Cultural Association Miso Music Portugal

The Cultural Association Miso Music Portugal was created in 2013 as an extension of the Miso Ensemble, with the aim to develop and promote contemporary music creation in Portugal and the world over. It was founded by Paula and Miguel Azguime, composers, performers and multimedia artists, who, since the foundation of the Miso Ensemble in 1985, have been developing their tireless work in the field of new music, contributing in an active way for the expansion of contemporary art.

Miso Music Portugal's philosophy is reflected in its name: MISO is a traditional ingredient in Japanese cuisine obtained by a millenary fermentation process of grains, soy beans and salt, which conveys an ideal of personal and collective life. MISO produced according to traditional processes means slow fermentation, which is materialised as a symbol of perseverance, continuous maturing and search for balance. These initiatives stimulate the audiences' curiosity for sound and music phenomena, and include the production and realisation of promotional actions, editions, pedagogical activities, activities stimulating creation, as well as connected with the diffusion and valorisation of the Portuguese music patrimony, both at the national and international level.

Among its various activities the Association realises concerts, conferences, workshops and radio programmes, commissions of new works to Portuguese composers and pedagogical activities aimed at children and adults. Within the Miso Music Portugal's structure and activities, it is also worth mentioning the independent CD label Miso Records, the residency programme for composers at the Lab for Electroacoustic Creation as well as the projects devoted to music research and new technologies, such as the Miso Studio or the Loudspeaker Orchestra.