Other Lands Other Sounds 2026
July 31 - August 11
Court of Cavalum · Northern Portugal
An Intensive Residential Course for Collaborative Cross-Arts Practice
Our iconic programme returns in 2026 to a brand new home in Northern Portugal: the Court of Cavalum, an enchanting 18th-century mansion.
Join us for a riotously fun, cross-arts journey that brings together visual artists, musicians, and performers for twelve days of collaborative creation. Working across disciplines, participants co-create new works—performance, installation, sound, movement—culminating in a promenade performance through the halls and rooms of this extraordinary historic space.
Application deadlines: March 20th, April 17th, May 22nd, June 19th
a programme for creative people who want to
make art differently
Other Lands Other Sounds is for musicians and artists of all stripes—professional and non-professional, students and self-taught—who are ready to step outside their comfort zones and experiment with collaboration across genre and practice.
Led by facilitators trained in the art of collaboration, together we explore questions such as:
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How do musicians write music together?
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How might a painter respond to sound?
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What happens when a violinist takes inspiration from the working methods of a sculptor?
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Where do improvisation practices in movement, music, and image overlap?
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And… what might happen if we let go of outcomes and follow our curiosity?
At its heart, OLOS is about responding creatively to the people, the place, and the present —bringing context, curiosity, and conversation into dialogue, enabling new ideas and forms to emerge.
Our Call for Artists
We are looking to select 16 artists working in the fields of music, visual arts, dance, theatre, performance, and live art, to form a cross-disciplinary ensemble.
With appreciation of the arbitrary nature of categories, and the fact that many artists have multi-disciplinary practices, we will aim to shape the balance of the ensemble according to the following ratio:
9 musicians, 5 visual artists, 1 movement artist, 1 performance maker
Is this a Residency or a Course?
Other Lands Other Sounds was born from a group of friends gathering in a small village in Portugal to make art together. Over time, we discovered that a little facilitation goes a long way. Through many iterations, OLOS has become a carefully curated programme that supports artists to step outside familiar patterns, take risks, experiment boldly, and—most importantly—be inspired by one another.
The key is collaboration. We work intentionally on building ensemble: creating trust, generosity, and shared responsibility so that each participant can go further than they might alone. We also work quickly. The aim isn’t perfection—it’s generation. Try things out. Reflect. Iterate. Let ideas evolve through doing.
OLOS can therefore feel a bit like a residency, but - due to the extra support and strong emphasis on ensemble - it is really more like a course. OLOS is not designed for existing solo projects or bringing finished work. Everything we make will be new, created in response to the group and the space. Each participant will be supported in expanding their creative practice and navigating the collaborative process.
GET RID OF THE BOXES
create unique artistic works that integrate art forms, challenge yourself to learn from difference
STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
this is a space in which to take artistic risks and create from a place of play and inquiry
CO-CREATE & CO-LLABORATE
you're not alone here! become part of an ensemble, learn from and with each other, dive into group creative processes
RECONNECT WITH YOUR WHY
we play a lot, we work quickly, we foster a supportive group dynamic - so that you leave inspired, awakened, & re-connected to why you make art in the first place
Course Objectives:
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Develop music composition skills and expand creative thinking through improvisation
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Learn creative methods and techniques to grow artistic practice and generate new bodies of work
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Strengthen collaborative skills through joint creative tasks, curation, and performance
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Engage in discussion and analysis of projects, focusing on what makes them distinctive and meaningful
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Deepen reflective practice through one-to-one tutorials and group conversations
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Work closely with artists from other disciplines and benefit from the exchange of ideas, experiences, and backgrounds
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Create a range of possible outcomes, including installation, performance art, film, live music, and hybrid forms
Is this course for you?
Other Lands Other Sounds is aimed at artists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We believe diversity makes the ensemble richer and the art more interesting. You might be early-career, mid-career, or long-established. You may make a living from your art, or practise alongside other work. What matters the most to us is the following:
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You have an established arts practice that you’ve invested significant time and care into. This programme is not for beginners in their art form, nor for people looking to casually try out something new. While we experiment playfully with process, we expect you to approach the work from the depth of your existing experience and hard-earned skills
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You’re ready and willing to be challenged. You’re open to exploring movement, music games, creative treasure hunts, devised happenings, improvising with a spoon… who knows. You’re willing to be surprised.
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Perhaps you sometimes feel isolated in your practice and are craving immersion in a creative community. You’re curious about other art forms and how they work. You’re genuinely interested in how other people think and create, and you’re excited by collaboration.
