Portugal has the largest collection of medieval and baroque pipe organs in europe!

This summer I’m focusing on examining, listening to, and in some cases receiving permissions for qualified trip participants to play these world-famous pipe organs in the cathedrals of Lisbon, Porto, Fátima, and other cities we will visit during our 12-day Performing Arts Review Travel tour of Portugal Thursday, June 13 to Monday, June 24, 2024. We will enjoy day trips to some of western Europe’s most important Knights Templar castles, visit the inspiring pilgrimage shrine and cathedral at Fátima, and spend a day cruising wine country outside Porto along the River Douro. Days of exploration - the famous cathedrals, pipe organs, museums and castles, the restaurants, wineries. Most importantly, the Fado clubs and festivals in Lisbon, Porto, and other cities we will visit. It’s Festival Month in Portugal!

Mark your calendars: Thursday, June 13 to Monday, June 24, 2024 for a 12-day tour of Portugal. I have scheduled visits to see, hear, and with permissions, play Medieval and Baroque pipe organs in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and other cities we will visit in Portugal, which hosts the largest collection of historic pipe organs in Europe. Fátima, one of Europe’s most treasured pilgrimage sites, enjoys an enormous pipe organ, the largest in Europe. We might get permission for a few minutes up close and fingerful with this massive instrument. During Festival Month I will lead the charge to sample home-cooked Portuguese cuisine available from family food booths in every neighborhood of Lisbon, during the city’s weekend-long Sardine Festival.

We’ll find plenty of festivity in Porto as well, during our visit to that enchanting and historic city. I will host a tasting of the country’s many unique wine varietals during our Douro River Valley cruise, an unforgettable part of our stay in the ancient capital and region. In addition to exploring the city’s architectural wonders, many cathedrals and Baroque organs, we will sample the port wines which identify the region and have contributed to Portugal’s wealth, empire, and fame around the world over several centuries. Our 12-day stay in Portugal will also feature visits to Crusader castles, royal palaces, world famous parks and gardens, and a host of fascinating museums. We will sample Portugal’s traditional and contemporary music, art, literature and cuisine, to gain a better understanding of this gentle nation, and its welcoming people.

With its rich history of Roman and Moorish occupation, Crusaders, kingdoms, world exploration, and empire-ending catastrophes, Portugal is unique in Europe; a perfectly preserved cultural and architectural time capsule, history in tact, since before the Roman Empire.

Hotels are booking quickly even now, for Festival Month 2024. 14 is the number of participants I can accommodate for this 12-day music, culture, food, wine, and fun tour of the friendliest country in Europe. Deadline to pay in full and join this trip is FRIDAY 22 March 2024. Make your deposit now to secure your place!

Contact Daniel Kepl to pay by check or international money order

MUSIC, culture, food, wine & fun tour of portugal during festival month 13-24 June, 2024

Performing arts critic and conductor Daniel Kepl cordially invites musicians - organists in particular - music, theater, and dance enthusiasts, history buffs, and the culture/cuisine/wine curious from around the world, to join him for a once in a lifetime Performing Arts Review Travel tour of Portugal 13-24 June 2024.