“I'm not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself. I want it to sound like the composer."
Leonard Bernstein
OrchestrUtopica’s 10th Anniversary
“The most difficult thing is to maintain the work in circulation” complain young composers not only in Portugal, but also all around the world. In the landscape of today’s music contemporary art is eventually the less chosen and less popular option, accused of being excessively complex and inaccessible. Not only audiences, but also musicians frequently prefer to perform a more classical and popular repertoire, “with melodic lines and harmony” as they claim. Nevertheless is it not contemporary art music that in the best way reflects contemporaneity, the spirit of our times? Would it not be “refreshing” to sometimes get out of music museums, no matter how elaborated they were, in order to listen to a concert in an environment, which “lives and breathes”? In the Portuguese contemporary music landscape OrchestrUtopica, resident ensemble of the Belém Arts Centre, is one of few Portuguese examples dedicated to performance of “real time” music. Composed of recognized musicians, the ensemble is conceived as an instrument for composers, with main accent put on contemporary Portuguese creation. The orchestra constitutes an intergenerational meeting place for composers and an opportunity to internationalize new music from Portugal. The OrchestrUtopica was founded in 2001 by Carlos Caires, José Júlio Lopes, Luís Tinoco, António Pinho Vargas and by conductor Cesário Costa. Since the beginning it has been recognized with great enthusiasm not only by the public, but also by the critics and musical community. “Ten years ago a similar formation did not exist”[1], says José Júlio Lopes current artistic director, in a boradcast by Manuela Paraíso, “Na Outra Margem”, dedicated to the orchestra’s 10th anniversary. “There was a certain emergency to create conditions so that [new] music could fulfil its role in time – be heard and presented to audiences”[2], acrescenta. O ensemble, que corresponde ao formato duma sinfonietta, he adds. The ensemble corresponds to a sinfonietta format and has a special connection with current music, as it created a system of commissions and residencies – the composer in residence at the OrchestrUtopica during 2011 is Andreia Pinto-Correia, who has developed her professional activity in the United States[3]. The OrchestrUtopica constitutes a space for experience exchange between composers and performers as well as a crossing point for audiences from different environments. Along its existence it has presented new tendencies in Portuguese music and its diverse ways of expression. The group’s philosophy puts special emphasis on aesthetic diversity, which does not recognize boarders between musical fields and other artistic disciplines – the orchestra’s musicians participate in installation concerts or “non-concerts”, which capture the attention of listeners from outside the “classical music world”. “Our premise, that it is possible to cross audiences, works. There are divisions between artistic disciplines, which are easier to break if people are willing to make a step forward”[4], explains José Júlio Lopes. The OrchestrUtopica’s vitality depends on its open and embracing vision, which relates to contemporary artistic creation. An excellent form to establish dialogue between composers, performers and audiences are the open rehearsals (the first readings), during which one can discuss the questions of composition and interpretation. “To participate in the process of rehearsing, for me as composer, is a great and unique experience”[5], emphasizes Andreia Pinto-Correia. “It is one of the most important aspects, which composers can get from such a kind of ensemble. They can even have this great desire, which is to «have a glimpse» at the sound of their music, to open the small windows of what they are imagining or writing, but also to understand some things, which have to do with learning”[
