCL (Lisbon Contemporary Music Group) was founded in the Spring of 1970 by Jorge Peixinho, a pioneer and central figure in the development of contemporary music in Portugal,  together with portuguese musicians like Clotilde Rosa, Carlos Franco and António Oliveira e Silva, that were working in a series of concerts promoted by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. 

Its first public performance was given in the Festival of Sintra that same year. Since then it has reguralarly appeared in concerts throughout the country. It also recorded for the Portuguese Radio and TV. In 1972 it had its first concert abroad, participating in the Festival of Contemporary Art of Royan (France).

After 1974 and along about 37 years of existence the GMCL has given concerts in several Countries integrated in various Festivals, of which stand out.

II Iberian Festival of Badajoz; Festival of Autumn of Warsaw; Cycle " 24 Hours of Communication " in Brussels; Biennial of Music of Zagreb - Yugoslavia; Festival Gaudeamus - Holland; Cycle " Homage to Fernando Pessoa " in Spain; International Festivals of Contemporary Music in Seville, Santiago of Compostela and Alicante; Nice Festival; Festival Antidogma of Turin; 17th Musical week of Siena; World Music Days of Amsterdam; Festival of New Music of Santos and São Paulo; Cycle of Contemporary Music of Belo Horizonte; Europalia 91; International week of New Music of Bucharest; Encounters Gulbenkian of Contemporary Music of Lisbon; Days of Contemporary Art of Oporto.

In the late seventies, it was attributed a subsidy by the Ministry of Culture, for the performance of concerts and sessions of musical animation throughout Portugal. 

For the International Tribune of Composers of 1975 and 1976 it recorded the following works of Portuguese Composers: ” Recitativo IV ” by Jorge Peixinho, ” Momento I “ by Constança Capdeville, “ Diálogos “ by Filipe Pires and “ Encontro “ by Clotilde Rosa.  It also participated in the recording of  “ CDE “ and “ Quatro Estações” by Jorge Peixinho, as well as in the recording of works of other portuguese composers. It collaborated in several original works for theater, movies and mix-media. 

Also performed other concerts extra-festivals, colloquies and master classes in Portugal and abroad, taking portuguese culture beyond borders. 

In Portugal, regularly participated in the Gulbenkian Encounters of Contemporary Music, staging the latest creations of national composers, also presenting, however, works of composers of  other nationalities, according to the specific project of each concert. 

In 1991 was awarded with Medal of Cultural Merit by the Ministry of Culture. 

After the death of its founder and director it participated in the festivals: 20th Gulbenkian Encounters of Contemporary Music; Música Bayreuth  (recording for Bayerisher Rundfunk );  Neue Musik in Bamberg; Foundation of Serralves in Oporto and in the Festival of Almada, under Aldo Brizzi's direction.  

In an homage concert to Jorge Peixinho in Montijo in 1996 the GMCL was conducted by Álvaro Salazar.  

In 1998 it participated in the first edition of the International Festival of Contemporary Music, organized by S. Carlos National Theater, having been conducted by José Ramón Encinar. 

It collaborated in the International Festival of Electroacoustical Music “ Música Viva 2000 “ and had a concert in S. Carlos National Theater with works by Clotilde Rosa, with direction of Carlos Franco.  

Yet in 2000 it was attributed a subsidy for four years, by the IPAE-Ministry of Culture, to comission works to composers and to give concerts. 

In 2001,it participated in the 23rd edition of the International Festival Ensems in Valencia with direction of Carlos Franco and Pedro Amaral, gave  a concert in the Convent of Montemor-o-Novo, and another two concerts in the XI Biennial of Cerveira. In co-production with the Theater Company Pé de Vento it also participated in a show multimedia in Oporto. Finally it gave a concert in CCB in Lisbon, where it premiered six new works expressly composed by Alexandre Delgado, António Sousa Dias, Clotilde Rosa, Filipe Pires, João Pedro Oliveira and Luís Tinoco. Still on that year it recorded a CD with works by Clotilde Rosa. 

In the year 2002, also with the support of the Ministry of Culture, it participated in the Festival Aveiro-Síntese, in the Symposium of Contemporary Music in Castelo Branco, in two concerts in the Foundation of Serralves in Porto, and in the Franco-Portuguese Institute in Lisbon,. In these last three concerts the GMCL premiered five works dedicated to the group, that had been comissioned to the composers António Chagas Rosa, Fernando Lapa, Pedro Rocha, Sérgio Azevedo  and Clotilde Rosa.

Last year, GMCL gave concerts in: Music Festival of Sabugal, International Festival of Coimbra, Festival of “Rostos da Vanguarda” in Maia, Aula Magna of Piaget Institut in Almada and Salão Nobre do Conservatório Nacional in Lisbon. Four new pieces by Clotilde Rosa, Christopher Bochmann, Eurico Carrapatoso and Francisco Monteiro were  premiered in this concerts.

The main objective of GMCL is to promote contemporary portuguese composers, with special incidence in Jorge Peixinho (its founder).