The association Gira Sol Azul inaugurates next Sunday, September 13, its new workspace on Rua Direita, in Viseu. The opening will be informal, starting at 3:00 PM, and throughout the afternoon will host short concerts in a program that brings together musicians from the association's different projects, partners, artists and neighbors. The lease was supported by the FICCA program, from the Municipality of Viseu, aimed at cultural projects based in the historic center of the city.
The opening of the new space comes in the context of the 20 years of activity of Gira Sol Azul, which has been working from Viseu since 2006 in creation, production and artistic programming, crossing music, artistic education and community intervention. Over these two decades, the association has developed activities ranging from creation to programming, from training to discographic publishing, with projects such as the Colectivo Gira Sol Azul, which already integrates three generations of performers, and A Voz do Rock, which since 2014 have brought together octogenarian musicians around rock classics.
In the area of programming, Gira Sol Azul is responsible for Que Jazz É Este? / Viseu Jazz Festival, which since 2012 has brought to the city concerts, training and meetings linked to jazz and improvised music. In the context of this festival, the Gira Big Band was born in 2017, under the direction of João Martins. In 2015, the association also created GiraDiscos, an independent record label with ten albums in its catalog.
The 20th anniversary celebrations continue throughout the academic year with a program that includes performances by the Colectivo Gira Sol Azul at Pousada de Viseu and at Festival Trip, a tribute by the Gira Big Band to Vera Lúcia at Praça da República, Tatabitato workshops at the Municipal Library of Pampilhosa da Serra and Gira Bombos at Caos ao Largo. In autumn, they continue with an Autumn Cycle of Que Jazz É Este?, supported by the Municipality of Viseu and the Directorate-General for the Arts, which will take place in the villages of Silgueiros de Bodiosa and Várzea de Calde.
