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On 30th July, at the Fence of the Monastery of Alcobaça, there was a real celebration of low brass instruments with R'B & Mr. SC joining an unmissable selection of All Stars at Gravíssimo! - International Low Brass Academy and Festival which included the following names: Oren Marshall (tuba), David Taylor (bass trombone) and Jim Self (tuba).

Resulting from a partnership with the 30th edition of Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival, this was the closing concert of the 12th edition of Gravíssimo!, which took place between 23 and 27 August.

As a balance, the artistic director Sérgio Carolino said that "after two terrible years, it was possible to receive again guest teachers from all over the world, participating students, live concerts, conferences, master classes and exhibitions of instruments and mouthpieces".

Homage was also paid to several legendary artists such as Jim Self, David Taylor, Daniel Perantoni, Winston Morris, John Kenny, Floyd Cooley, not forgetting great artists such as Oren Marshall, Ricardo Antão, Gabriel Antão, Ricardo Carvalhoso, Mauro Martins, Bernardo Pinhal, Maria Derevyagina and the Portuguese Tuba Ensemble How Low Can You Go?.

Announcing that he is already working on the next edition, Sérgio Carolino adds that he wants it to be "simply sublime!"

The 12th edition of Gravíssimo! - International Low Brass Academy and Festival, will be held this year from 25 to 30 July in Alcobaça, in another a celebration of the versatility of the low brass instruments (tuba, euphonium and trombone).

This event, which is considered one of the most important of its kind internationally, will once again count with the the artistic direction of Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção.

The entries deadline for the next edition of Gravíssimo! was extended until next July 31st. This will be the last chance to participate in one of the most important low brass festivals at international level, which takes place this year from 23 to 27 August in Alcobaça.

With the artistic direction of Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção, among the confirmed artists there are great names such as Bart Van Lier, Dirk Hirthe, Dave Kutz, Anthony Caillet, Oren Marshall, Peter Steiner, Francisco Couto, Ricardo Carvalhoso, Ricardo Antão, Gabriel Antão, Henrique Costa and Mauro Martins.

Therefore, entries are still open, and the regulations and registration form can be found on the official site (www.gravissimofestival.com). The number of participants is limited, in order to allow the festival to be held in compliance with all safety standards.

Entries at http://bit.ly/gravissimo2021

The 11th edition of Gravíssimo! - International Low Brass Academy and Festival, will be held from 23 to 27 August in Alcobaça, combining a strong component of training to a series of unmissable concerts, in a celebration of the versatility of the low brass instruments (tuba, euphonium and trombone).

This event, which is considered one of the most important of its kind internationally, will once again count with the the artistic direction of Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção. Among the confirmed artists are Bart Van Lier, Dirk Hirthe, Dave Kutz, Anthony Caillet, Oren Marshall, Peter Steiner, Francisco Couto, Ricardo Carvalhoso, Ricardo Antão, Gabriel Antão, Henrique Costa and Mauro Martins, some of the most renowned performers and ambassadors of this family of instruments.

Entries for the 11th edition are open, and the regulations and registration form can be found on the official site (www.gravissimofestival.com). The number of participants is limited, in order to allow the festival to be held in compliance with all safety standards.

Signaling a new stage in more than ten years of existence, Gravíssimo! presents itself in this edition with a completely renewed image. Taking inspiration from the graphic representation of the periodic table of elements, the new brand meets again the bold and irreverent spirit of its audience.

Gravíssimo! is organized by the Band of Alcobaça and has the support of the Directorate-General of Arts and the Municipality of Alcobaça. It is held in close collaboration with the Alcobaça Monastery / Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage, and is proud to present Yamaha, Adams, Miraphone, Vincent Bach, C.G. Conn, Gewa and SE Shires Co. as sponsors of this edition, some of the most reputable brands of bass metal.

Due to the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 context, the direction of Gravíssimo! – Low Brass International Academy and Festival is forced to cancel the Academy part for this year's edition, which included the usual workshops and masterclasses, a fact that we deeply regret. All registrants have already been contacted to arrange the due refund of the amounts paid.

