The Festival was born as part of the Casa de Mateus International Music Encounters, which in addition to the Festival include music courses with 16 or 17 subjects and conferences on musical themes. The number of concerts has increased to around 40 every year, with great artistic quality, extending to heritage sites throughout the Northern Region, with incursions into Galicia, which has allowed this Festival to establish itself as one of the largest in Portugal and one of the most important in Europe.