Provisional Detailed Program

Take a look at our detailed programme by clicking the button bellow. Please note that the program is subject to minor changes. Last version March 4th, 2020

About the Conference

The ESTA Portugal Branch is delighted to be hosting the 48th International ESTA Conference from April 16th to 20th 2020, at the Superior School of Music and Performing Arts, Porto, Portugal. 

Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production. It is the second largest city in the country, where history meets modernity with a good infrastructure and a diverse cultural life that portrays the dynamism of the city. It was the city of the highly acclaimed early 20th century cellist Guilhermina Suggia, and has many music schools covering all levels and idioms. The centennial Conservatory created, in 1947, the city’s first Symphony Orchestra which has grown into the current Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto housed at the internationally renowned Casa da Musica foundation.

The conference theme is “Bridges between research and practice“. This theme is closely related to the recent changes in Portuguese music education. The implementation of new policies allowed for the creation of new schools and instrumental courses for an increasing number of pupils. At the same time there has been a generative approach from the Universities that now offer several Masters and Doctorate programs where aspiring and established teachers can develop their pedagogical and didactic skills. 

Although the aforementioned growth has been remarkable, we find that our colleagues are constantly searching for new approaches and knowledge that has scientific support to help their everyday practice. Therefore, our aim for this conference is to enrich the perspectives on both sides as well as filling possible gaps that still exist in research and practice. For this reason, we would like to appeal to the teachers, students and researchers of the ESTA family and provide the best conditions possible to join forces with us to create, develop and disseminate our collective knowledge and experience about string teaching. 

This 5 days event will host lectures, masterclasses, paper presentations, performances, workshops and round table discussions from around Europe. There will be a balance of practical and theoretical presentations spread across the duration of the conference.