PORTO 2023 RECAP
THE PORTO 2023 EXPERIENCE
Our inaugural Musical Sojourn in Porto, Portugal in 2023 was pure magic—a happy pilgrimage of music lovers and world-class musicians gathered in the historic coastal city sharing six days of collaboration, communion, and delight.
We experienced amazing music in unique venues, including historic buildings and national monuments, a sunset boat cruise down the Douro River, a hot jazz club, and other memorable locations. Hotel Mouco served as our event headquarters—a playground for music aficionados with multiple planned and impromptu performances throughout the week.
These cross-cultural experiences we create and curate with our Porto friends are designed to build and reward community, with a shared sense of joy and discovery that will resonate for years. It all culminated in an epic improvised super jam with a stage packed with American and Portuguese artists, all lost in the rhythms and delight of the universal language.
2023 ARTISTS
MICHAEL WEINTROB
2023 SPECIAL GUESTS
2023 VENUES
Hotel Mouco - Porto HQ
Our home base for the week was the beautiful Hotel Mouco. The hotel plus venue caters to musicians and lovers of music and is described as “a cultural space that is a hotel, a refuge that is a performance venue, a bar that is a music library, and a restaurant that is a gallery. In the various different corners, there is harmony, melody and rhythm, all in the right doses.” Our partners at Mouco understand and are committed to a world where music is the Universal language and their level of respect and admiration for music and musicians is unparalleled. The inclusion of the onsite Musicians Health Clinic is a perfect example of the extraordinary care and devotion they have to music and the people who make and perform it.
Douro River Sunset Cruise Boat
We took a boat trip along the famed Douro River with a live band on the deck! This was by far one of the most memorable ways to experience Porto’s six bridges and we took it up a notch with a full on dance party as we took in the magical sites of the Douro Valley.
Palácio da Bolsa - Arabian Room
The Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) is one of Porto’s most historic monuments. Built in the 19th century by the city’s Commercial Association. This neoclassical beauty was once the seat of the city’s stock exchange. The highlight of the Palace is the Arabian Room, built between 1862 and 1880 and decorated in the exotic Moorish Revival style, fashionable in the 19th century, This room is used as a reception hall for personalities and heads of state visiting Porto. We were honored to be able to present a concert in this special room.
Hot Five Jazz Club
This club is one of the hottest spots in Porto to listen to live music. It’s a shrine to jazz and blues but also boasts funk, soul and Portuguese music. Great sound, great sight lines and a great place for our musicians to stretch out and exercise their jazz and funk chops.
Ateneu Comercial do Porto
The Ateneu Comercial do Porto (Association of Culture, Instruction and Recreation), was founded in 1869. In addition to opening its doors to the citizens of Porto, it has welcomed great national and international figures in performing arts, politics and science. Its atmosphere and rich history made it an ideal and unique place to enjoy a musical performance on our sojourn.