Blending Chinese and Western Cultures, Bridging the Past and Present
Macao Orchestra is the only professional symphony orchestra in Macao. With the tenet of Blending Chinese and Western Cultures, Interpreting Traditional and Modern Classics”, the Orchestra is committed to presenting high-level musical performances to the public, so that the beautiful melodies can linger in the city and touch people’s hearts and souls.
Formerly known as Macao Chamber Orchestra, Macao Orchestra was founded in 1983 by Father Áureo de Castro of the St. Pious X Academy of Music and a group of music lovers. In July 2001, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government renamed it the “Macao Orchestra”. Since 1 February 2022, Macao Orchestra has been managed by Macao Orchestra Company, Limited, which is wholly owned by the Macao SAR Government. The previous music directors of Macao Orchestra include renowned artists Doming Lam (1984-1988), Veiga Jardim (1988-1995), Yuan Fang (1995-2001), Shao En (2001-2008) and Lu Jia (2008-2022). Since 2023-24 concert season, the Macao conductor Lio Kuokman has served as the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra.
Over the years, the Orchestra has collaborated with numerous internationally acclaimed musicians, conductors and arts organisations, including Plácido Domingo, Krystian Zimerman, Leonidas Kavakos, Lang Lang, Sarah Chang, Tan Dun, Yekwon Sunwoo, Nobuyuki Tsujii, Akiko Suwanai, Pablo Ferrández, Bomsori Kim, Makoto Ozone, Christopher Warren-Green, Philadelphia Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus, English National Ballet, and Hong Kong Ballet, etc.
In addition, the Orchestra has often been invited to perform in Mainland China and overseas, leaving its footprints in at least 30 cities across Mainland as well as Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, USA, Japan and Korea, etc. In 2015, it participated in the Austria Bruckner Festival as the representative of China. In 2019, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the Orchestra toured in Portugal, demonstrating the contribution of Macao Orchestra in helping to build Macao into an exchange and co-operation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and the co-existence of different cultures.
The Orchestra has also spared no effort in music education and community promotion, such as holding concert series “Music for Future” and “Music at Arts Space”. In recent years, the popular “Unforgettable Melodies” concert series has been held many times at world heritage sites, allowing the public to savour the exquisite music at Macao’s world heritage sites and showcasing Macao’s charm of “tourism+culture” to tourists. In addition, at community level, the Orchestra has brought music to campuses, communities and disadvantaged groups to greatly expand the target audience for classical music. Through the brand concerts such as “Flourishing Arts” and “The Future of Classical Music”, it has also facilitated young music talents to broaden their horizons, enhance their appreciation of classical music and realise their musical dreams.
In the future, Macao Orchestra will collaborate with more world-class performers, and music and arts organisations to bring a variety of high-quality classical music performances and activities to residents and tourists. At the same time, it will keep on cultivating a new generation of music lovers and nurturing musical talents, so as to promote Macao’s construction of a “City of Performing Arts” and to present more wonderful performances for music enthusiasts. Against the unique background of the co-existence of Chinese and Western cultures in Macao, Macao Orchestra will continue to serve as a bridge for cultural exchanges. Using music as a universal language, it will help Macao connect to the motherland, go global, and present Macao to the world.
