Address: Edifício da Reitoria, Alameda da Universidade, Lisbon, Portugal
Metro station: Cidade Universitária Lisbon

The University of Lisbon (Universidade de Lisboa) is the largest and most prestigious university in Portugal and considered one of Europe’s leading universities. The Aula Magna serves as the main venue for LISBON SINGS. With a total capacity of 1584 seats, the Aula Magna is host to hundreds of events and is now welcoming singers from all over the world on its stage for competitions and ceremonies.

Photo: Jonas Persson

Address: Rua da Madre de Deus 4, Lisbon 1900-312, Portugal
Bus stop: Igreja Madre Deus

Lisbon is known worldwide for its Azulejos – colorful ceramic tiles that adorn house facades and walls. They show typical patterns but also depict historical scenes, cityscapes, and even folktales. Situated in the former cloister “Convento Madre de Deus“, the national museum of ceramic tiles – Museu Nacional do Azulejo – displays an impressive collection, offering insight to the history and functions of ceramic tiles since the 15th century. Participating choirs of LISBON SINGS 2024 have the great opportunity to perform their programs in astounding areas of the museum. Visitors of the museum are welcome to join the performances.

Photos: Museu Nacional do Azulejo, Jonas Persson

Address: Av. Marquês de Tomar, 1050-154 Lisbon, Portugal
Metro station: Campo Pequeno

According to a modernist design by the architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro., the Church of Nossa Senhora de Fátima was the first Catholic church in Lisbon to be built after the proclamation of the Republic in 1910, It was inaugurated in 1938 and awarded the Prémio Valmor architecture prize that very year. Great Portuguese sculptors of the time were commissioned to decorate the church. Of special interesting are the colorful stained-glass windows and mosaics done by painter Almada Negreiros and the murals by Lino António and Henrique Freitas – features that characterize this atmospheric church equipped with excellent acoustics for competitions in the sacred choral music category.

Photos: AdobeStock, Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima

Address: Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 58, 1150-268 Lisbon, Portugal
Metro station: Restauradores / Rossio

From the outside, Casa do Alentejo appears inconspicuous, but upon entering the main entrance hall, the beauty of the colorful walls and high glass ceiling offer a stunning contrast to its exterior. The building served as the residence of the Paes de Amaral family. The building has since been utilized as a school, furniture store, and as the first casino of the city. Today, the building is used as a cultural center and social club.

Photos: Casa do Alentejo

Address: Avenida da Índia nº 136, 1300-300 Lisboa, Portugal
Train Station: Belem (Cascais Line)

The Museu Nacional dos Coches boasts an exceptional collection of gala and touring coaches from the 16th to 19th centuries, which were mainly used by Portuguese Royal Household. The exhibition presents a comprehensive display of the technical and artistic development of the animal-drawn transportation vehicles used by the European courts until the emergence of motorized vehicles. The new building, inaugurated in 2015, was designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Pritzker Prize 2006) in collaboration with Portuguese architect Ricardo Bak Gordon. It is not only a fascinating museum that offers a glimpse into the past, but also a unique concert venue.

Photos: Museu dos Coches

Address: Largo de São Vicente, 1100-472 Lisbon, Portugal
Metro station: Santa Apolonia | Martim Moniz

Built by King Alfonso I 1147, the church and monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora are located near the banks of the Tagus and are among the most important sacred constructions in Lisbon. It is considered the first major Mannerist construction in Portugal and was created between 1582 and 1627 under Dom Filipe I. The monastery impresses not only with its two cloisters and cistern, but also with its grand marble furnishings, ceiling murals, and characteristic azulejos. Today, the monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora is the seat of the Patriarch of Lisbon and serves as a pantheon for the royal family and the patriarchs of the Braganza dynasty.

Photos: Patriarcado de Lisboa

Address: Praça da Estrela, 1200-667 Lisbon, Portugal
Metro station: Rato

The Basílica da Estrela– situated on a hill in the west of the city – is visible from afar and is one of the city's landmarks. Following a promise by Queen Maria I to have a church built in the event of the birth of a son, the basilica was built between 1779 and 1790 in the late Baroque and Neoclassical style. Adorned with marble, gold, and figures, the nave and six side-chapels guide visitors to the towering dome, upon which guests have the chance not only to view the neighboring park, but to take in the beautiful view of the city.

Photos: Patriarcado de Lisboa

Helena Fojkar Zupančič works as a choir director and vocal coach at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium (DCG) of St. Stanislav's Institution in Ljubljana. She also teaches vocal technique at the Music of Academy in Ljubljana. Focusing on adolescents and young adults, she conducts the St. Stanislav Girls' Choir and St. Nicolas Choir Litija, both of which are internationally renowned. With the St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir, she has performed at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona in 2017 and at the American Choral Directors National Conference in Kansas City in 2019. She also conducts the 110-member (Re)Mixed Choir of the DCG, who sing and dance an appealing program of pop and musicals.
As a guest conductor she has performed with the Slovenian Children’s Choir, the Radio Slovenia Chamber Choir, and the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir.
She has received several awards at the national and international levels and was awarded the 2016 Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of musical education presented by the Republic of Slovenia.
She is a sought-after jury member for national and international competitions and is an inspiring leader who has educated numerous generations of enthusiastic singers.

Tove Ramlo-Ystad is an educated singer and conductor with a Master Degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. Her teachers and mentors in conducting have been Stefan Sköld, Anders Eby and Mogens Dahl.
Tove is one of Norway's most acknowledged choir conductors. She is a popular and inspiring guest conductor, and is frequently invited as an adjudicator in international choir competitions. Tove is representing Norway in The World Choir Council. Since 2015 she has been the artistic director of The Norwegian National Championship for Choirs.
Ramlo-Ystad has conducted both mixed and male choirs through the years, and has kept conducting the female choir Cantus since their beginning in 1986. Through Tove's leadership has Cantus received a lot of attention, won several competitions and has recorded 9 CD’s. The three last recordings got a Grammy nomination. Cantus is known by their Nordic sound. This sound was the reason Disney discovered Cantus, and led to the choir being asked to sing in their animation movie 'Frozen' 1 and 2. Several of the works commissioned for Cantus through the years have become an inspiration for many other female choirs around the world.
Tove Ramlo-Ystad is music director for the Norwegian Choral Association.

With a Master's degree in Choral Conducting from Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, Inês Tavares Lopes studied choral conducting with Paulo Lourenço, Eugene Rogers, Cara Tasher, Stephen Coker and Brett Scott, and singing with Isabel Alcobia, Ângela Silva, Joana Nascimento, Geert Berghs, Jill Feldman and Rita Marques.
She taught at the Conservatório de Música da Metropolitana as well as at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra, between 2011 and 2017. From 2015 to 2017, she was a tutor at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, where she taught choir, choral conducting, vocal technique and vocal and instrumental ensembles.
She was the founding conductor of the Ensemble Vocal Desafinados (2012) and the AMAL Youth Choir (2017), she was also a member of Tenso Europe Chamber Choir in 2013 and 2014. Between 2013 and 2019, she sang with Gulbenkian Choir, also collaborating as a conductor.
As a singer, she participates in projects with the Officium Ensemble, Voces Caelestes, Ludovice Ensemble, Capella Patriarchal, Ensemble mpmp, ECCE Ensemble, Grupo de Música Contemporânea de Lisboa and Polyphonos Ensemble.
In 2020, Inês became the artistic director of Ensemble Vocal Aura, a project dedicated exclusively to female voices. In September 2021 she was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Gulbenkian Choir.