Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the Macao International Music Festival, originally scheduled for October this year, will have a different format. Themed ‘For a Special Year’, this year’s music festival will present 9 programmes in a total of 20 performances by local music groups from 22 August, including concerts, and other activities such as ‘Enjoy Music in Cinema: Screening of Musical Movies’, ‘Street Piano Programme’ and the eco-friendly ‘Musical Instruments DIY Workshop’, etc. The programme aims to take music to each and every corner of the city, satisfying residents’ needs for cultural diversity, as well as other places plagued by the pandemic. This year's Festival presents free of charge concerts and activities. Registration for the workshops and activities should be made through the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) website from 17 August.

The Macao International Music Festival has a history of over 30 years. Affected by the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, many uncertainties arise in regard to artists' transportation, logistics and rehearsal arrangements, resulting in the inability for overseas performing groups to come to Macao. Therefore, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, organiser of the Macao International Music Festival, decided that this year’s Festival will be largely based on local concerts, with community performances presented by with 18 local music groups totalling over 300 musicians.

The Festival's programme features four community music performances: ‘Chinese Music Camp’ in Iao Hon Garden on 22 August; ‘Late-Summer Music Camp’ in the area next to Flower City Park on 29 August; ‘Family Music Camp’ in the Leisure Area of the the Lok Yeong Building on 19 September, at 4pm to 7pm; and the ‘Family Fun Music Day’ in Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Municipal Park on 26 September. The last concert, “Family Fun Music Day”, featuring a repertoire of familiar children’s songs, will be held from 3:30pm to 6:30pm, meanwhile, the eco-friendly ‘Musical Instruments DIY Workshop’ and game booths will also be available on same day, allowing residents to get to know and experience music in a diverse way apart from the concert halls.

The ‘Street Piano Programme’, which was well received by the public in last year’s Festival, will be back from 1 September to 30 December this year with pianos appearing at various parks and leisure areas in Macao and Taipa, as well as the Macao Science Centre, for residents to play at any time. The pianos will be regularly sanitised with photocatalysts and residents are advised to wear masks and disinfect their hands with alcohol-based hand rub before hitting the keys. Among the popular activities is the ‘Enjoy Music in Cinema: Screening of Musical Movies’, which features four music movies between September and October, namely This Old Road – Konomichi, Itzhak, Yesterday and Nelson Freire. Post-screening sessions will be held after each screening.

Online registration for the eco-friendly ‘Musical Instruments DIY Workshop’ and four screenings will be available from 9am on 17 August via IC’s Activity Registration System (www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event). Vacancies are limited.

IC will strictly follow the related anti-epidemic guidelines of the health authorities and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities. All participants must wear face masks, undergo body temperature checks and present a valid ‘Macao Health Code’.

Details of the activities of the Macao International Music Festival are available at the thematic website www.icm.gov.mo/fimm, IC’s official WeChat Account ‘IC_Art_Macao’ and the ‘Macao International Music Festival’ page on Facebook. IC continues to monitor closely the development of the outbreak. Programme details will be unveiled in September.