The direction, however, maintains the intention that this year's festival part of Gravíssimo! may take place in a new format and is working hard so that it can be achieved. If this scenario is confirmed, which will seek to comply with all the health rules in force, more news will be given soon about the holding of concerts.

The registrations of the next edition of Gravíssimo! are oficially open! an event that will take place again in Alcobaça from August 24th to 28th and whose registration period has two distinct phases, between March 1st and July 15th, with the following values: €100 (March 1st to May 31st) and €120 (June 1st to July 15th). The registration of Alcobaça Music Academy students and Alcobaça Symphonic Band has a single fee of €90.

Gravíssimo! is a Low Brass International Academy and Festival under the artistic direction of musicians Sérgio Carolino (tuba) and Hugo Assunção (trombone), which aims to show its participants and the general public the versatility of these instruments, working various styles of music.

Awards gala will take place on March 14^th in the Grand Auditorium of the Lisbon International Fair

Cistermúsica – Alcobaça Music Festival and Gravíssimo! – Low Brass International Academy and Festival, organized by Banda de Alcobaça/Alcobaça Music Academy in partnership with the Municipality of Alcobaça, are for the second consecutive year on the finalists' list for the next edition of Iberian Festival Awards, announced this week. The Iberian Festival Awards aim to distinguish the best festivals that take place in Portugal and Spain, and are part of the 9^th edition of the Talkfest – International Music Festivals Forum, an initiative promoted by the Portuguese Association of Music Festivals that will occur mainly in the city of Lisbon, in parallel and partnership with BTL – Lisbon International Tourism Exhibition, between 11^th and 15^th of March.

Scheduled for the period from June 26^th to July 31^st, Cistermúsica has just announced the first concert of the OFF program, on June 21^st, at the Alcobaça Monastery, that will feature the Brazilian musician Lenine and precedes the start of the festival main programme which, in 2020, intends to evoke two of the great events of the year: the 250^th anniversary of Beethoven's birth and the 500^th anniversary of Circum-navigation. Considered one of the most prestigious and consolidated classical music festivals in the country, Cistermúsica also promotes the crossing of classical music with other artistic perspectives, reaching a wider and more diverse audience.

Gravíssimo! has also announced the dates of its 10^th edition, scheduled between the 24^th and 28^th of August, taking place, as usual, at Alcobaça Music Academy, Alcobaça Cine-Theater – João d'Oliva Monteiro and in several venues of Alcobaça Monastery. Under the artistic direction of musicians Sérgio Carolino (tuba) and Hugo Assunção (trombone), this festival will open entries on March 1^st, allowing all potential participants, national and foreign, from the most diverse cultural and artistic backgrounds, to learn and share experiences with guest artists and teachers of high international value through various masterclasses, workshops and concerts – these latter open also to the general public.

Alcobaça Festivals are between the nominees for the awards that distinguish best Festivals in Portugal and Spain

Cistermúsica - Alcobaça Music Festival, and Gravíssimo! - Low Brass International Festival and Academy, organized and produced by Banda de Alcobaça/Alcobaça Music Academy have been, for the second consecutive year, nominated in the Iberian Festival Awards 5th edition.

Cistermúsica competes in two categories: Best Small Festival and Best Cultural Programme. The first category is for Festivals with 1500 spectators per day. Here is one of the few Classical Music Festivals in this competition, wich evaluation is carried out by the public until January 7.

On the other hand, a jury will evaluate the Cultural Programme Category, taking into consideration the multidisciplinary character of the Festival Programmation. In 2019 Cistermúsica had several cultural activities supplementing the Main Programme, giving preference to the interaction with the community, as the Music Atelier for Babies, photography workshops, guided tours, talks, and inclusive spectacles.