Hanna
Visual & Sound Artist, UK
OLOS 2018
The residency was life-changing, life-affirming, and simply wonderful from beginning to end. It was intense and energizing, each moment a source of inspiration waiting to mature into something extraordinary. The experience has built an incredible community of people around me due to the trust and love we have developed through exercises and time shared together. I have grown so much as an artist and a person.
Maria
Pianist, Malta
OLOS 2019
This course is a wonderful way of bringing creative practitioners together, offering us a safe space to create collaborative projects of real artistic value. Kate, Filipe, and Bea are excellent workshop leaders, offering the right balance between challenge, inspiration, guidance, and lovingly holding all the participants together.
The Programme
Other Lands Other Sounds offers a supportive environment for advanced musicians and artists (professionals, amateurs, students) to develop their practice through cross-arts experimentation and collaboration.
We bring people together to form temporary communities rooted in play, inclusivity, curiosity, and care. Away from the distractions of everyday life, we hold a carefully curated space where participants can be fully themselves, inspire one another, and learn through shared experience.
We see every moment as an opportunity to practice noticing, listening, and transforming experience into art.
Movement Sessions
Connect to the body; encompassing mindful movement, yoga, authentic movement, contact improv, meditation and more
Skill Shares
Learn about each others' practices, ways of thinking and approaching making work; benefit from the exchange of ideas, experiences and backgrounds
Creative Briefs
Strengthen collaborative skills through joint creative tasks, working quickly in small groups
Social Activities
Pizza and a film night; a day off to visit a swimming spot; dinner in a nearby town
Ensemble Building
Theatre-based workshops on building trust, complicite, spatial, body and group awareness
Local Immersion
Collect inspiration, gather material, meet the land, the people, the history through sound walks, visits to interesting sites, visits with community members and more
Collaborative Projects
Go deeper with a select group of collaborators to create new works to be part of the final public sharing
Public Sharing
Create a range of possible performance outcomes including installation, performance art, film, live music etc.
Music Workshops
Workshops on composition, improvisation, and collaborative music-making processes
Happenings
Daily short creative play sessions created by a team of participants for the whole ensemble; a space to explore, play, and connect
Mentoring & Curation
Deepen critical reflective practice through one-to-one tutorials and group discussions; learn creative methods and techniques to expand the artistic practice
Sofia
Visual artist, Brazil
OLOS 2019
I want to thank you immensely for these 12 days of intense diving. I will carry a piece forever, all of you in my heart. Thank you for showing me such a musical, inspiring and light environment. It is worth every second, every moment, every movement and every laugh.
Mikki
Visual artist, The Netherlands
OLOS 2019
I want to thank you for facilitating a truly beautiful environment… There was no judgment, pressure, or competition. The quality is really high. I hope you keep doing this!
Meet the TEAM
Our guides for the course are experienced leaders and facilitators of creative process and cross-disciplinary work. Filipe and Kate started Other Lands Other Sounds in 2016 (then called Makers' Collective). They met Bea in 2017 during OLOS 2017 and invited her to join the team from 2018 onwards. While each has specific skill sets in their field, they collaborate closely and flexibly in determining the flow of the course and how best to support the participants.
Our home, host & inspiration
This work is always grounded in place. We believe context matters: land, culture, language, history, and the people who live there. We create opportunities for locals and visitors to meet as co-questioners, making work that grows from a specific place and moment in time.
While we are held within a supportive and safe bubble of art-making, we will also stay in active connection with our surroundings: visiting neighbours, exploring the land, tasting local food, spending time in cafés, and welcoming local artists into our community. For us, it is essential not only to give back, but to allow ourselves to be shaped and changed by the place and the people we encounter.
Our home is central to our work. Court of Cavalum will become one of the most significant members of our ensemble.
Located in Cete, a small village about 30 minutes outside of Porto, the house is lovingly cared for by Charlie and Sharlit, both artists in their own right, with the support of Coby and Jin. Together, they have created Court of Cavalum as a co-living artists’ residency, usually hosting around four artists at a time for month-long stays. It is a rare and generous gift that they have opened their home so fully for this project.
Charlie is a former landscape designer and self-described plant whisperer, now the creative force behind the mansion’s whimsical renovations. Sharlit is a voice-over actress and the former founder of an international theatre festival. Their combined sensibilities have shaped a place that feels both theatrical and deeply lived-in.
