Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym), the special edition of Macao International Music Festival, themed “Music October”, will be held in October this year, connecting and communicating with the world through music. Due to the fact that many parts of the world are still affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Festival will continue to focus on concerts by Chinese performers and local rising musicians, offering the public rich and diverse music programmes and activities. Tickets for this year’s Festival will be on sale from 25 September and IC is going to preview some highlighted programmes.
Internationally acclaimed Chinese pianist Chen Sa is the only Chinese pianist who won three prestigious international piano competitions, namely the Leeds International Piano Competition, the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In the “Chen Sa” Piano Recital, she will perform solo piano masterpieces of the Classical and Romantic periods with her excellent and sophisticated technique, including Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas No. 4 and No. 10, and Schumann’s Kinderszenen Op.15 and Kreisleriana Op.16. This year marks the 110th anniversary of the death of Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler. World-renowned bass-baritone and winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Shenyang, will join hands with four young musicians, namely Liao Xi, Liu Liyuan, Zhang Jingzhuo and Wei Yun, to present the concert “Dreamful Youth”, featuring classical pieces such as Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, in honour of Gustav Mahler. Under the baton of the national first-class conductor Liu Ju, the Macao Chinese Orchestra, in collaboration with violinist Xie Nan and guzheng player Su Chang, will present the concert “East-West Connection in Music”, featuring the Violin Concerto The Butterfly Lovers performed by Xie Nan, the Guzheng Concerto Ru Shi performed by Su Chang, a premiere performer and authoritative interpreter. The Orchestra will also perform The Sisters’ Islands, offering the audience a magnificent musical feast of Chinese and Western music.
In order to cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures and to offer the public a convenient ticketing service, IC optimized ticketing arrangements for the Macao International Music Festival by introducing diverse ticketing channels, including ticketing service at the outlets and online booking, simultaneously this year, so as to further encourage residents to experience the convenience of e-governance. An online reservation system will also be open to the public from 10am on 23 September (Thursday). Those who want to purchase tickets at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets from 10am to 12pm on the first day of ticket sales are required to reserve their ticketing slots and outlets with mobile phone number. Those who have successfully registered can buy tickets at their selected outlet accordingly. Those in need of assistance to reserve a ticketing slot can visit any of the Macau Ticketing Network outlets during business hours and the online platform’s opening period, and make the registration with the assistance of 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. Pre-registration is not required if audience members choose telephone or online booking. Tickets will be on sale from 25 September (Saturday). On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of six tickets per performance per person.
This year’s Festival will also feature outreach programmes such as masterclasses, workshops, pre-show talks, exhibitions, outdoor performances and charity sessions. Registration will be open from 10am on 23 September. Interested parties are welcome to register online at www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event or by phone. For enquiries or registration, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours.
IC will strictly follow the relevant anti-epidemic guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities. More information about the Macao International Music Festival will be announced on the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm, IC’s official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”, and the respective page on Facebook.