Gravíssimo! runs for the Best Academic and Young Festival. This category fits perfectly for this Festival, which promotes the interaction between professional musicians and young students and maintains, at the same time, the doors open for the general public, through concerts that explore the versatility of low brass instruments, from chamber music to jazz.

Both Festivals have already announced their dates for 2020, after the publication of the Directorate-General for Arts Public Tender, which has attributed to Banda de Alcobaça / Alcobaça Music Academy Artistic Projects the higher rating in the field of music, establishing once again this institution as “a reference on the national scene”.

In 2020 Cistermúsica will take place from June 26 until July 31, continuing its mission to draw the public at large closer to classical music and celebrating two extraordinary recurrences: 250 years from the Beethoven birth and 500 years from the Circumnavigation. In its turn, Gravíssimo! will take place in the last week of August. The Festival will turn Alcobaça the Low Brass Instruments’ Capital, hosting national and international musicians and amazing concerts.

These two structural artistic activities produced by the Banda de Alcobaça had, in 2019, about 10 thousand spectators, 50 spectacles and hundreds of national and international artists on stage. All winners of the Iberian Festival Awards Winners will be published on next March 14  in Lisbon, on the occasion of the Talkfest - International Music Festival Forum 9h edition.

The winner will be known on March 13^th at a gala at the Teatro Afundación in Vigo that will have web, radio (live) and TV (delayed) transmission

Gravíssimo! – Low Brass International Academy and Festival, organized by the Banda de Alcobaça/Alcobaça Music Academy in a partnership with the Municipality of Alcobaça, is one of the finalists (TOP10) in the category Best Academic Festival for the 4^th edition of the Iberian Festival Awards, an organization by APORFEST – Portuguese Association of Music Festivals that aims to distinguish the best festivals that take place in Portugal and Spain.

The Iberian Festival Awards, included in the Talkfest – 8^th International Forum of Music Festivals, had, according to the organization, a record of the number of applications and a higher quality in the information provided by its applicants, a fact that values even more the shortlisting of one of the only low brass academy and festival held in our country and a true international reference.

Combining the quality of academic training with a growing artistic identity in the program of the Gravíssimo! festival, which has maintained since 2013 a dual artistic direction by the renowned musicians Sérgio Carolino (tuba) and Hugo Assunção (trombone), this is a project that assembles numerous national and international participants, coming from various cultural and artistic backgrounds, internationally recognized, since 2015, with the EFFE “Remarkable Festival” label, by the European Festivals Association along with the European Union, in two consecutive biennia (2015-2016 and 2018-2019).

Two of the competing categories can be voted by the public until December 31

Cistermúsica – Alcobaça Music Festival and Gravíssimo! – Low Brass International Academy and Festival, organized by the Alcobaça Band/Alcobaça Music Academy in partnership with the Municipality of Alcobaça, are part of the list of nominees for the 4^th edition of the Iberian Festival Awards, unveiled this week. The Iberian Festival Awards aim to distinguish the best festivals that take place in Portugal and Spain, and are inserted in the Talkfest - 8^th International Forum of Music Festivals, events promoted by the Portuguese Association of Music Festivals that will take place next March, in Vigo and Lisbon, respectively.

Cistermúsica and Gravíssimo! festivals were nominated for 3 of the 22 categories in the competition and are a unique case in the Iberian panorama, since there is no other entity, at least outside the logic of the big festivals, with two festivals included in this competition, both being carried out in a medium-sized city of Portugal: Alcobaça (although Cistermúsica presents a part of the programming in other counties of the country through networks of cultural cooperation that have been established over the last years).

Cistermúsica seeks recognition on two fronts: Best Small Festival and Best Cultural Program. In the first category, it stands out as one of the few classical music festivals in the competition and, within this range, is perhaps the most eclectic one (it is not by chance that the theme of the 2018 edition was "Music Without Borders"), once that the program includes all sorts of ensembles, from recitals to great symphonic orchestras, including vocal groups and chamber music that annually present works from all periods of the history of music. Also the multidisciplinarity of its programming sections, developed by Junior and Families (dedicated to training and didactic activities) and OFF (which includes other artistic domains and musical genres besides classical music, as was the case of contemporary dance, jazz, cinema, inclusive theater, among others, in 2018), makes it a strong candidate for the second category mentioned above, which will be decided by a jury.

