Local orchestras resume activity this weekend
The Macao Orchestra and Macao Chinese Orchestra will resume their concert activities this weekend after undergoing structural transformations.
Both orchestras, which are coordinated by the Macao Orchestra Company, will present their first concerts of this new era after the structural transformation on Saturday (March 19) at 8 p.m. in different venues.
While the Macao Orchestra will present “Charming Romance” at the Grand Auditorium of the Macao Cultural Centre, the Macao Chinese Orchestra will take the stage in Broadway Macau’s Theatre to present the concert “Enchanting Tunes from the Screen 3.”
The two concerts are organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and will feature renowned conductors and musicians from mainland China, who will collaborate with the Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra to present a repertoire of Chinese and Western classics from different periods.
Tickets for both concerts are now on sale and available through the Macao Ticketing Network.
The concert “Charming Romance” will include the performance of pianist Hao Duanduan to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 in G major and will also present Brahms’ Symphony No.1.
As part of “Enchanting Tunes from the Screen 3,” the Macao Chinese Orchestra will join forces with soprano Wei Jiani and Macao singer Sean Pang Veng Sam to perform a repertoire of theme songs from classic and popular television and film productions such as A Dream of Red Mansions, A Love of No Words and Titanic, as well as revisiting scenes of the big and small screens through music.
The two orchestras in the city were in limbo earlier this year as musicians await information on the future of the organizations following leaks that several staff have allegedly been compensated up to MOP250,000 for breach of contract.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has allegedly abruptly laid off musicians from the orchestras.
Late last year, it was disclosed that the city’s two public orchestras will be privatized in the future to allow for swifter adjustment and reaction to market demands.
The privatization was set to take effect on January 1, 2022, aiming to give the orchestras “greater chances of development […] such as performing overseas on behalf of the city.”