Court of Cavalum is a space longing to be filled with art and music. Every room overflows with character and inspiration, forming the backdrop to our creative work. Participants will be commissioned to create site-specific installations and performances in dialogue with the house itself. The final sharing will invite a local audience on a promenade journey through different performance sites, allowing the house to be experienced anew—alive with creative possibility.
Originally an old manor house belonging to a Portuguese family who grew wine, farmed the land, and served as local priests, the building is rich in history and artefacts. Over the years, Charlie and Sharlit have carefully renovated and restored many original features, creating a home that blends old and new in unexpected, playful ways.
Staying longer?
Because Court of Cavalum usually hosts artists for longer residencies, participants are warmly invited to extend their stay after Other Lands Other Sounds if they wish.
If you apply for Culture Moves Europe Mobility Funding, there’s a strong chance your extended residency could be significantly funded. We highly encourage interested artists to explore this option and are happy to support you through the process.
Workspaces
Court of Cavalum offers a wide range of spaces for collective, breakout, and individual work.
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The main workshop space is the barn, with a linoleum floor opening onto the stone courtyard.
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Meals will often be shared in the courtyard or on the terrace overlooking the valley.
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The attic serves as a light-filled visual arts studio.
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A sound studio provides a quiet space for recording.
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The sun room, complete with piano, will be used for music rehearsals.
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Meals
Court of Cavalum has a large, well-equipped kitchen and a generously stocked pantry.
Breakfast will be self-serve, with bread, jams, butter, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, tea, and coffee available.
Lunch will be prepared daily by our local chef. Each day, two participants will assist for about an hour—chopping, stirring, serving. Think music, conversation, and bonding in the kitchen.
Dinner will mostly be self-organised. You’re welcome to eat leftovers, cook for yourself using pantry supplies, or head out to a local restaurant (at your own expense).
We will also provide dinner on the following evenings:
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Arrival - design-your-own pizza and cook it in the wood fired pizza oven overlooking the valley
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Get-in (installation and rehearsal) night
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Evening of the public sharing with the community
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Celebratory farewell dinner
Accommodation
One of the most beautiful settings we’ve had for Other Lands Other Sounds, the mansion is a striking example of classic Portuguese architecture, infused with Charlie and Sharlit’s creative flair. Expect whimsy, colour, and character throughout.
Accommodation options include:
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One double room with ensuite bathroom
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Two twin rooms
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One triple room
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One dormitory (7 beds)
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Camping
Bathrooms are shared (unless ensuite) and are themselves beautifully designed, each with unique features.
Your Investment
Course Fee
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Tuition and facilitation from our three course leaders and operations support person
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Use of all workspaces
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Breakfast, lunches, four dinners, and all access to the pantry
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Hosting and support from
the Court of Cavalum team
Accommodation
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11 nights accommodation with all linens included
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT
Book before May 1st and receive €100 off.
CULTURE MOVES EUROPE FUNDING
If you are joining us from another European country, this funding may cover a significant portion of your costs. DEADLINES MARCH 31ST & APRIL 30TH.
Deposits & payment
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A €250 deposit is required to confirm your place and reserve your preferred room.
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Your place is not secured until the deposit is received.
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Deposits are non-refundable, but you may transfer your place to another accepted participant.
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The remaining balance is due by May 1st, 2026.
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If paying the full amount by May 1st is not feasible, please contact us to discuss an installment plan.
Cancellation policy
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Cancel between May 1st – July 1st: 50% of tuition fee refunded (minus deposit)
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Cancel after July 1st: no refund
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If we do not reach the minimum number of participants (10) by May 29th, the programme will be cancelled and all payments refunded.
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Once the minimum is reached, we will notify participants. If you arrange your travel before this date, we recommend purchasing travel insurance in case of cancellation.
Operations Support
We are hiring an operations support person to assist with technical setup, transportation, equipment logistics, and coordination with local partners. This person will also be invited to participate in the ensemble and creative process as much as they wish.
The ideal candidate:
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Is a musician with technical experience
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Speaks English and Portuguese
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Has their own car
Bursary
In our commitment to recognising the financial inequity of average Portuguese incomes vs other European countries, we are offering one bursary for a local Portuguese artist.
Please only apply for this bursary if you are a Portuguese artist living and working in Portugal with an average monthly salary of €1,090 or less.
This position is expected to be competitive. Our decision will be made based on the strength of your work and the balance of the ensemble.
