The 34th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be held from 25 September to 29 October. Themed “Song of Tomorrow”, this edition of the MIMF will feature a number of programmes and outreach activities, gathering the melodies of joy, love and hope to create a kaleidoscopic spiritual world, inspiring the public to move forward with music and welcome a bright future.
Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg opens the Festival
This year’s Festival will kick off with the symphonic play Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg. With the interpretation through 22 characters performed by accomplished actor David Wang based on the script rewritten by renowned music critic Yuan-Pu Chiao, as well as music jointly performed by conductor Zhang Jiemin, soprano Li Xintong, the Macao Orchestra and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the exceptional programme will take the audience to the world of fantasy written by playwright Henrik Ibsen and composer Edvard Grieg.
Grand performance by Long Yu and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; Shenyang presents a musical journey of Tang poetry
Hailed as “the most powerful figures in China’s Western classical music scene”, the renowned conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will join hands with erhuist Lu Yiwen and pianist Zee Zee to convey the boundless charm of music through a repertoire featuring both Chinese and Western genres. In Variations of Jade – The Journey of Tang Poetry, bass-baritone Shenyang, known for his diverse singing styles, will team up with pianist Zhang Yiming and local actor Wong Pak Hou, offering a feast of Tang poetry-inspired songs to the audience.
Transmission of Chinese culture and promotion of exchange in the Greater Bay Area, presenting an image of Lingnan music
In the concert The Butterfly Lovers, celebrated Chinese conductor Zhang Guoyong and the Macao Chinese Orchestra will jointly present the Violin Concerto The Butterfly Lovers with the young violinist Wang Zhijong, offering a feast of Chinese orchestral music. In Contemporary Meets Tradition by Cantonese Music Assembly, young performers of Chinese music from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will present well-known Cantonese music and the premiere of the Cantonese music composition Sunset Clouds in Autumn in Macao, presenting an image of Cantonese music with Lingnan culture, showing the innovation throughout the transmission of Cantonese music.
A romantic encounter with jazz music unfolds; young musicians take the stage to showcase virtuosity
Jazz trumpeter and composer Li Xiaochuan, in collaboration with several jazz players from Mainland China, will present Li Xiaochuan．Sounds, offering a repertoire of widely acclaimed jazz pieces, and taking the audience on a journey to explore the various possibilities of music. Outstanding young pianist Chen Yunjie will present the complete piano sonatas by Scriabin written throughout his creative career, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the piano master. In the concert Bravo Macao!, young violinist Nina Wong will take the stage to show her talents.
FIMM-tastic Music and Movie Night presents recordings of fado music and sacred music programmes
In “FIMM-tastic Music and Movie Night”, special recorded programmes of MIMF Voz e Violão by António Zambujo and English Renaissance Polyphony – a survey by The Tallis Scholars will be screened at the Amphitheatre of the Taipa Houses and St. Dominic's Church respectively, presenting Portuguese fado music and English sacred music on the big screen, allowing the public to enjoy the sublime sounds of different countries and adding pure music to the beauty of Macao.
Tickets for the Macao International Music Festival are available at the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 18 September (Sunday). In order to cooperate with epidemic prevention and control measures, and safeguard the public health, outlet ticketing, telephone and online booking will be available simultaneously on the first day of ticket sales. In order to reduce crowd gathering on site, members of the public are advised to purchase tickets online and by phone. An online reservation system is also available for the first day of ticket sales. Members of the public who want to purchase tickets at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets from 10am to 12 pm on the first day of ticket sales are required to reserve their ticketing outlets and time slots through the online reservation system of the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 15 September (Thursday). Those in need of assistance to access the online reservation system can visit any of the Macau Ticketing Network outlets during business hours and the online platform’s opening period, and complete registration with assistance from the staff. Booking time slots are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each mobile phone number can only be registered once. The public can also book their tickets via telephone or online without pre-registration. On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of six tickets per performance per person. The “Electronic Consumption Benefits Plan” is not applicable to ticket purchases.
Various discounts are on offer at this year’s MIMF. An early bird discount of 30%, subject to certain criteria, is available from 18 to 25 September, and a 20% discount will be offered from 26 September onwards. Members of the public who purchase their tickets with BOC Credit Card or BOC Card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for the opening performance Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg and the show Variations of Jade – The Journey of Tang Poetry, as well as a 20% discount on tickets for other shows. A 20% discount will be offered for holders of MasterCard, Visa or UnionPay card from Luso International Banking Ltd., Banco Nacional Ultramarino, BCM Bank, Tai Fung Bank or OCBC Wing Hang. A 50% discount will be offered to holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. Each cardholder can only use one discounted ticket per performance. For every ticket purchase over MOP500 (net price after discounts), purchasers will receive one discount voucher to enjoy 15% discount at selected restaurants in Sands Resorts Macao. Buy more, get more! Vouchers are limited, subject to availability. Air Macau customers can enjoy a 20% discount on ticket purchases at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets by presenting their respective boarding pass (flight code NX) within 7 days upon their arrival in Macao.
The maximum indoor capacity for this edition of the MIMF programmes is limited to 75%. In line with the anti-epidemic guidelines issued by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the Health Bureau, members of the public must present one of the following documents before entering the venue: proof of completion of the whole course of the COVID-19 primary vaccination series (which includes two doses of the inactivated vaccine or the mRNA vaccine) for at least 14 days, or a negative nucleic acid test result issued within 48 hours (self-paid). Those who fail to provide the aforementioned documentation are not allowed to enter the venue and the tickets will not be refunded. In addition, audience members must wear their own face mask, undergo body temperature checks, present a valid “Venue QR Code” (also known as “Venue Code”) and the “Macao Health Code” of the day, and follow the relevant anti-epidemic measures and crowd control measures on-site. Those with a fever or respiratory symptoms are not allowed to enter the venue.
This edition of the MIMF counts with the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM – Teledifusão de Macao, Air Macau and Sands Resorts Macao. For more information about the programmes and offers, please visit the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm or the respective page on Facebook (“Macao International Music Festival”). For enquiries, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours. 24-hour ticketing hotlines: 2855 5555 (Macao), 2380 5083 (Hong Kong) and 139 2691 1111 (Mainland China). Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.
The presentation of the programmes of the 34th MIMF was held on 14 September at the Macao Cultural Centre Conference Room, and was attended by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Chairman of the Executive Committee of TDM - Teledifusão de Macau, S.A., Lo Song Man; the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and General Manager of Air Macau Company Limited, Chen Hong; the Director of Community Affairs of Sands Resorts Macao, Annie Lam; the Deputy Director of Digital Finance Department of Bank of China Macau Branch, Choi Ieng Chi; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Cheong Lai San; and the representatives of participating art groups.