The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will start its 2019-20 Concert Season on 31 August. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Van Beethoven, the Macao Orchestra takes the theme of Concert Season around “Love・Beethoven” and offers “Love・Beethoven” ticket discount packages. World-class musicians were invited to present Beethoven’s complete set of the virtuoso composer’s symphonies so as to convey his positive attitude towards life through music and to allow the audience to experience the charm of the composer’s masterworks. To further enhance young audience’s appreciation abilities, the Orchestra will hold a series of “Fun Music” concerts and a variety of music activities. Tickets for the new Concert Season will be on sale from 30 June onwards at the Macau Ticketing Network, and an early bird 40% discount will be available, subject to certain criteria, between 30 June and 17 August.
The launch of the Macao Orchestra 2019-20 Concert Season was held on 24 June 2019, at 3:30pm, at the Ocean Ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental Macao, and was attended by the Acting President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia; the Vice President of Public and Community Relations of MGM, Irene Wong; the Director of Communications of Mandarin Oriental Macao, Jean Ho; the President of Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Air Macau Company Limited, Chen Hong; the Director of Banking Business of the Bank of China (Macau Branch), Chan Weng Tat; the General Manager of the MOME Ltd., Naomi Chan; the President of the Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Theatre Management Company Limited, Liang Tao; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Iu Wai Man; the Head of Marketing Division of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Cora Vong; the General Manager of the Macao Orchestra, Rebecca Chou; the Assistant Conductor and the Concertmaster of the Macao Orchestra, Francis Kan and Paolo Morena.
Internationally renowned musicians perform in Macao
A variety of captivating performances will be held during the new Concert season. The Concert Season will kick off with the “2019-20 Season Opening Concert – Alban Gerhardt and Macao Orchestra”, in which the Macao Orchestra will join hands with the internationally acclaimed cellist Alban Gerhardt, exploring the connections between life and music; the concert “In Dialogue with Cello” will be presented by prominent cellist Raphaela Gromes under the baton of conductor Lü Shao-Chia who is hailed as the pride of Taiwan’s music arena; Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonieorchester Basel, Michał Nesterowicz, and Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova will present the tango concert “Latin Passion” on Valentine’s Day; Concertmaster Rainer Honeck of the internationally renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will present two excellent concerts “Symphony of Destiny” and “Maestros’ Sound”, allowing music aficionados to enjoy Honeck’s performance as both conductor and violinist; Swedish trombone maestro Christian Lindberg will showcase his virtuosity as conductor and trombonist in the concert “A Night with the World’s Top Trombonist”. The Concert Season will close with the “2019-20 Season Closing Concert – Beethoven Piano Concertos by Rudolf Buchbinder”, in which the world’s top pianist Rudolf Buchbinder will join the Macao Orchestra to present Beethoven’s five piano concertos over two consecutive days, taking the audience on a musical journey to retrace Beethoven’s steps in music and life.
Collaboration with MGM to create an exceptional audiovisual experience
The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day, the Macao Orchestra and its special art partner MGM will jointly organize the concert “A Tribute to Nature”. The concert provides the audience with a spectacular audiovisual experience by integrating classical music and digital images that are projected on the world’s largest indoor LED screens at The Spectacle of MGM Cotai. The “Guided Tour for Earth Day X Nature’s Art” will also be held at The Spectacle, where the public can appreciate over 100,000 plants from around the world.
Brand-new “Fun Music” concert series injects creativity into music education
The “Young Audience Programme” has attracted enthusiastic participation from many full-time students since its launch. In the new Concert Season, the Macao Orchestra will hold a series of “Fun Music” concerts, in collaboration with Platypus Theatre from Canada, celebrated actor and composer Paul Dooley from the United States and Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Jason Lai, to present three concerts designed for young people of different ages and a variety of music activities, injecting creativity into classical music, attracting the younger ones to develop their interest in classical music and enhance their appreciation abilities.
“Love・Beethoven” ticket discount packages are specially offered
Tickets for the new concert season will be on sale from 10am on 30 June (Sunday) at the Macau Ticketing Network. Ticket sales for the programmes of the Macao International Music Festival will be announced at a later stage. For updated information, please visit OM’s official website or the Macau Ticketing Network website. 40% early bird discounts will be offered from 30 June to 17 August, when four or more persons purchase tickets at the same time, or on tickets for all concerts for purchases with the “OM Friends”, “CCM Friends” or “Friends of the Macao Chinese Orchestra” cards. A 30% discount will be offered from 18 August onwards. A 40% discount will also be available for purchasers of four or more tickets for any concerts of the “Chamber Voyage” series. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Van Beethoven, “Love・Beethoven” ticket discount package will also be offered. Before 31 December 2019, fans can purchase a package for five Beethoven concerts at MOP880 (each package includes one ticket at the highest fare). Those who purchase the package are entitled to have free priority registration for three additional concert tickets until 31 December 2019. and get tickets for three additional concerts, subject to availability. 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 shows will be available for purchases with a valid Macao Teacher Card, MasterCard, Visa Card or UnionPay Card from BCM Bank, OCBC Wing Hang or Tai Fung Bank. A 50% discount will also 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.
The Macao Orchestra 2019-20 Concert Season counts with MGM as its special art partner, Mandarin Oriental Macau as its supporting entity, Bank of China (Macau Branch) as its special bank partner and MOME Ltd. as its mobile media partner. The new 2019-20 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.
