Amigos de Música de São Lourenço

Dear Amigos, I would like to thank all those who were able to attend our AGM at the end of November. As many of you will know, we are required by law to have three separate committees to run a group like the Amigos; the Assembleia Geral, the Direcção and the Conselho Fiscal. The members [...]

Dear Amigos, There can be no doubt that the both Pedro Ferro and Antonio Cebola gained the most from the Master Classes of Paul Crossley last week. It was a privilege to sit in and listen to them as they eagerly soaked up every suggestion, every morsel of advice that Paul was able to give [...]

From Barry Shaw, President of the Amigos Dear Amigos, Last week Sandro Bartoli pulled all the stops out when he began our new season by playing four quite monolithic fugues. There was nothing dainty or pretty here, his concentration as he built those massive, towering constructions was superb. It might however have been more kind [...]

End of June 2009 Dear Amigos, We have come to the end of another successful year and it is time to look back and remember the many evenings we have enjoyed at São Lourenço during our Amigos year. We began in September with the flautist Marc Gruwels and friends, followed the next month by a [...]

Dear Amigos, BRAVO  BRAVO! What else can one say? Last week Sa Chen gave us two of the most spectacular concerts we have ever heard at São Lourenço. If either evening had been anything less than a sell out after the terrific publicity and press coverage we put out for her I would have gladly [...]

Dear Amigos, Unfortunately, several of us had to miss the Pedro Ferro concerts in March but it was good to discover he had played well, people had enjoyed listening to him and that the attendance on both evenings had been excellent. Let’s hope that we can entice him back at some time in the future. [...]

Dear Amigos, You should have received a substantial mail out from the Cultural Centre which as well as the programs for the next two concerts includes an invitation to the next exhibition and the excellent program poster giving details of the various exhibitions and concerts which are planned at São Lourenço throughout the year. There [...]

It was so cold this morning that I woke to find the orange tree in my garden covered with thick frost which lasted until the sun climbed the garden wall and chased it away. That was probably as close to a white Christmas as it will get for those who like me, are staying in the Algarve during the forthcoming holiday.

I hope everyone who went to the concerts last week enjoyed a glimpse into the extraordinary life and loves of Franz Liszt. As you will have realised, the spoken readings as well as the choice of music, were all put together by Lucy Parham.

Dear Amigos, We are so lucky to live in this wonderful part of the world, especially at this time of the year when the weather is perfect and the crowds have all gone home. There is not a lot we can do to stem the chaos in the global financial markets and I can think [...]