Work Exchange
We are offering one work exchange position for an artist with proven photography and video experience to document the programme, while joining fully as a participant. If video editing is needed after the programme concludes, the artist will be fairly compensated for their additional work.
In exchange for this documentation support, this participant will receive €440 off the workshop fee.
APPLY!
We accept applications in 4 rounds. After each deadline we will review the applications and send out decisions one week later. Spaces are limited, so please do not wait to apply.
We have spaces for approximately: 9 musicians, 5 visual artists, 1 movement artist, 1 performance maker
Deadline
March 20th
April 17th
May 22nd
June 19th
Results
March 27th
April 24th
May 29th
June 26th
The Culture Moves Europe Funding deadlines are March 31st and April 30th, so if you need financial support to attend OLOS, please DO NOT WAIT to send in your application to us. Apply NOW, so we can get back to you in time for you to prepare your application for Culture Moves Europe Funding.
FAQs
1. When are arrivals and departures?
Arrivals are on July 31st after 4pm. We will host a welcome dinner that night, and the workshop will begin on August 1st. The last day of the course will be August 10th. You will have to leave our rooms by 12pm on August 11th (unless you have arranged to stay longer with Court of Cavalum).
2. Should I bring instruments and art supplies?
Please bring your instruments to the workshop. If you are worried about transporting your instrument or size makes it cost-prohibitive, please give us advance notice and we will check with local orchestras about borrowing one.
Visual artists, please bring the materials and supplies that you work with. You can also purchase arts supplies in the village, a 5 minute car ride away.
3. How do I get to Court of Cavalum?
Flying - Porto airport (Francsico Sa Carneiro Airport) has regular connections across Europe and major intercontinental airports.
Uber 30 mins from the airport or from downtown Porto for around 30€
Local taxi - Joao the village taxi friend can take you back to the city or airport for 35€ if booked in advance.
Train 35 mins from Porto Sao Bento (central) station to Cete station which is a 20 minute walk to The Court. Costs 3€ per ride and runs twice an hour from 5am all day through to 1am. Porto has straightforward connections to the airport, Lisbon, Spain (Galicia) and major cities. Our local train line provides access to the Unesco protected Douro Valley and other excursion points.
Buses - run from the village (7 min walk) to the historic centre of Penafiel city, hospital and shopping centres.
GPS Coordinates: 41°10'29.7"N 8°20'05.7"W
4. What else should I bring?
We advise you bring a beach towel and swimming suit as we will likely go swimming at a river beach on our day off. Bring enough spending money to cover extra dinners, drinks, ice cream and any souvenirs you'd like to purchase during your trip in Portugal.
5. Do I have to speak English fluently?
The workshop will be led in English, but you do not need to speak English fluently in order to participate. Our team is also fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Mandarin, and are happy to assist with any translation questions.
6. Is this course right for me if I have a particular project I'd like to work on?
This course intends to provide participants with the guidance, support and space to collaborate with new people and across disciplines. While participants may bring elements of their practice to the interaction (for instance recordings or video), all the inputs of the group will be combined to create new work that belongs to everyone. Therefore, this course is not like artists residencies intended for established artists, bands, groups, or collaborators to work on their own projects.
7. Can we come as an ensemble?
Participants who may have worked together in the past are very welcome, however we will ask everyone to work together in new combinations and on new material.
8. Can I bring my partner or child?
We have one private room available, so we could potentially host an artist with their partner and/or child if they book the private room. Charlie and Sharlit have a young child, so if you bring a child they will have a buddy around. If this arrangement is of interest to you, get in touch with us to discuss the intricacies and we'll figure out together if it's a good fit.
8. What do I do if I have access needs?
Please let us know if you would need any additional support in order to attend the course. We are aware access support can extend from help with the application if you have dislexia, to ramps for wheelchairs, to a support worker for those needing physical assistance. Let us know your situation, we'll check with our team and our hosts, and get back to you about what is possible.
Delara
Violinist, Croatia
OLOS 2019
This collaboration was always open for everyone, always supportive and giving you strength - this was a life-changing experience… This opened my eyes, ears, and my heart. Thank you!
Francis
Bassist, UK
OLOS 2018
If you’re an artist looking for inspiration or a change of scene, this programme is a relaxed yet impeccably well-run environment, hosted by some of the nicest folk you’re likely to meet.
Ana
Photographer, PT
OLOS 2024
It was the perfect environment for me to explore my artistic self — a colourful playground where I felt free and safe to experiment and get creative, while collaborating and receiving lots of inspiration from other artists from different disciplines.