MUSIC

Barrocal Sound Brings World-Class Musicians and Earthy Tunes to Portugal’s Alentejo

This June, a 2-day intimate festival at São Lourenço do Barrocal, a 200-year-old estate turned stunning hotel

By Amulya Hiremath on 04.12.22

At any given second, what do you hear? This invisible, always fleeting energy we call sound may well be truly older than atoms and even Earth itself. So it is no surprise that it also holds incredible power to move, shape, and awaken us.

At São Lourenço do Barrocal, a 200-year-old self-sustained estate and now a hotel in Portugal, nature expresses its innate creative abundance on every tree, rock, and birdsong — as model, actress, activist, and A Hotel Life contributor Lily Cole so beautifully describes in her review of the hotel.

And, come June, the property is set to unearth deeply hidden rhythms. Barrocal Sound is an intimate music festival fusing ancient sounds, the people who create them, and the magnificent scenery. With two days of music by six internationally renowned artists, the hotel will come alive and be the ground zero for all shades of Earth tones and tunes.

São Lourenço do Barrocal, the 200-year-old estate that once housed 50 families, lit up at night
São Lourenço do Barrocal, the 200-year-old estate that once housed 50 families, lit up at night
The ancient olive trees and spring time wild flowers, beg to be photographed, writes model, actress and activist Lily Cole in her review of São Lourenço do Barrocal
An old olive mill room was converted into this cool bar with quiet corners perfect for a drink

The line-up on day one includes electro-acoustic trio Islandman playing their intriguing mix of electronic music with Anatolian psychedelia and shamanic rhythms; one of Spain’s most extraordinary voices, Sílvia Pérez Cruz & Farsa Circus Band, presenting intimate versions of songs from their latest album as well as playing old favorites. Turkish DJ and producer Carlita will sweep the dance floor away with her sonic adventures at midnight. 

Anouar Brahem
Anouar Brahem
Carlita
Carlita

Joep Beving, the contemporary classical streaming legend, will play tunes from his latest work Hermetism, which explores finding the delicate balance between life and existence. Continuing to walk that elusive line, Anouar Brahem Quartet will bring forth Arabic and Islamic worlds, playing music rooted in highly sophisticated yet ancestral culture, evoking sensuality, nostalgia and contemplation, and anything else that seeks to surface in the audience. The festival will wrap in the soundscapes of Michael Mayer, renowned German DJ, producer, and mixer.

Electro-acoustic trio, Islandman. Here pictured as Kaybola collective
Electro-acoustic trio, Islandman. Here pictured as Kaybola collective
Joep Beving
Joep Beving

Barrocal Sound will bring the authenticity of small music festivals with two unique stages, the Barrocais, a granitic outcrop among the monumental natural landscapes of Alentejo, and Colmeal, a circular space with a history of beehives and traces of ancestry. There is an inevitable connection to nativity with music in open spaces, that not only resonates within humans but also holds power to unite them all as one community.

An intimate courtyard at São Lourenço do Barrocal
Each corner of the estate holds history, and at Barrocal Sound, you get to witness its ancestral music come alive
Acient bull ring turned amphitheatre at São Lourenço do Barrocal. Image by Lily Cole
Acient bull ring turned amphitheatre at São Lourenço do Barrocal. Image by Lily Cole
Tickets for Barrocal Sound on June 24th and 25th can be booked here.
Take a closer look at the stunning São Lourenço do Barrocal hotel here. and the coolest hotels in Portugal.
Share this Story

More Culture & Celebration

“Becoming Familiar” Is The Experience To See and Touch at Design Miami 2023

LA Based Raise the Moral Studio Sensory Art Objects Win Best Curio Presentation at Design Miami 2023

tell me more ›

Helping Hands for Morocco

How to support from afar those making a difference on the ground

tell me more ›

Ian Schrager & AHL Founder Ben Pundole Open 10th Annual L.E. Miami

The legendary hospitality impresario in conversation with his long time magic maker (and A Hotel Life founder) on the past, present and future of hotels

tell me more ›

Sunken Harbor Club Opens Its Vacation Station in Bermuda

Reimagined as a part of Cambridge Beaches’ centennial renewal, the Brooklyn favorite brings its signature cocktails to a side of island fare

tell me more ›
Back to Top