The International Chamber Music Competition “Cidade de Alcobaça” (CIMCA) is an organization of the Municipality of Alcobaça (CMA) and the Band of Alcobaça (BA), with production of the Alcobaça Music Academy (AMA), that has the chamber music promotion as its main goal, prizing the effort, talent and creativity of the participants.

This is a project that also tries to fill a national gap referring to events that reward the merit of musicians and national groups as well foreigners who see our country as an opportunity to launch their career, celebrating on the other hand the talent creativity and ability of young musicians.

In this sense, the internationalization of CIMCA was one of the objectives gains at its very first edition, held between March 29^th and April 3^rd, 2009, turning Alcobaça into a platform for some 130 musicians and 30 groups from different countries: Brazil, U.S., Spain, Poland, France, Russia and Portugal.

The second edition ( April 10^th to April 15^th, 2011) had also among the participants mostly groups coming from Portugal, Germany, Spain, France and United States of America, accounting almost two dozens of groups in the competition and having the presence of over fifity musicians.

As for the third edition (October 27^th to November 1^st, 2013) there were welcomed 24 ensembles in the competition, coming from countries such as Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Poland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Japan, comprising the presence of close to 70 musicians.

Concerning the fourth edition, there were musicians from Portugal, but also from countries such as Spain, Northern Ireland, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, Brazil and South Korea, with a total of about 17 ensembles with a presence of close to 50 musicians.

The fifth edition received mainly groups and musicians from Portugal, but also from countries such as Spain, Ireland, United Kingdom, Finland and Japan, with a total of about 13 ensembles with more than 40 musicians.

The credibility of the Competition relies on a set of virtues based on the historical role that music plays in the Alcobaça district but, mainly, by the quality and distinction of the Jury members who have the responsability of judging the performances of every ensemble.