Ocarina appeared at the end of the seventies in a typical neighborhood of Lisbon “Bairro Alto”as a store and traditional art gallery. Its first activity was to collect traditional crafts and traditional musical instruments from the North to the South of Portugal to expose and commercialize it in Lisbon.
In 1982, the scope of Ocarina was enlarged to other cultural activities: restaurant and concert house. For more than 4 years Ocarina presented concerts at, theatre plays, painting exhibitions, book and musical records releases, workshops, etc. Ocarina became a meeting point to the artists and intellectuals. Many of them participated for free in the cultural activities, as artists, actors or creators.
The last act of this project happened at the end of 1987.
Ten years later, November 1997, Ocarina appears with a new project linked to the music: touring and booking agency, music producer and record company.
As record company Ocarina released:
1999 “Sete Fados e alguns Cantos” de Helder Moutinho
2001 “Fado Maior” de Katia Guerreiro
2002 “Sol na Manssi” de Guto Pires
2003 “Terra de Abrigo” Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos, Alentejo Choirs, Cordoba Symphonic Orchester, Amina Alaoui, Esperanza Fernandez, Katia Guerreiro and other guests
2003 “Vivos e..ao vivo” José Barros e Navegante” (Double CD )
2003 “Lágrima Tola” Célia Barroca”
2003 “Nas mãos do fado” Katia Guerreiro
2004 “Por meu cante” António Zambujo”
2004 “Navegador do Futuro” Pedro Barroso
2005 “Luz de Lisboa” Helder Moutinho
2005 “Ilha do meu fado” Carla Pires
2005 “Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos Live at CCB” (DVD) Alentejo Choirs, Orquestra
Sinfonietta de Lisboa and guests
2006 “Fados do meu fado” Maria Amélia Proença”
2006 “Fados da tristeza alegre” Marco Rodrigues
2006 “Canto serena” Silvia Filipe
2006 “Regresso” Chico Madureira
2006 “Qu’é que tens a ver com isso?” Moçoilas
2006 “Mar eterno” José Barros
2006 “Entre a bruma e a saudade” Rosa Madeira
2007 “Fado de longe” Edu Miranda
2007 “Sulitânia” Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos”
2007 “Outro sentido” António Zambujo
2008 “Vozes de nós” CRAMOL
2008 “Mariária” Mariária
2008 “Fadário” António M. Morais – featuring Custódio Castelo, Fontes Rocha, Carlos Gonçalves, Joana Amendoeira, Luisa Rocha, Diamantina, Célia Leiria, Margarida Guerreiro
2009 “Outro sentido + 3 extra tracks” António Zambujo
2009 “Credo, cruzes canhoto” Toque de Caixa
2011 “Demudado em tudo” Quatro ao Sul
2011 “Promessas absolutas” Fanfarra Alfares
2011 “Rota das paixões” Carla Pires
2011 “Sou assim” Rita Gordo
2013 “Onde Sonho” Alexandros Nathanail – featuring Ana Sofia Varela, Carla Pires, Gisela João, Helder Moutinho, Joana Amendoeira, Maria Ana Bobone
2014 “Tierra Alantre” Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa, Coro do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and guests.
2015 “ Retratos Cinéticos” Orblua
2015 “Sarilho” Pé na Terra
2016 “Aqui” Carla Pires
2020 “Cartografado” – Carla Pires
2020 “Anfiguri” – Anfiguri
2022 “Do ser imersivo” – André Santos
2023 “Guitarras encantadas” – F.Deghi//R. Fonseca/José Barros
As music producer and booking agency specialized in World Music, Ocarina represents prestigious and gifted traditional and contemporary artists and bands from all over the world.
