History Salão Musical de Lisboa
António José Fernandes da Costa
1925-1990
The Salão Musical de Lisboa of A. Fernandes da Costa, Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda., opened its doors in 1958, founded by António José Fernandes da Costa.
Orlando Costa, son of the founder and current owner, shares that his great-grandfather was a conductor of philharmonic bands, and that his grandfather, who grew up surrounded by musicians, spent his entire professional life working in an old music store in Lisbon, now sadly closed, specializing in wind instruments and heading the repair workshop.
Orlando Costa’s father followed a similar path, eventually venturing to Brazil, where he worked in a factory and became highly skilled in manufacturing various wind instruments. That experience sparked a dream, and in 1958, António Costa opened Salão Musical at Rua dos Anjos, 37-C. It operated as both a shop and a workshop, primarily dedicated to repairing and producing wind instruments.
From the beginning, Salão Musical served several official institutions such as CP (Portuguese Railways), the Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of Education, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation: CP for orders of signal bugles used at the time to control train operations; the Ministry of the Army for clarions, bugles, percussion instruments, and war drums; the Ministry of Education for providing beginner musical instruments (Orff), vital to music education in Portuguese schools; and the Gulbenkian Foundation for the production of reed instruments like clarinets.
Since the store's founding by his father, Orlando Costa has grown up immersed in a love of music that has accompanied him throughout his life.
By the late 1960s, his brother João was already working on repairing reed and mouthpiece instruments. Over the years, he learned and refined his skills alongside their father. Two years later, Orlando Costa also joined the workshop to support his father.
At that time, all the military bands—GNR, PSP, the Air Force Band, the Navy Band, the now-extinct Fiscal Guard Band, and many philharmonic bands throughout Portugal—recognized the superior quality of his father’s work, who was seen as a benchmark in wind instrument repair.
In the second half of the 1970s, there was a growing demand for pianos, particularly for tuning and repair services. To meet this demand, the National Conservatory opened a course for piano tuners, which Orlando Costa attended. Keeping pace with market needs and customer expectations, Salão Musical began importing used acoustic pianos, which it repaired and sold, and also created a technical workshop for acoustic pianos. Since then, Salão Musical de Lisboa has consistently offered maintenance and repair services for pianists, students, schools, and the general public.
Over the following decades, the business expanded, also importing and selling well-known brands of musical instruments.
With its growing reputation both as a musical instrument store and a repair workshop, Salão Musical opened a second location on October 1, 1990, at Rua da Oliveira ao Carmo, 2, near Largo do Carmo in Lisbon.
Here, history and tradition coexist with modernity: traditional guitars stand beside electric ones, upright and grand acoustic pianos share space with digital models. Stringed instruments are strongly represented, especially traditional Portuguese varieties.
In the 21st century, the musical instrument market in Portugal was hit hard by the economic crisis. As internal demand plummeted due to low purchasing power, large multinational companies entered the market. While many stores in the sector were forced to close, Salão Musical de Lisboa endured by adapting to new realities and consumer expectations. Today, it is the only musical instrument store in the Baixa-Chiado area.
In 2010, Salão Musical de Lisboa underwent a restructuring. The Rua dos Anjos location became a dedicated piano repair workshop and warehouse, while the showroom and sales moved exclusively to the Rua da Oliveira ao Carmo store.
Its prime location in the heart of Lisbon’s historic center acts as a true showcase of traditional Portuguese instruments, highly appreciated by the many tourists who pass by. The store is also a reference point for music students, teachers, professional musicians, and anyone who holds music close to their heart.
Especially after Fado was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, interest in Fado, and in particular the Portuguese guitar, has surged. Musicians and tourists from around the world are captivated by the unique sound of our guitar and acquire it with great enthusiasm.
But Salão Musical de Lisboa goes beyond selling instruments. We aim to always display a good variety of Portuguese cavaquinhos and mandolins, as well as regional guitars: braguesas, beiroas, campaniças, amarantinas, toeiras, and violas da terra. We frequently provide information about the origins of these instruments, their musical use, tunings, and construction techniques.
It’s important to highlight that all the Portuguese guitars and other traditional instruments we sell are entirely made in Portugal. In this way, we contribute to the sustainability of local production, supporting distribution both among Portuguese musicians and the many tourists who seek out these extraordinary instruments.
Modernity and tradition have always coexisted at Salão Musical de Lisboa. From early on, the company embraced technological advancements and launched an online store, a necessity in today’s market, and one we’ve embraced. Today, a local business must also be a global one.
Much has changed since the launch of our first website to the current version (https://www.salaomusical.com). Today, Salão Musical de Lisboa also maintains a blog and is active on social media, especially Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SalaoMusicalLisboa/).
As part of a Lisbon City Council initiative to promote traditional, cultural, and historic commerce, Salão Musical de Lisboa was awarded the distinction of Loja com História (Shop with History), approved during the Council Meeting on June 27, 2018.
https://www.timeout.pt/lisboa/en/news/ha-44-novas-lojas-com-historia-em-lisboa-062918
Today, the Salão Musical de Lisboa team is made up of six dedicated individuals who handle the many demands of the business with a deep sense of purpose: serving Portuguese musicians and promoting Portugal’s rich musical heritage.
Despite the need to stay current with new technologies and market trends, Orlando Costa believes the physical storefront remains essential. It’s at the counter—where new and long-time clients, locals and foreigners, come to browse, try instruments, or simply ask for advice, that friendships have been built over decades. “It’s this idea of closeness we insist on, because music is meant to be experienced live.”
In this year of 2025, we celebrate 67 years of service to music. Salão Musical de Lisboa continues to offer its customers expert knowledge in the sale and technical support of musical instruments in Portugal. And the future is being shaped today: now in its third generation and with strong prospects for continuity, the shop keeps alive the tradition and passion for music that have always defined it.