FISA founder Hélio Soares highlights the importance of musical education, international collaboration, and creating opportunities for young Azorean musicians.

The third edition of the Azores International Saxophone Festival (FISA) is bringing internationally renowned musicians to São Miguel, offering audiences three distinctive concerts while creating opportunities for artistic development, musical education, and cultural exchange.

Organized with the involvement of the Filarmónica Nossa Senhora das Neves, the festival brings together acclaimed soloists, conductors, and ensembles to explore the versatility of the saxophone across different musical traditions.

In an interview with Correio dos Açores, festival founder Hélio Soares emphasized that organizing an international musical event in an island region presents considerable challenges but also demonstrates the Azores’ capacity to develop ambitious cultural initiatives.

“Organizing FISA III is both an enormous responsibility and a source of great pride,” Soares said. “It means bringing nationally and internationally recognized musicians to the Azores, creating learning opportunities for our young people, and demonstrating that even in an island territory, it is possible to develop a specialized, ambitious, and artistically relevant festival.”

He also emphasized the festival’s contribution to recognizing the work of the Filarmónica Nossa Senhora das Neves and establishing the Azores as a meeting place for musical creativity and collaboration.

The festival features three concerts, each highlighting a different dimension of the saxophone’s expressive possibilities.

The opening performance brings together the Filarmónica Nossa Senhora das Neves and internationally recognized saxophonist Paweł Gusnar, emphasizing the relationship between a solo instrumentalist and a traditional wind band.

The second concert features the Azores Military Band under guest conductor Luciano Pereira, accompanied by several soloists. Its technically demanding program explores the instrument’s symphonic and contemporary repertoire.

The closing concert, performed by the BROS Quartet, presents the saxophone in a chamber music setting, with four internationally experienced musicians demonstrating the tonal richness and expressive possibilities of a saxophone quartet.

The performances take place in São Miguel, including concerts at the Ponta Delgada Regional Conservatory and the Church of Relva.

According to Soares, the festival’s educational significance extends beyond the performances themselves.

Rehearsals, collaborative preparation, and direct contact with visiting musicians allow participants to encounter different approaches to interpretation, musical technique, and artistic discipline.

“Working with guest soloists, teachers, and conductors requires us to listen differently, adapt our working methods, and raise our standards,” he explained.

For younger musicians, these experiences can be particularly valuable, demonstrating that studying an instrument may lead to international opportunities and broader professional careers.

Soares believes the saxophone deserves greater recognition because of its versatility across classical music, jazz, contemporary composition, wind bands, and numerous other musical genres.

Despite its importance, he noted, the instrument does not always receive the same prominence as others.

“An international festival makes it possible to bring together different schools, cultures, and ways of playing, creating a unique opportunity for learning and exchange,” he stated.

The festival also builds upon the Azores’ longstanding tradition of community wind bands, which have played a fundamental role in musical education and cultural life across the archipelago.

For generations, these institutions have introduced young people to music, provided opportunities for public performance, and helped sustain the cultural identities of individual communities.

Soares sees FISA as a natural extension of that tradition, connecting established musical practices with innovation and international artistic exchange.

However, organizing an international festival in the Azores involves significant logistical and financial difficulties.

Travel arrangements, accommodation, transportation of instruments and equipment, scheduling, venue selection, and coordination with numerous institutions require months of preparation.

Soares credited the dedication of organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and institutional partners for making the festival possible.

He acknowledged that unexpected difficulties inevitably arise, but emphasized that the opportunity to bring musicians and audiences together makes the effort worthwhile.

Beyond the festival itself, Soares offered a broader assessment of the musical landscape in the Azores.

He described the archipelago as a region with a rich musical tradition supported by wind bands, conservatories, music schools, and independent artistic projects.

There is no shortage of talent, he argued, but there are structural challenges that can prevent musicians from fully developing their abilities.

Geographical isolation, limited access to specialized instruction, difficulties traveling between islands and mainland Portugal, and the challenge of sustaining cultural projects all affect the region’s musical development.

Soares believes stronger cooperation between institutions and additional professional opportunities are necessary to ensure that talented musicians can develop their careers without necessarily leaving the islands permanently.

“The potential exists,” he said. “The great challenge is to guarantee the conditions that allow that talent to grow, remain in the Azores, and receive the recognition it deserves.”

Asked whether the region faces a shortage of musicians, Soares distinguished between a general lack of talent and shortages in particular instrumental specialties.

Some ensembles struggle to recruit musicians capable of performing demanding repertoire, especially when specialized instruments or advanced technical preparation are required.

The situation is complicated by the departure of young Azoreans who pursue advanced musical studies elsewhere and do not always return.

Among the instruments that can be difficult to find in certain ensembles, he identified the oboe, bassoon, French horn, tuba, and double bass.

He also noted the need for percussionists with comprehensive musical training.

These shortages, he explained, are often associated with the higher initial cost of certain instruments, limited availability of specialized teachers, and insufficient opportunities for students to become familiar with less common instruments.

Rather than describing these instruments as obsolete, Soares argued that they require greater visibility and sustained educational investment.

He advocated introducing children to a wider variety of instruments at an early age and creating opportunities for students to experiment before making their musical choices.

“We need to motivate young people, support music schools, and create prospects that allow them to imagine a future connected to music,” he emphasized.

For Soares, festivals such as FISA can help address some of these challenges by exposing students to international performers, expanding their musical horizons, and encouraging higher standards of artistic achievement.

He hopes the festival will become a permanent feature of the Azorean cultural calendar, maintaining its emphasis on artistic quality, education, and close interaction between visiting musicians, local participants, and audiences.

Future editions, he said, should develop gradually and sustainably, building upon the experience gained through each festival.

The long-term objective is to strengthen connections between Azorean musicians and their counterparts in mainland Portugal and internationally, while contributing to the development of the region’s musical institutions.

For Soares, the festival represents more than a series of concerts. It is an investment in the future of music in the Azores and in the generations of young musicians who may one day carry the region’s artistic traditions onto international stages.

Source: Correio dos Açores. Based on an interview with Hélio Soares, founder of the Azores International Saxophone Festival. Adapted into English for Novidades. The photo is also from Correio dos Açores.