The last years Ocarina toured, among others, the following artists: Carlinhos Brown, Chico César, Gafieira Dance Brazil, Jorge Benjor, Olodum, Ceumar, Cabruera, Mestre Ambrósio (Brazil) | Cliff Korman, Taj Mahal (USA) | Estudantina Invasora, Sierra Maestra, Omar Sosa (Cuba) | Maria del Mar Bonet, Radio Tarifa, Vicente Amigo, Hevia, Chouteira, Ardentia, Cempés, La Musgaña, Esperanza Fernandez, El Bicho, Lham de Foc, Triquel, Xarnege, Compañia Flamenca Alhama, (Spain) | Lo Cór de la Plana(France) | A Cumpagnia (Corsica) – Bulgarian Voices « Angelite », Ivo Papasov, Quartet Slavey (Bulgaria) | Cheika Rimitti, Houria Aichi, Abdelli, Hasna el Becharia (Algeria) | Nass Marrakech, B’Net Marrakech, Majid Bekkas (Morocco) | Ayoub Ougada (Kenia) – Mostar Svedah Reunion (Bosnia) | Fanfare Ciocarlia (Romania) | Esma Redzepova (Macedonia) | Romano Drom, Kalman Ballog (Hungry | Polkaholix, Di Grine Kuzine (Germany) | Dervish, Nomos, Tèada (Ireland | Assurd (Italy) | MacUmba (Scotland) | Warsaw Village Band (Poland) | Darko Rundek (Croatia).
Ocarina works in cooperation with Festivals, Associations, Touring and Booking Agencies and other cultural agents in several countries.
Also specialized in fado and in new traditional music, Ocarina, throughout its activity, has contributed to the promotion of Portuguese music and culture all over the world, through the participation in concerts and tours with groups and artists such as:
Brigada Victor Jara, Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos, Gaiteiros de Lisboa, Realejo, Toque de Caixa, Moçoilas, Zeca Medeiros, Guto Pires, Katia Guerreiro, Mafalda Arnauth, Helder Moutinho, Maria Amélia Proença, Carla Pires, António Zambujo, Marco Rodrigues. With these and other Portuguese artists and groups we also toured in Portugal.
PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS: Festival de L’Ile de France, Flanders International Festival, Cactus Festival (Belgium) | TFF Rudolstadt 98, Festival Women in (E)motion, Perlberg Festival, Bielefeld, Nuremberg (Germany) | Voices Festival (Austria) | Feria de Teatro Ciudad Rodrigo, Murcia Festival, Festival de Fado- Fundación Rey Afonso Henriques, Strictly Mundial Zaragoza, La Mar de Músicas, Bidassoa Folk Festival, Calles de Fado-Tenerife (Spain) |, Tilburg Festival (Netherlands); Festival de l’Île Tatihou, Festival Convivencia, Les Nuits d’Été d’Aix, Festival Côté Cour, Les Voix de l’âme, Mozaique, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Les Suds à Arles, Strictly Mondial Marseilles, Festival Vox Music , Festival des Musiques de l’Âme, Jeudis Musicaux des Eglises Romanes, Jeudis Musicaux des Églises Romanes, Festival U Settembrinu di Tavagna-Corsica, Festival Parfums de Musique, Festival d’Ambronay, Babel Med Music-Marseilles (France) | Festival des Musiques Sacrées-Fez (Morocco ) | Tonsberg Festival, Ulsteinvik Fado Festivalen (Norway) | Atlantic Waves, Llangollen (UK) | Festival Sete Sóis Sete Luas (Portugal, Italy, Spain and France) | Eskisehier Festival, Womist Festival – Istanbul (Turkey) | International Guitar Festival – Fribourg, Festival ‘Fadus’-Geneva (Switzerland).
PARTICIPATION IN PORTUGUESE FESTIVALS: Multimusicas(Lisbon 98/99/2000) coproducer, Festival “Viva a Rua”-Évora, Festival de Músicas do Mundo de Sines, Festa do Fado –Lisboa, Festa do Avante, Festival Internacional Casa de Mateus, Festival Raizes do Atlântico-Funchal, Festival Sons do Atlântico-Lagoa, Festival Maré de Agosto (Santa Maria-Azores), Festival do Ramo Grande (Praia da Vitória-Açores), Festival Islâmico de Mértola, Festival “Sons em Trânsito”, Festival Rotas & Rituais, Festival Albuhera, Festival de Música Tradicional de Macedo de Cavaleiros, Festival Interceltico, Festival de Música Tradicional e Celta da Batalha, Festival Med – Loulé, Festival Bons Sons(Cem Soldos-Tomar), Festival Caixa Alfama.MAIN TOURS: Mafalda Arnauth (Germany 1998/99/2000) | Katia Guerreiro (France, Greece, UK, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, New Caledonia, Japan 2003 and 2004) | Antonio Zambujo (France, Spain, Holland, Scandinavia) | Carla Pires (France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Brazil and Japan)