Fernando Lopes-Graça’s importance to 20th-century Portuguese music cannot be overestimated. His study of native songs and traditions has been compared to that of Bartók, and the soulful melodies of the Três canções corais are an early example of his highly effective integration of folk style into rigorous historically established forms. From the reverence and purity of the Christmas Cantata songs to the harmonic density of the Três líricas castelhanas de Camões, the powerful and often deeply moving combination of Lopes-Graça’s use of classical structure alongside his country’s musical heritage finds its zenith in his writing for voices.

Paul Hiller’s close to 200 recordings, including seven solo song recitals, have earned worldwide acclaim and won numerous prizes – Diapason d’or, Grammys and Danish Radio P2 Prizes. Several have been Editor’s Choice in leading international music magazines, and they have been chosen as reference recordings in music anthologies. His books about Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich, together with numerous anthologies of choral music, are published by Oxford University Press.

Coro Casa da Música has performed several world premieres, including works by Francesco Filidei, Michael Gordon, Gregory Rose, Manuel Hidalgo, Carlos Caires and a rediscovered work by Lopes-Graça. Its repertoire includes Portuguese premieres of prominent contemporary composers such as Birtwistle, Manoury, Dillon, Haas and Rihm, as well as other key figures from the 20th and 21st centuries, including Lachenmann, Schoenberg, Stockhausen, Gubaidulina, Ligeti, Distler, Kagel and Cage.