Winners’ Concert of the 23rd Macao Youth Music Competition (MYMC) was held last night (July 30) at 8pm in the Macao Polytechnic Institute’s auditorium. First-prize winners of all events and categories were invited to perform. Winners of special prizes were also announced. The “Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize” went to Fong Chio, champion of piano advanced competition; Chan Sin, Chan Weng Sa and Vong Cheok Kei won the “Virtuosity Prize”; and Wong Cheok Lam won the “Macao Polytechnic Institute Prize”.

Among 800 participants in this year’s competition, 17-year-old Fong Chio won the “Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize” and received a MOP$100,000 scholarship for attending music courses in China or overseas.

Fong, a Form 3 student in Yuet Wah College, won first prizes in both piano Group I (Advanced) competition and piano concerto competition. He has been learning piano for eleven years and is now learning piano in the Macao Conservatory. He thanked his parents upon receiving the “Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize”, as they were the ones who encouraged him to learn piano. Fong Chio is now very fond of piano, no matter he won or not he will continue to learn piano after he graduates, he said. Fong is the only winner of this year’s competition invited to perform at the “Flourishing Art” concert held last week.

The “Virtuosity Prize”, sponsored by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, is a MOP$30,000 scholarship awarded to the winning participant for attending music courses. There were three winners receiving this prize. They were Chan Sin, champion of Piano (Level 4) competition and Sonatina for Piano, Chan Weng Sa, champion of Piano (Level 7) competition, Haydn Piano Sonata Competition and Piano Works by Chinese Composers (Intermediate Level) Competition, and Vong Cheok Kei, champion of Piano Works by Macao Composers (Intermediate Level).

The “Macao Polytechnic Institute Prize”, a newly added prize, awards winner with tuition fee waived for the first year in taking Higher Diploma in Music (Educational) in the Macao Polytechnic Institute. Wong Cheok Lam, champion of the Piano (Level 8) competition, won the “Macao Polytechnic Institute Prize”.

Tickets of the Prize Awarding Ceremony and Winners’ Concert sold out quickly. Alice Wong, Vice-President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Wong Lai Seong, representative of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Dr. Lei Heong Iok, President of Macao Polytechnic Institute awarded winners at the concert held yesterday. Every year, MYMC supports local teenagers in furthering their studies in music. Some winners such as Lam Ieng Ieng, Liu Kuok Man, Liu Kuok Wai and Ma Pou Mang even have the chances to enter overseas’ music circles. Hong Si Man, Wong Hio Teng, Miu Pek Kei and Leong Tek Ka, now furthering their studies in music, were back to perform in Macao recently.