The Church of the Holy Spirit is one of the oldest and most emblematic religious buildings in the city of Ribeira Grande on São Miguel Island, Azores. It is a temple of great historical and architectural value, representing the importance that faith and religious culture have always had in this region.

Ana Maria Carvalho, Executive Producer of Quadrivium – Associação Artística, recalls in a text sent to newsrooms that the origins of the church date back to 1522, when Nuno Vaz and Maria Gonçalves donated a house for the construction of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. In 1592, the town’s first church and Misericórdia hospital were installed on the site. The current building dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and was later known as the Igreja do Senhor dos Passos (Church of the Lord of the Steps)

The façade of the church is considered one of the most original and decorative of the Baroque period in the Azores, with a combination of Manueline elements. Inside, there is a statue of Christ carrying the cross, used in the procession that takes place on the second Sunday of Lent. As an important stage for various traditional religious festivities, Quadrivium – Associação Artística, with the support of Ribeira Grande Town Hall and the Brotherhood of Senhor dos Passos, has contributed to enhancing the space with a concert season.

In 2025, Ana Maria Carvalho announces that the Concert Season at the Passos will have 5 dates and 5 concerts of different sizes and characteristics.

The premiere of the concert season will take place next Sunday, April 27, at 5pm and will feature Hugo Araújo, a trumpeter from the village of Povoação. Accompanying the soloist will be the Ponta Delgada Sinfonietta String Ensemble under the direction of Amâncio Cabral.

The program chosen is a perfect illustration of the baroque architecture of the Igreja do Espírito Santo. The brilliance of Baroque music finds one of its most striking expressions in the music of composers such as Giuseppe Torelli and Georg Philipp Telemann. Both contributed significantly to the development of the Baroque concerto, particularly in the use of the trumpet as a solo instrument, which highlighted its brilliant and majestic sound.

Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709) was one of the pioneers in creating the concerto grosso and the concerto for soloist, leaving an important legacy for the Baroque trumpet. His compositions, such as the Concerto in D Major for trumpet, strings and bass continuo, exemplify the clarity and grandeur of the solo instrument, highlighting its resplendent timbre in sophisticated dialogues with the orchestra. His music reflects the exuberance of the Italian Baroque, with ornate melodies and agile passages that demand great skill from the soloist. This concert exemplifies the evolution of the trumpet as a solo instrument in the Baroque period, highlighting the composer’s ability to combine instrumental virtuosity with expressive depth.

This is a production by Quadrivium – Associação Artística with the support of the Direcção Geral das Artes, Ribeira Grande Town Hall, and in collaboration with the Irmandade do Senhor dos Passos.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publications at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for their support.