The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, inaugurates its 2021-22 Concert Season in September, themed “Inheritance of German and Austrian Classics”, inviting numerous internationally acclaimed musicians and art groups to present masterpieces of classical music, allowing audiences to appreciate the wisdom of the great masters and to pass on the beauty of music through a vast array of exciting works. Tickets for the new Concert Season will be on sale from 10am on 31 July at the Macau Ticketing Network, and an early bird 40% discount will be available on the first 10 days of ticket sale.
The launch of the Macao Orchestra 2021-22 Concert Season was held on 26 July, at the Mandarin Oriental Macau, and was attended by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian; the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia; the Vice President of Brand Marketing of MGM, Catarina Lio; the General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Macao, Christian Dolenc; the Deputy Director of the Digital Finance Department of Bank of China, Macau Branch, Sabrina Choi; the Assistant to Vice President, Commercial cum Regional General Manager of South China of Air Macau Company Limited, Winston Ma; the Assistant Account Service Manager of the MOME Ltd., Yvonne Loi ; advisors of the Macao Orchestra, Lok Po, Kevin Thompson and Dai Dingcheng; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Iu Wai Man; the General Manager of the Macao Orchestra, Carol Chiu; the Assistant Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Francis Kan.
Concert Season kicks off with the opening concert by violinist Ning Feng and the Macao Orchestra and closes with Verdi operas gala
The new Concert Season kicks off with the “2021-22 Season Opening Concert – Ning Feng meets Brahms”, in which the Macao Orchestra will join hands with internationally renowned violinist Ning Feng, to present classical works by German master Johannes Brahms with fluid musicality and impeccable technique, including Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, one of the “Four Greatest Violin Concertos”. Due to the impact of the pandemic, the concert “Verdi Operas Gala”, originally scheduled for last year, will be staged on the new concert season’s finale, in which Italian renowned soprano Maria Agresta and tenor Marco Berti will perform a repertoire of melodious opera arias.
In addition, a number of internationally renowned artists were invited for the new Concert Season, offering the audience a variety of captivating performances. Song Yuanming, an internationally acclaimed soprano well-known for her mellow and delicate voice, will join hands with one of the most influential Chinese conductors, Zhang Jiemin, in the “Starry Vienna - New Year Concert”; conductor Lin Daye, winner of the 6th Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, will join hands with the Macao Orchestra to present three introductory selections of classical music in the concert “The Power of Music”; young pianist Zhang Haochen, winner of the gold medal at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will perform in Macao again, presenting Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in the concert “The Fabulous Brahms – Zhang Haochen and Macao Orchestra”; Xu Zhong, the Director of the Shanghai Opera House and Principal Conductor of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, will present classical and romantic masterpieces in the concert “Fascinated Chamber”, showcasing his flawless technique and fluid musicality.
Macao Orchestra presents the concert “The Song of the Earth” in commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the premiere of Gustav Mahler’s work
The year 2021 marks the 110th anniversary of the premiere of Austrian composer Mahler’s famous work Song of the Earth in 2021, the Macao Orchestra will team up with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia, in collaboration with outstanding Chinese alto Liu Siman and tenor Xue Haoyin, to present a magnificent production. The work Song of the Earth, based on the poetry collection The Chinese Flute translated by German poet Hans Bethge, has an inexplicable connection to Chinese poems during the Tang dynasty.
OM collaborates with MGM to specially present the concert “The Planets”, offering an innovative audio-visual experience
Macao Orchestra and its special art partner, MGM, are jointly presenting the famous work The Planets by British composer Gustav Holst in the early 20th century, under the baton of the Assistant Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Francis Kan. In order to enhance the presentation, the concert will combine the world’s largest permanent indoor LED screen at the MGM Theatre with special lighting effects, allowing the audience to relive the vastness of the great universe as if in the solar system.
“When Music Speaks” and “Fun Music” concert series promotes diversity of classical music
In order to promote classical music to the public, the new Concert Season features three concerts “When Music Speaks”, in which the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia, will share the musical pieces and tell the stories behind the music. The “Fun Music” series of the new Concert Season continues to inject creativity into classical music in order to attract the younger generation, develop their interest in classical music and enhance their appreciation abilities. Conductor Jason Lai will present 11 dance pieces from different countries in the amusing and creative concert “Dancing to Music”, transforming the symphony orchestra into a versatile dancer; the “Children’s Day Concert: Conductor’s Spellbook” is a musical performance that combines fun, storytelling and education, offering an exceptional musical experience to the children.
Various ticket discount packages are offered in appreciation of the support of music aficionados
Tickets for the first five concerts of the new Concert Season, including “2021-22 Season Opening Concert – Ning Feng meets Brahms”, “Dialogue in the Piano Trio”, “Commemorating the 110th Anniversary of the premiere of Mahler’s work: The Song of the Earth – Macao Orchestra and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra”, “Christmas concert -Winter Fantasia” and “Starry Vienna - New Year Concert”, will be on sale from 10am on 31 July (Saturday) at the Macau Ticketing Network. The date of ticket sales for other concerts will be announced in due course. In the first 10 days of ticket sales for each concert, a 40% early bird discount will be offered on tickets for all concerts; after the first 10 days, a 30% discount will be offered when purchasing four or more tickets at the same time in the “Along with the Musical Joy” promotion or upon the purchase of tickets for any concerts for “OM Friends”, “CCM Friends”, “Friends of MAM” and “Friends of the Macao Chinese Orchestra”. A 40% discount will be offered upon purchase of 4 or more tickets for any concerts in the “Chamber Voyage” series. Holders of BOC Credit Card or BOC card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for special programmes, as well as a 20% discount on tickets for all non-special programmes. A 20% discount on tickets for all concerts will be available for purchases with a valid Macao Teacher Card, MasterCard, Visa Card or UnionPay Card issued by BCM Bank, OCBC Wing Hang Bank, Tai Fung Bank, Luso International Banking Ltd. and BNU. A 50% off will be offered to holders of a valid full-time student card, Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. For more information, please refer to OM’s concert season booklet. In addition, “OM Friends” may redeem two tickets of the “Along with the Musical Joy – Annual Gala and Gathering” with 400 music points on or before 6 September at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, while stocks last.
The Macao Orchestra 2021-22 Concert Season counts with MGM as its special art partner, Mandarin Oriental Macau as its celebrity hotel support, Bank of China (Macau Branch) as its special bank partner, Air Macau as its supporting entity, and MOME Ltd. as its offical mobile media partner. The new 2021-22 Concert Season booklets can be obtained at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets for free. The electronic version can be downloaded on OM’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/om. For more information and enquiries, please contact OM through tel. no. 2853 0782 during office hours; 24-hour ticketing hotline: 2855 5555; online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com.
Photo credit:Lawrence Tsang