The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presented the concert “Leonard Bernstein’s 100th Anniversary by Lio Kuokman and Macao Orchestra”, part of the Maestros with Charisma series, on 24 February at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. One of the highlights of the current concert season, the concert was led by Macao talented musician Lio Kuokman, who also programmed the event and enthusiastically performed a work for piano. After the concert, an autograph session with Lio Kuokman was held at the same venue, in which the musician received an overwhelming support from music aficionados.
The concert “Leonard Bernstein’s 100th Anniversary by Lio Kuokman and Macao Orchestra”, featured a number of masterpieces by the great 20th century composer, Leonard Bernstein. The Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, presented in the second half of the concert, deeply impressed the audience in particular. This orchestral piece condenses all the important plots of the original story, embodying the composer’s imaginative musicianship and sophisticated orchestration skills. At the concert, Lio Kuokman also performed the piano part of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue resorting to a variety of performing techniques and styles, revealing all his talent when facing the great challenge of being a pianist and a conductor simultaneously.
On the day before the concert, the Macao Orchestra specially organized the sharing session “Music Hour with Lio Kuokman”, in which the conductor shared memorable moments of his musical career and offered practical and valuable advice to music enthusiasts.
The concert “The Musical Footprint of Dvořák”, part of the Shining Virtuosos series, will be held on Saturday, 10 March, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring renowned Italian cellist Mario Brunello. Tickets for the concert are now available through the Macao Ticketing Network and are priced at MOP250, MOP200 and MOP150. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com. For details and enquiries about the programme, please call OM through tel. (853) 2853 0782 during office hours or visit OM’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.