solo performances
Sons de Resistência
"Sons de Resistência" (Sounds of Resistance) stands as one of the latest bold project from Luis Bittencourt, showcasing his ongoing commitment to pushing creative boundaries. In today's globalized, interconnected world, marked by diverse social issues and forms of oppression, practices of resistance emerge as vital threads of dissent, challenging the status quo and prevailing norms that govern societal life.
In this context, music and art serve as powerful tools to penetrate the depths of the human psyche, offering a sanctuary from oppression and fostering resilience. They possess the unique ability to transcend institutional barriers and conventional structures, prompting critical reflection and alternative interpretations.
Bittencourt's project embodies a call to resist the barriers that segregate people and cultures, to defy the oppression of identities, and to confront the injustices and complexities of the contemporary world through artistic expression. Whether crafting melodies with conventional instruments or repurposing everyday objects like wooden pallets or plastic bags, he demonstrates the transformative potential of art in challenging dominant aesthetic norms and blurring the lines between musical and non-musical sounds, noise, and other forms of creative expression.
Memórias Líquidas
Memórias Líquidas (Liquid Memories) is a mesmerising visual and sound performance that features water as a musical instrument. A precious element for human life, water becomes an object of artistic exploration by percussionist Luís Bittencourt, who seeks to unveil its true instrumental potential through an incredible variety gestures, performance techniques and sonic experimentations. Liquid Memories is a performance that aims to instigate curiosity, to provoke our understandings on musical instruments and music and, at the same time, to bring the public closer to environmental issues and bold contemporary music aesthetics, taking advantage of the great familiarity existing between human beings and water.
Instrumentality
"Instrumentality" presents a solo concert that delves into the concept of instrumentality, challenging conventional notions of musical instruments and exploring the inherent potential of everyday objects. Beyond mere functionality, this innovative performance introduces audiences to the concept of instrumentality, wherein the sonic capabilities of diverse materials are revealed.
Through a blend of inventive techniques, ordinary and unconventional objects are transformed into instruments, each with its own unique voice and expressive qualities. Across a diverse repertoire of musical works and compositional styles, audiences are treated to a symphony of sounds that showcase the inherent instrumentality of these materials. From the familiar to the unexpected, "Instrumentality" invites listeners on a captivating journey through the sonic possibilities of the world around us.
ensemble
N.O.F.P.
The New Futurist Orchestra of Porto (N.O.F.P.) was born around the celebrations of the centenary of the publication of “The art of noises” manifesto, and the first public concert of the intonarumori - the noise producing machines developed by Luigi Russolo. More than a tribute to the work of an author or an artistic movement, N.O.F.P. seeks to highlight the libertarian act of using all sounds in musical contexts. Its instrumentation includes a panoply of everyday objects such as kitchen utensils, toys, damaged mechanisms and modified electrical circuits, thus highlighting the importance of using unconventional sound sources for the constant rediscovery of new musical languages. (Text by Sonoscopia Associação)
Gamelan Ensemble Casa da Música
This ensemble is a project of Serviço Educativo da Casa da Música and it is dedicated to the Indonesian traditional percussion instruments. However, its repertoire focus in works by contemporary composers and collective experimentations and creations made by the ensemble, instead of traditional gamelan music.