Porto’s Superior School of Music and Performing Arts (ESMAE), belonging to the Porto’s Polytechnic Institute emerged in 1994, after the extension of the Superior School of Music, with the intention to widen its offer of graduate courses to other artistic areas beyond music. Nowadays ESMAE encloses two departments: Music Department, where it offers degrees in the most various areas such as instrument, singing, composition, early music, jazz, production and music technologies, and Theatre Department that is responsible for the education in branches such as: acting, stage management, scenography, costume design, light and sound design. ESMAE gives a particular importance to the performances of its pupils, since this is an essential compliment to achieve their course objectives. These performances have as a principle aim the promotion of a strong and permanent contact between the young artists and their future public. In this context ESMAE has a Concert Café and the Theatre Helena Sá Costa, which are the stages of a great part of the students’ performances. Furthermore, ESMAE has developed many partnerships with institutions like: Casa da Musica Serralves, Coliseu do Porto, among others. ESMAE currently has nearly 700 students and 140 teachers.

ESMAE organises several prestigious performance events such as HARMOS Festival (International Chamber Music Festival) and SET (Week of Theatre Schools); and takes part in more than 100 cooperation agreements with international institutions and has been taking part in European projects since 2003 such as Variazioni Project (EC e-content plus), E-CLAP (ICT-PSP), several Erasmus Intensive Programs, among other.

ESMAE produces more than 250 music events per season.