On its 2025 edition, Ciclo will be a space for learning and creating a collective artistic project with guidance. Ciclo becomes, therefore, a temporary autonomous zone, an experimental space for encounters, conversation, collaboration, and joint artistic creation, based on the skills and interests of the participants and with artistic guidance.
The sessions will be held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online learning. The programme runs from November 2025 to March 2026 and is divided into three components: four training modules (Artistic Practice, Artistic Programming, Project Management, Technical); follow-up sessions with the artistic coordinator; and a residency for implementation and final presentation of the project at the Tremor Festival 2026.
Ciclo is supervised and artistically coordinated by curator, researcher and film director Raquel Castro. The training courses will be facilitated by António Pedro Lopes (Artistic Programming), Márcio Laranjeira (Project Management), Diogo Medeiros (Technical) and Henrique Fernandes (Artistic Practice), respectively.
O Ciclo is a partnership between Tremor Festival and Arquipélago - Centro de Artes Contemporâneas.
TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
Participants will be selected through an open call for applications, aimed at people over the age of 18 who live or work in the Azores. Applicants should have the following profile: musicians, artists, art students, promoters, curators, producers, light technicians, sound and video technicians, content creators, and professionals and amateurs in cultural and artistic practices. In the selection process, priority will be given to people with original ideas, a desire to develop cultural and artistic projects, or who are seeking training in the project’s areas of activity.
The open call will create a multidisciplinary working group that will undergo a process of training and artistic guidance, with the ultimate goal of creating and presenting an artistic project within the scope of the Tremor Festival. In this regard, participants must be available to attend all online and in-person sessions.
Participation in Ciclo is free of charge, but participants must ensure their own access to work and training spaces, as well as cover their own food expenses. During the implementation of the project at Tremor Festival, participants will receive executive production support from the team.
The selection of participants will be made by a jury composed of Ciclo’s Artistic Coordination and two members of the Artistic Direction of Tremor Festival. If necessary, the jury reserves the right to request additional information from the applicants.
CREATION AND FINAL PRESENTATION
The idea to be developed will focus on the following points:
Start from music and sound, and the intersection with other arts and cultural artistic expressions;
It may have different formats or durations: exhibition, installation, programme, single or ongoing performance;
It must be original, appropriate, feasible and realistic in terms of the human, technical and budgetary capacity of the project;
It must benefit from and be developed based on the training modules of Ciclo and the artistic support provided;
It must occupy a space on the island of São Miguel, to be determined.
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Moment #1: Meeting with artistic coordinator Raquel Castro
In person
14.11.25, 18:00 - 21:00, Ribeira Grande
15.11.25, 10:00 - 13:00, Ponta Delgada
First meeting with the Artistic Coordination team that will accompany the entire course of the Ciclo. At this first meeting, the objectives, methodologies and schedules will be presented, and the training and conceptualisation of the project to be implemented will begin.
Moment #2: Sonofabric – experimental lutherie workshop, by Henrique Fernandes
In person
15.11.25, 14:00 - 19:00, Ponta Delgada
16.11.25, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 18:00, Ponta Delgada
Based on the idea that sound is matter and that it is present in everything around us, this workshop offers a direct and practical exploration of the sound potential of various everyday materials and objects. Through attentive listening and using different resources—such as amplification and simple automation systems—participants are invited to experiment with ways of expanding the acoustic and sound possibilities of different materials, such as wood, metal, strings or water, with a view to creating unconventional musical instruments or sound objects.
Moment #3: Training in programming and artistic direction, by António Pedro Lopes
In person
22.11.25, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
23.11.25, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
It covers examples and tools for creating programming and curatorial concepts, planning presentations, seasons, developing identities, and attracting audiences. Sharing tools and processes for artistic direction and creation.
Moment #4: Artistic guidance and meeting with the artistic coordinator, Raquel Castro
Online
26.11.25, 18:00 - 21:00, Online
First interim meeting to develop the creation and implementation processes.
Moment #5: Artistic guidance and meeting with the artistic coordinator, Raquel Castro
Online
17.12.25, 18:00 - 21:00, Online
Second interim meeting to develop the creation and implementation processes.
Moment #6: Technical management training and implementation, by Diogo Medeiros
In person
20.12.25, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
21.12.25, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
The concepts of pre-production, production and technical post-production are defined, examples and tools are shared for creating work schedules, managing and hiring teams, liaising with suppliers, liaising with venues, festivals and programming spaces, as well as budget management.
Moment #7: Project management training, by Márcio Laranjeira
In person
10.01.26, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
11.01.26, 10:00 - 13:00 | 14:00 - 17:00, Ponta Delgada
How to manage a project? Which institutions and organisations on a local, regional, national and international level can help us to develop our ideas? Sharing tools for project management and creating applications. Relations with partners, creating proposals, negotiating and enhancing relationships; sharing models and practical examples.
Moment #8: Artistic guidance and meeting with the artistic coordinator, Raquel Castro
In person
17.01.26, 18:00 - 21:00, Ribeira Grande
Third interim meeting to develop the creation and implementation processes.
Moment #9: Artistic guidance and meeting with the artistic coordinator, Raquel Castro, for fulfilment during Tremor 2026
In person, during Tremor Festival 2026 (1 week)
16.03.26 - 23.03.26, time to be determined, Ribeira Grande
Period of implementation in the field of the project developed in training. This moment will be accompanied by the Artistic Coordination and the Festival Production team.
Moment #10: Presentation during Tremor Festival 2026
Date and time to be determined, Ribeira Grande
Debut and public presentation of the public presentation of the results of the training and creation process.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND ANNOUNCEMENT
Interested parties should register using the linked form. Registration is open from September the 9th to October the 9th, 2025, until 23:59 (GMT-1).
Any questions regarding Ciclo can be sent to info@tremor-pdl.com until October 3rd, 2025, at 18:00 (GMT-1), with the subject line “CICLO 2025”. Emails sent after this date and time will not be answered.
The results will be announced on October 22nd by email.
