Hub Conference ‘Music Now! Musica Nostra’ in Mafra, Portugal, & online

On 30 April 2025, Centre Européen de Musique (CEM) and Europa Nostra are pleased to host the conference ‘Music Now! Musica Nostra!’ in Mafra, Portugal, and online, placed under the High Patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. The event is organised in partnership with the Municipality of Mafra, Portuguese Ministry of Culture, Divino Sospiro, Terrafoundation, and Centro Nacional de Cultura, acting as coordinator of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Lisbon.

 

Taking place at the iconic Mafra National Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this hybrid event highlights the transformative power of music to foster peace and stability amid today’s challenging European and global contexts. ‘Music Now! Musica Nostra!’ is a call to fully harness the potential of music – not only as a science, an art, and a transcendent force but also as a much-needed bridge between human aspirations and global solutions.

“Music and heritage are the cornerstone of European identity. Music is the soul of Europe and the bridge between tangible and intangible heritage. It is our common breath, our shared heartbeat, the rhythm of our unity in diversity. We need it now more than ever”, stated Jorge Chaminé, President Founder of the CEM, an affiliated partner of the European Heritage Hub project.

Mafra has hosted the Centre Européen de Musique in Portugal since November 2023, given the historical relationship between the town and music, which dates back to the construction of the Royal Building of Mafra. The Basilica of Mafra features the world’s largest set of 18th-century carillons (which had been included on the list of 7 Most Endangered heritage sites in Europe for 2014 and which were fully restored in 2020) as well as the only set of six historical organs designed for simultaneous use (whose restoration was awarded a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2012).

The ‘Music Now! Musica Nostra!’ conference will feature addresses by high-level representatives from national and local authorities, European Institutions, and the host organisations. It will also serve as the occasion to launch an initiative report by the European Parliament on the role and significance of music in Europe. Panel discussions will explore music as an element of European identity and a key resource in addressing the triple transformation of our society – green, digital, and social.

The event will conclude with the launch of the ‘Music Now! Musica Nostra!’ Call to Action, followed by cultural visits and musical performances.

The Programme can be found here. 

This conference is part of a four-day event (29 April-2 May) organised by CEM and CEM Portugal:

• The presentation of the “Via Scarlatti I Culture and innovation as the Soul of Europe” programme
• The first meeting of the Via Scarlatti international Think Tank;
• The annual meeting of the CEM Alliance of Cities of Music;
• The annual assembly of the network of European Musicians’ Houses and Museums;
• The first Passarola Global creative meeting; and
• Musical performances and the first screening in Portugal of the documentary film “The Saga of Cultural Europe” co-produced by CEM, Bel Air Media and Arte TV.