Celebrating Guilhermina Suggia: Her Career, Legacy, and Montagnana Cello

Concert


Wednesday, 27th March 2024, 12pm-1pm

Join us for a captivating session honoring the life, career, and enduring legacy of Guilhermina Suggia, one of the most esteemed cellists of the 20th century. Through a blend of insightful presentations and mesmerizing performances, we will delve into the remarkable journey of this iconic musician and explore the significance of her cherished Montagnana cello, currently housed at the Porto Museum.

 Fatima Pombo, a distinguished expert on Suggia’s life and contributions to music, will illuminate key aspects of Suggia’s illustrious career, highlighting her unparalleled talent, international acclaim, and profound impact on classical music. Delving into the historical context and personal anecdotes, Pombo will provide a comprehensive overview of Suggia’s lasting influence.

Furthermore, we will have the privilege of hearing from Ana Clara Silva, involved in museological management projects at the Municipal Museums, who will offer unique insights into Suggia’s Montagnana cello. Discover the rich history and craftsmanship behind this extraordinary instrument, which served as Suggia’s faithful companion throughout her illustrious career.

To conclude this unforgettable session, acclaimed cellist Filipe Quaresma will grace us with his virtuoso performance, presenting selected movements from the timeless Bach cello suites recorded with Suggia’s beloved Montagnana cello. Experience the exquisite beauty and emotive power of Suggia’s instrument as Quaresma pays homage to her enduring legacy through music.

This session promises to be a poignant tribute to Guilhermina Suggia, celebrating her artistry, passion, and enduring impact on the world of classical music. Join us as we honor a true musical luminary and her cherished Montagnana cello.

Montagnana Cello

Spruce wood (?); metal

Italy, Venice, 18th century, c.1720-40

Domenico Montagnana

Nº Inv.:MC.NGS.0001

Property of the Porto City Council

Bios

Filipe Quaresma, Cello

Filipe Quaresma is “… one of the most interesting Portuguese musicians of today” (Jornal Público) and has a “…. precise and superbly articulated way of playing, full of passion and often quite contemplative …” (The Strad Magazine).

Filipe Quaresma principal cello of the Baroque Orchestra of Casa da Música (CdM) and the Darcos Ensemble, principal-guest cello of the Remix Ensemble CdM and the Sond’Ar-te Electric Ensemble, and cell of the Orchester Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

A regular recital, chamber and orchestra musician, Quaresma appears in the major halls and festivals in Portugal and across Europe and United States. 

Quaresma studied with David Strange and Mats Lidström at the Royal Academy of Music and with Natalia Gutman at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Italy).

Holder of the prestigious ARAM title (Associate Royal Academy of Music), Filipe has also won several prestigious national and international awards and grants. Since his debut, at the age of 16, Filipe has played solo with several national and international orchestras. He premiered the “Concerto for Cello and Orchestra”, dedicated to him, by Luís Tinoco, with Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa and Pedro Neves, as well as the cello concerto “Circumnavegare” by António Chagas Rosa with Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa and Pedro Amaral . His vast discography includes “Música Portuguesa para Cello Solo”, “Sonatas para Cello e Piano” (Artway Records 2017) and “Beethoven Cello Sonatas & Variations” (Artway Records 2021). At the end of 2022, “Suites para cello solo de Bach” (Next 2022) will be released, recorded with the Montagnana cello “Suggia”, kindly provided by CM Porto. 

 

Ana Clara Silva, Museologist

Museologist, post-graduate in Museology from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (1996-97), and holds a degree in Art History from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (1990). She pursued a teaching career from 1994 to 1997.

She began her career at the Porto City Council in 1990, focusing on specific roles in collection management – inventory, collection studies, exhibition production, and promotion. From 2008 to 2017, she served as the coordinator of the Guerra Junqueiro House Museum, undertaking responsibilities in collection management, cultural programming, exhibition production, and intercultural project development. Since 2018, she has been involved in museological management projects at the Municipal Museums, particularly managing the Guilhermina Suggia collection.

 

Fátima Pombo, Designer

Fátima Pombo is professor of Design, coordinator of the Oikos-Design for Ecosystemic Spaces research group and director of the Master in Product Design and Engineering at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She was a visiting professor at the University of Leuven, Belgium, at the Architecture department for almost a decade until 2016. Engaging in international research projects and conferences, she is a sought-after expert, participating in academic activities and serving, among others, as a design jury member for the iF Design Award in Germany. Her research appears in scientific publications, including Springer, Routledge, Idea Journal, the Journal of Interior Design, Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, and Architectoni.ca. Fátima Pombo, an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation postdoctoral fellow, conducted research at the University of Munich. At the University of Heidelberg developed research for her doctorate from 1993 to 1995. Beyond academia, she studied music at Conservatório de Música do Porto, plays cello and perceives music as the heartbeat of the world. She is the author of two biographies about Guilhermina Suggia among other texts about the Portuguese cellist.