In turn, Gravíssimo!, the only serious low brass academy and festival that takes place in our country and which is already an international reference, seeks to obtain recognition as Best Academic Festival, a category in which it distinguishes itself from the other candidates by combining training with a music festival dimension. The vote for the 13 categories decided by the public, as well the aforementioned Best Small Festival and Best Academic Festival, are already available on the Talkfest website and run until 31 December. The winners will be announced on March 13 at a gala at Teatro Afundación in Vigo, where Alcobaça festivals seek once again recognition for their work of excellence.

It should be noted that both Cistermúsica and Gravíssimo! have received international recognition in recent years, particularly with the award EFFE "Remarkable Festival" by the European Festivals Association and the European Union in two consecutive biennia (2015-2016 and 2018-2019). Both festivals have a strong link with heritage, programming most of its activities at the Monastery of Alcobaça (World Heritage) and among other artistic goals are the valuing of young national and international values. In 2018, both Cistermúsica (26^th edition) and Gravíssimo! (8^th edition) gathered once again the best critics as were a public success with many of its concerts and other parallel activities sold out.

General rules and online registration form for the 8^th Low Brass International Academy and Festival are already available

The entries are already open for Gravíssimo! 8^th Low Brass International Academy and Festival, an event that will take place in Alcobaça from August 27^th to 31^st and whose registration period has three distinct phases, between May 14^th and August 17^th, with the following values: €100 (May 14^th to June 15^th), €120 (June 16^th to July 15^th) and €150 (July 16^th to August 17^th). The registration of Alcobaça Music Academy students has a single fee of €90.

Gravíssimo! is a true event in the field of low brass held annually in the last week of August under the artistic direction of musicians Sérgio Carolino (tuba) and Hugo Assunção (trombone), which aims to show its participants and the general public the versatility of these instruments, working various styles of music.

Along with Academy work, between masterclasses and workshops, Gravíssimo! also presents a strong artistic component bringing the general public the possibility to see the performances of the invited artists and participants involved through a daily program of concerts,

Know the general rules here »

Festival directed by the famous Alcobaça musicians Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção will open entries soon

Alcobaça Music Academy (AMA) is already preparing the next Gravíssimo! Low Brass International Academy Festival, an ambitious project that will have its 8th edition and will be held between August 27th and 31st, promising to be a true musical event in the field of low brass instruments.

With the artistic direction of the famous Alcobaça musicians Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção, Gravíssimo! is held at AMA and Cine-Teatro de Alcobaça - João d'Oliva Monteiro, being an event specially aimed for music students from Conservatories, Professional Schools, Academies, Polytechnic Institutes and Universities, as also for amateur musicians who are interested in developing their technical and artistic level.

Sérgio Carolino (Principal Tuba of Casa da Música Porto Symphony Orchestra, International Yamaha Artist, Professor at the Superior School of Music, Arts and Entertainment of Porto Polytechnic Institute) and Hugo Assunção (First Trombone of Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Professor of Trombone at the Évora University and Lisbon Superior School of Music) are, as usual, the hosts on the lands of Cistercian, welcoming at this event musicians from various origins and backgrounds.

The Opening Concert of Gravíssimo! scheduled for the Monastery of Alcobaça, tomorrow at 9:00 p.m., was changed to the Cine-Teatro de Alcobaça due to the inconstancy of the weather during the present day and tomorrow, reasons to which the organization is totally unaware.

For this reason, the Direction of the Festival and International Academy of Grave Metals apologize sincerely, reaffirming that this Concert will take place at the same time.

