Concerts · Sound rituals · For the Earth
Music, returned to the forest.
A small season of acoustic gatherings devoted to the living world — cello among oaks, hand-pan at dawn, voices around the hearth. The instruments are tuned to the place; the audience, to listening.
How we gather
Four small vows.
Every concert at Montestal is shaped by the same quiet promises — to the place, the players, and the listeners.
Acoustic only
No amplification, no electricity. Instruments meet the air the way the wind and birds do. On select evenings, the silence is broken gently by vinyl listening sessions — DJs and travelers sharing records and music gathered from around the world, played on warm analogue rigs beneath the stars.
Outdoors first
Concerts happen in the grove, garden, or by the river — the landscape is the second instrument.
Small circles
Never more than fifty. Often far fewer. Listening is an intimate act.
Devotion, not performance
Each gathering opens and closes with silence. Music is offered to the living world, and we are guests.
The season ahead
A handful of evenings.
Dates shift with the weather and the moon. Write to reserve a seat — places are held by hand, not by cart.
May 11
Forest Concert
Cello Among the Oaks
A solo cello vespers in the upper grove. We walk in at dusk, sit on wool, and let the trees listen with us.
Inês Marques · cello · 30 listeners
June 1
Sound Ritual
Hand-pan & Bird Vigil
Beginning before sunrise — hand-pan, soft bells, and the dawn chorus of the valley as our orchestra.
Tomás Ferreira · hand-pan · 20 listeners
June 21
Solstice Gathering
Songs for the Long Light
An evening of polyphonic Iberian song around the garden hearth, sung facing the setting solstice sun.
Cantadeiras do Côa · voice · 50 listeners
July 14
Listening Walk
The River's Score
A guided silent walk to the river, followed by a small acoustic set on the bank — water, reeds, strings.
Field ensemble · strings & flute · 18 listeners
Bring your own music
Are you a player of quiet instruments?
If you compose for, or play in conversation with, the living world — we'd love to hear from you. Each season we host one or two visiting musicians at Montestal.