COMMUNICATION OF THE CIVIL PARISH PRESIDENT OF VILA FRANCA DE XIRA

Vila Franca de Xira is a crosspoint of roads and nowadays also a crosspoint of “musical meetings”. Taking in consideration the success of the first edition of the Wind Band Contest held by Ateneu Artístico Vilafranquense we have no doubt that we are walking on a road to a promising future, due to the professional and rigorous organization and the haste of the Bands trying to assure their inscriptions in order to compete and find “the best among the best”.

Such initiatives give everyone born in VFX a feeling of self-esteem underlined by performances and sounds that we all appreciate. I believe that this experience of sounds has its origin in the strong influence of the river Tagus, where the fishermen work and day sailors have fun, enjoying the calm proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, which drives our imagination towards other peoples, willing to communicate, know and let know our town, in a process that “sounds like music to our ears”.

It may come from this marshy land (Lezíria) where you can hardly see the horizon, slashed by the agricultural and pasture fields where the cattle, horses and oxen gains unforgettable images of exotic contours and great beauty. Or maybe because of the cradle of VFX some characters were born, undoubtfully great historic values, which make us feel full of pride of our human heritage. Men and women who, during their lifetimes, have built an image of courage, art and intelligence well characteristic and emblematic of the conscience and the culture identity of VFX.

We underline this will to work in team when we speak of the “3rd Wind Band Contest” which perfectly matches the cultural tradition of our home town and fully justifies its continuity.

Therefore, personally and in behalf of the staff of Junta de Freguesia, which I represent, I wish to register the gratitude of the freguesia for the importance of such an initiative and how we consider it a cause (for us a very dear cause) to work for the promotion of our community and to enlarge the name of VFX.

José Fidalgo Gonçalves
Civil Parish President of Vila Franca De Xira