Years after writing about my ten favorite concerts, I experienced one that surpassed them all.
In October 2023, we attended a musical program in Porto Portugal. “Musical Sojourns” is an intimate musical experience with a small number of attendees following twenty musicians from the jamband world playing in various combinations and various styles in venues across the city. Each performance is unique with the musicians playing and improvising outside of their regular groups. It also features performances by a curated selection of local artists.
The Friday night program was at the Igreja do Carmo which I can only describe as the most ornate building that I have ever been in. Text descriptions do not do it justice, so here are a few pictures:
The front of the church:
Here are some views along the sides of the church:
As you can see in the first picture, the church is long and narrow. There were two columns of benches each of which sat perhaps 3 people. Like most old churches, acoustics played a big role in its design. These churches were meant to inspire awe and that included making the priest sound like the voice of God.
As they announced that the program was about to begin, we found our seats (Melissa and I were near the front) and turned our attention to the altar where we assumed the show was about to start. Suddenly, voices rang out from behind us. An all-woman a cappella group, Sopa de Pedra, entered the chapel singing a traditional Portuguese folk song. As they walked up the sides of the church, the sound filled the room. They may have only been five women but they might have been five hundred. I have never felt so immersed in sound. The hair in the back of my neck stood up at attention. It still does just thinking about it. The experience was transcendent, almost a religious awakening. It was unexpected, almost overwhelming, and a place designed to inspire awe. And that is just what it did.