Leiria, a UNESCO Creative City of Music, recently launched the first edition of its Creative City of Music Festival. From 16 to 18 November, the Festival hosted both well-known and emerging talents in the fields of alternative music, jazz and classical music.

Promoting new musical creations, the Festival also presented seventeen original works to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Nobel laureate writer José Saramago. Inspired by Saramago's literary works, the seventeen compositions were premiered in Leiria’s theatres, establishing a dialogue between music, literature and theatre. The Festival also hosted the finals of the “Leiria International Composition Competition”, aimed at stimulating the production of contemporary music in jazz and classical genres and bridging the gap between Leiria's well-known music groups and emerging composers.

Since its designation in 2019, the Creative City of Leiria has been committed to offering a diverse range of musical genres to appeal to different tastes and contribute to the city's cultural vibrancy. The Leiria Creative City of Music Festival nurtures the blending of different creative fields and fosters the cultural, social and economic values of music to improve the quality of life for professional and citizens in Leiria. It also promotes the city's creative scene, innovation and musical talent both locally among citizens and internationally through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

For more information, please visit: https://leiriacreativecity.pt/