World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023 featured musical moments led by the WYD Lisbon 2023 Choir and Orchestra, which played a central role in the celebrations, providing a unique experience for the participants and testifying to the power of music as an expression of faith and unity.

The choralists and instrumentalists involved in the WYD Lisbon 2023 Choir and Orchestra shared their joy and satisfaction at the work and service provided. As Lucas Thaumaturgo said, "taking part as a solo singer in the World Youth Day Choir was an eye-opener. It helped me clarify my place, despite my personal choices and characteristics: a place, firstly, as a son of God called to serve, and secondly, as a human being with the ability to help others live better lives through music, such an indefinable art," he added.

For the choir member Marta Bento, too, having music always present in her life and being "one of my favourite ways to pray", "I can't express how happy I was to be able to belong to the WYD Lisbon 2023 Choir". In our choir and orchestra prayer there's a part where we say 'may music be the language with which we speak of You and with You' and I'm sure that's exactly what we did," he said.

Cátia Santos also said that "joy and gratitude are the words I keep for having associated my love of music and having put the gift of my voice at the service of the various celebrations, surrounded by so many incredible musicians (professionals and amateurs)". Having been in the choir since 2021, with several rehearsals to prepare for the week of World Youth Day, Cátia recalled that "it was also very exciting to join the orchestra to the work done by the choir and to realise that only together could we see the true result of our efforts.

With the desire to volunteer at a WYD since 2016, Natália Faria ended up having the opportunity to join the Choir and, later, the Orchestra of WYD Lisbon 2023. According to her, this "was a very important moment not only in my life, but also in my career". This was because, despite wanting to "get out of my comfort zone" and join the WYD Lisbon 2023 Choir, it was necessary to strengthen the horn section and, since Natália is "a musician by profession (horn player)", she then joined the WYD Lisbon 2023 Orchestra. "Playing the horn implied another challenge: here there was no text, simply notes; here the challenge was to play each note with the same intention that I gave to the words when I sang. Here I had to be clay in the potter's hands and let myself be led by the conductors," she said.

Teresa Cordeiro, Coordinator of the Music Team, highlighted the three years of "very intense work" in which she brought together "a team of incredible musicians, as people and as professionals", with whom she chose "the repertoire for the celebrations, as well as the singers and instrumentalists who were part of the WYD Lisbon 2023 Choir and Orchestra".