We also remember that this concert, titled "aBRASSsivo", will feature the Portuguese Youth Brass Ensemble Massive Brass Attack! and the following soloists: Sérgio Carolino, Shimpei Tsugita, Gene Pokorny, Gabriel Antão, David Bruchez, Ricardo Carvalhoso, Justin Clark and Ricardo Antão.

Gravíssimo! brings us 7 concerts and recitals with musicians from the four corners of the world

From August 29 to September 2, the 7^th edition of Gravíssimo! - Low Brass International Academy and Festival brings to the city of Alcobaça, which becomes the World Capital of Low Brass, some of the most renowned international names.

From the four corners of the world, from Japan to the United States, through Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Brazil, musicians gather in Alcobaça to share experiences and transmit knowledge to about 90 enrolled students, from 8 different nationalities.

Under the usual artistic direction of renowned Alcobaca musicians Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção, Gravíssimo !, which aims to demonstrate the versatility of low brass, explores music in various levels, from chamber music to jazz, focusing on the ensemble's artistic work development and in the continuous improvement of the participants individual technique.

For five days, the seven concerts and recitals of Gravíssimo !, which feature presentations by several Portuguese and international musicians, will have two of the most emblematic places of the city: the Monastery of Alcobaça and the Wine Museum.

One of the main highlights is the TGB concert, inserted in the spectacles cycle Monastery of Alcobaça/World Heritage Places of the Center Region, that will act on August 31, Thursday, at 10.30, in front of the South Wing of the Monastery of Alcobaça, in a show of free entrance.

The Soloists Recital, scheduled for September 1 at 9:00 pm in the D. Afonso VI Cloister of the Monastery of Alcobaça, precedes another high moment of the Gravíssimo! program, the concert The Devil's Blow - Tuba Unit! Feat Jon Sass, at 10:45 pm, also in front of the South Wing of the monument and with free entrance.

Organized and produced by the Band of Alcobaça/Alcobaça Music Academy (AMA), Gravíssimo !, has, year after year, attracted the attention of a larger and more numerous audience, being currently an initiative with great repercussion internationally, with european recognition as Remarkable Festival through the seal EFFE (Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe).

Gravíssimo! has not only succeeded in the world of music and this thursday saw its website selected for the CSS Light gallery, a platform that presents and promotes new talents and trends in the world of design, highlighting its unique characteristics in terms of presentation, creativity , aesthetics and coding.

Following the last editions success, the organization intends to continue to raise the name of the festival which, in addition to receiving prestigious names from the world of low brass music, promotes young artists, meetings, concerts and unique experiences for both students and attending public.

So, no lack of reasons for the public to return to Alcobaça, between August 29 and September 2, and assure its presence in the 7^th edition of Gravíssimo! - Low Brass International Academy and Festival, a true musical event in the field of low brass instruments.

Entries are open for the festival led by the renowned Alcobaça musicians Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção

August 29 to September 2: these are the dates for this year in which Alcobaça Music Academy (AMA) promotes again the Gravíssimo! 7th Low Brass International Academy Festival, a true musical event in the field of low brass instruments that, after six editions, takes this year another stage in its ambitious course.

With the usual artistic direction of the renowned Alcobaça musicians Sérgio Carolino and Hugo Assunção, Gravíssimo! is held at AMA and Cine-Teatro de Alcobaça - João d'Oliva Monteiro and has now open entries, being an event specially aimed for music students from Conservatories, Professional Schools, Academies, Polytechnic Institutes and Universities, as also for amateur musicians who are interested in developing their technical and artistic level.

Sérgio Carolino (Principal Tuba of Casa da Música Porto Symphony Orchestra, International Yamaha Artist, Professor at the Superior School of Music, Arts and Entertainment of Porto Polytechnic Institute) and Hugo Assunção (First Trombone of Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, Professor of Trombone at the Évora University and Lisbon Superior School of Music) are once again the hosts on the lands of Cistercian, welcoming at this event musicians from various origins and backgrounds.

Download the Registration Form (contains biographies, general rules, modality registration, etc.):

Portuguese Version »

English Version »